JunkMail

Santa Celia: Coast to Coast

Archie, Nicole, and Natalie

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| _{Written with @Chukklehed & @Silver Carrot}

"Jesus! For a second, I thought you were from...you know, it doesn't matter. So, you're him from the house, huh? Well, I guess we both know each other's secrets now,"

"I have to spend weeks digging the truth out of you, but as soon as I do you turn around and start sharing with the world?"

Archie stuttered a few times, trying to find a way to reply properly to Nicole. For a brief moment, he genuinely thought she was upset with him. These fears were quickly dissipated when he turned around to meet his friend's gaze. He still wasn't used to thinking of that word, friend. His momentary fear melted away, and he spoke in a way that didn't at all conceal his mirth. "I kinda owed her this one. She... saw me." He said, using his hands to try to emphasize that he was not in the same state was he was in now.

"Saw you?" Nicole asked, eyebrows raised, "I guess you did say you changed. Changed how exactly? Oh, hold that thought a moment." Turning back to the door, she went to finally lock up. When Nicole returned and introduced herself, Archie mentally face-palmed for forgetting his manners. He wasn't a complete boor though, and waited his turn to make his own introduction. Natalie shook Nicole's hand, and answered the cafe owner's introduction with her own. "I'm Natalie. Yeah, I'm not....I wouldn't say I'm antisocial. Scared of opening up, maybe? Sorry for not really talking to you before now."

Archie, seeing his chance, reached towards Natalie to initiate a handshake. "Archie. Anderson. Uh, Archie Anderson." He said, offering her an awkward smile. Nice moves, Archie. For being such a lady killer in high school, his ability to talk to women had eroded quite horribly. He had been told that by the divorce counselor, that most recently divorced men had difficulty getting back into the whole flirting-dating scene. Damaged goods are always harder to sell. he thought, reminding himself of what he was deep down. He pushed those thoughts from his mind and focused on the woman in front of him. This was not the time, nor was it the place. "It's, uh, it's a pleasure to meet you."

She returned Archie's handshake, and reciprocated the smile just as awkwardly. It was certainly true that the prospect of romance didn't even cross Natalie's mind while talking to Archie, but that wasn't necessarily all Archie's fault. She hadn't moved on in the past two years, and had no desire to move on. When you watch the person you love murdered right before your eyes, you don't merely 'miss' them. You get horrible nightmares about their death every night.

"Natalie Ellis. It's nice to meet you too. At least properly. We didn't exactly talk earlier."

They shook hands and Archie, being himself, immediately feigned incredible pain as if his hand was being crushed. This was all a joke, of course. The alcohol in his system and the camaraderie or the situation was bringing out a particularly laid back side of him that was comfortable with letting loose for once. Natalie looked terrified at this, and recoiled her hand in fright. Seeing that Archie's hand was fine, the wild look in her eyes calmed down and her face relaxed. "That wasn't funny," she retorted, as she started giggling. Before long, she had put her hand over her mouth and was convulsing with repressed laughter. There were tears forming, though her eyes were gleaming with joy and relief that seemed alien and unpracticed in them. She'd never joked bout her power before. It was a stretch to even say she'd accepted it after all this time. She tried her hardest to ignore it, but Archie's joke had opened something, and all Natalie could feel right now was relief. She wasn't even sure why. Archie smiled and sat down at the table Natalie was had been at, as if to converse with her. This was somewhat exciting, and different but in a good way considering how life had been as of late. Since Nicole was locking up, he figured it was probably a good time to get out of her hair.

"Do you two want to head over to the The Tír na nÓg?" He said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder to the door behind him. "Might stop other late night strays from thinking this' a good place to get some coffee."

"I'm not sure about drinking right now," Nicole hedged, "Especially right after coffee. I suppose we could go for the atmosphere though, it'd be nice to get out of the shop for a while."

"For once, I agree with you." Archie commented, glancing quickly to his coffee but not saying anything further. "But as far as bar food goes, it's pretty good."

"I don't drink, but I wouldn't mind something to eat. Besides, if I didn't go out with you guys, I'd probably just be sitting in my apartment. I could do with this," added Natalie.

With that, the three set off to the bar together with a feeling of contentment that none of them had felt in a while. They entered not long after the Fosters had left, and did their best to ignore the crime scene not far away. That was life in this city, after all.

Santa Celia: Coast to Coast

Archie

---

"Oh, this? I was washing a glass up, and I was holding it too hard. Sometimes I don't know my own strength,"

Now that Archie was closer to her, he could very clearly see who he was dealing with. This was in fact the girl from the house. She was wearing the same clothing, and the way that she spoke... Archie was no expert in humans, but over the years he had learned the behaviors of a person that was obviously lying. This woman had not hurt herself cleaning dishes. She had hurt herself on a blade. She was a person of inhuman capabilities like himself and Nicole. He very briefly considered the likelihood of the three of them just happening into one another at such an odd hour, but quickly pushed it from his thoughts. Lady luck seemed to enjoy playing the game of chance with his life this evening.

He took a deep breath and decided to take a somewhat safer approach. To speak in such a way that only she would know what he was talking about- if this woman really was the person he saw only hours ago. "I'm sorry to hear that you cut yourself, must've been a particularly large piece of glass." He said. He reached up to his neck and shoulder and pulled aside his shirt to show her the two small bruises that he had left over from being shot in his reptilian form. "I'm sorry you had to... see that. Earlier, I mean. In the house."

And there it was. If she was there, she'd know. If she wasn't she'd think he was a weirdo or a creep. Only time would tell if his intuition was correct. Nicole's acceptance had him riding a particular high that made him feel like he could make things right without risking himself. Even if she was scared of him, at least she would know that there was more than just anger and scales to his person.

---

@Silver Carrot

Santa Celia: Coast to Coast

[snip]

@thewizardguy

Okay so, your answer only half answers Wraith's question. Where does the original come from? Does it come from Joshua? Does it just materialize out of thin air? Does it fatigue Joshua to summon them?

I think durability of that level works a tad differently. Something of that thinness would flex, but would not shatter.

At the end of the day, what we're cross on is that your character, as it stands, has the ability to create ten golems (which is about 2/3 of our entire cast at the moment) with that level of offensive capability and resistance to punishment. We're okay with you having one hard to destroy golem, or several easy to destroy golems (like, say, the durability of glass). Right now, the ability allows you to have the best of both worlds.

EDIT: If Josh lost consciousness, would the guardians still protect him? Or would they continue to materialize?

Santa Celia: Coast to Coast

Archie

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"I suppose since you told me your secret, it's only fair that I show you mine."

All things considered, Archie hadn't expected that Nicole would accept his confession as easily as she had. He didn't really know what he expected, honestly. This was all new territory to him, telling someone about his... affliction. He certainly didn't expect her to reveal to him that she had abilities of her own.

"I know it isn't the same, but my power doesn't change who I am when I use it, I never hurt people without meaning to. I cant say I understand how you feel. Still, I hope that knowing there's someone else who isn't completely normal will help you somehow."

And just like that, Archie felt the weight of the world come off his shoulders, if only for a minute. He still felt slimy, and like a time bomb, but the voice in his head that was telling him he needed to hide himself was uncharacteristically quiet. Someone who, while not identical to him, was similar. And it explains why she was able to repair his otherwise shredded clothing. Perhaps the man upstairs wasn't out to get him after all, because out of all the people in the city, he managed to find the one individual who had the capabilities necessary to help him cope with his own abnormalities. In this moment, that voice had been proven wrong. Archie opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the ding of the store's welcome bell. He shut his mouth quickly, not yet ready to publicly out himself. He cast his glance over to see who the newcomer, and quickly changed his mind about his earlier thought. The man upstairs clearly did hate him, because the person who just entered was the girl who had stumbled into... the other guy a little over an hour ago.

Archie met her eyes and very quickly looked away to focus on his coffee. Nicole stood up and walked away to address the new customer. While neither were looking, with shaky hands he took the flask off his hip and dumped some of the liquid in his coffee. Once he was satisfied he took a long drink from his coffee and winced, then put the cup down. Nicole's sarcasm brought on momentary feeling of jaded mirth to Archie. If only she knew the half of it. He remembered everything that happened in that other body- she had seen him hurt someone horribly. Despite this, the liquid courage in his system and Nicole's acceptance spurred him to do what was right. This woman, if anything, deserved an explanation. Or an apology. Or both. With a deep sigh, Archie stood up and walked over to the newcomer.

"Hi," He began awkwardly. Just because he had submitted himself to doing this, didn't mean that he had thought what he was going to say through. "I, um-" He continued, trying to find his words. "What happened to your hand?" he finally finished, deciding that 'Hi I'm that lizard' was probably not the best approach. He had realized, just in time too, that he had to be sure that this was the right woman.

---

@Chukklehed@Silver Carrot

Santa Celia: Coast to Coast

Yeah well I'm UNhappy to help and you DEFINITELY canNOT pm me at any time if you think there's anything I can do to help.

<3

Vivid Recollections: Into the World Unknown (Season 1 COMPLETE)

Oh I think I played that inFAMOUS dlc!

Santa Celia: Coast to Coast

Archie

---

"It's good to see you too, Taylor."

As he strode into the shop Archie placed his damaged clothing on a table by a sewing machine. He sighed, turning around to take a seat. As he sat down, he watched her toss her rag into the sink, muttering "Three pointer." under his breath as she effortlessly made the shot. For being so short, the girl had game.

"Taylor, you know me well." He said, smiling at her foresight of his ruined clothing. The grin fell quickly as soon as she reminded him that he still hadn't told her why he needed new clothing so often. When she picked up two large mugs, he knew that he was going to be in for another conversation. He wasn't complaining, really! He loved talking with Taylor, she was a sweet girl and extremely successful in her own right. Talking to people like her made him feel like maybe the world wasn't so hopeless after all, but he knew that she had him right where she wanted him. They were alone, she had left off on a suggesting that he expand on his mysterious nature, and he didn't have much in the way of getting out of this.

Deep down in Archie, he didn't want her to know for the wrong reasons. Yes, of course he was a dangerous individual and telling Taylor that would make her scared of him and potentially ruin one of the few regular and positive human interaction outlets he has left. While that reasoning was present, and extremely valid, Archie was hesitant to open up more so because he was afraid of getting too close to her. Archie comes in contact with a lot of bodies, and handshakes, and smiles, and laughter, and friendly moments. But a friend is something different. There’s usually a moment where it comes into focus. Sometimes it's been a smile that he didn’t expect and didn’t know he needed. A pat on the back, and invitation, a secret. Then there it is- he'd have a friend.

But, Archie is an alcoholic, with a failed marriage, and a dead son. Even now he had a flask strapped to his hip. He had an apartment with rooms that he hadn't stepped in for weeks now because the feeling of failure weighs down on him like the world on Atlas' shoulders. Taylor wouldn't want to see that part of him, not even he wanted to see that part of him. Despite his brain telling him that it was wrong and selfish to let her in and that she'd eventually be too disgusted with him to bear his presence, his heart yearned for the acceptance that it hadn't had in a long time. So despite his better judgement he opened his big, fat, stupid mouth.

"If you want to know, I'll tell you." He said, finally caving. He leaned over the table and rested his head in his hands. "I, um, I have a condition." He said. "Sometimes my body changes. I- I become a monster. I try to control it, keep it away from people, but it's huge and angry. I don't know when it started, but it's there and-" he continued, motioning to his shredded clothing, "It makes a mess. Of everything. It's hurt people, Taylor."

He rubs his forehead and looks away from Nicole, refusing to meet her eyes. "I try to cope but... it's not exactly something you can visit a therapist about, y'know?"

He fell quiet, not sure how to continue his rant. He didn't want to give her the details, unless she asked. She was the first person he'd told about his affliction, and his stomach was doing flips in anxiety- anticipating some kind of rejection.

---

@chukklehed

Santa Celia: Coast to Coast

@Junkmail is our first Co-Gm and he will be helping me with character sheet reviews, offering his services to those who need help in fleshing out or improving their sheets. Additionally, Junk is available for post-proofing and will be aiding in approving the aesthetics of this place.

@Lord Wraith

Vivid Recollections: Into the World Unknown (Season 1 COMPLETE)

....Well. Madeline wont be happy when she wakes up.

@Majoras End

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Santa Celia: Coast to Coast

Archie

---

Something in Archie recognized the look of fear in Natalie's eyes as she remembered what she was capable of. It was sobering, if anything. His mind didn't process that she was far stronger than others of similar statue, instead he grew a healthy respect for the woman of whom he had deemed undeserving of his wrath. He tasted her blood in the air, and it tasted wrong. There was something very off about it, compared to Monty and the corpse. His vision remained on Nelly until she dropped the weapon, and then finally addressed him.

"Hey...Um, should we call the police, or get out of here, or...?"

Archie began moving as if to step closer to her, but he stopped. He suddenly felt very sick, and he reeled away from Natalie with a low wine. He clutched his chest, a clawed hand trying uselessly to stop the cramping. Fearful, and in pain, Archie turned heel and ran, smashing through the glass of the back door and running through the fence (leaving a car sized hole in his wake). Now well out of sight, Archie desperately sprinted in the direction of a familiar alleyway. He didn't know why he had chosen this direction, he couldn't remember, but it was something. Perhaps he could outrun this phantom pain that was growing in his chest.

As he rounded the corner into the alleyway a grunt slipped out of Archie's lips as his legs went out from underneath him. Quite suddenly, his torso felt much, much heavier than his legs were capable of supporting. He managed to keep his arm up, but it was an almost unbearable strain. Christ, he'd never felt this weak in his entire life. He pressed with all his might against the floor with his other clawed hand, barely able to keep himself from collapsing onto the floor. Suddenly his mind was alight with coherent thought-

My name is Archie Malcom Anderson. I am a thirty-four year old recently divorced man. I am in a lot of pain and I am very afraid. I am probably going to die alone. I will probably ne-

Archie had to stop thinking after that because he lost the ability to think properly. Sweet merciful Jesus it felt like swarms of tiny things were attacking him, crawling up his leg and tearing at his flesh. The beast collapsed entirely, thrashing desperately but the feeling of its very organs tearing themselves apart blocked out literally everything in his mind except for pain. Archie twisted and shrieked, his muscles tensing uselessly before the tendons and muscles his arms dislocated. There was pain, lesser than that from his chest but nonetheless excruciating, shot up his arms before he found himself unable to move his fingers, his toes). Tears openly rolled down Archie's face as the pupils of his eyes tore and reshaped itself, rendering him blind. Next were the tips of his claws and toes. He felt them fall off, clean the fuck off, then the feeling of his skull rotting away burned at his ear cavities. His feet began to rip open at his Achilles tendon tore from the back of his knees, and he found himself paralyzed, unable to move even his face with the weight of his own rapidly receding mass. Archie had a fleeting moment of clarity and clamped his newly formed lips shut before he would attract any more attention, and whimpered through his tightly pressed lips.

Archie began to go somewhat numb. He was, quite simply, enduring more pain than he had ever expected to receive in his entire life, and it was more than his brain knew how to understand. He could hear someone screaming through their lips and he was fairly certain it was him. There was agony unlike anything he had ever felt, from every open, vulnerable spot. The screams were calling for Mom and begging for relief and then for God to just snap his neck then and there and end it. Archie didn't want to live anymore. He shook, his body jerked and ripped from side to side as the different pieces of exposed flesh and scales ripped and ashed away. His whole body was burning and stabbing with pain, and with now total blindness, all he could rely on was his hearing (there were sounds of the cars, the people, the heartbeat of the city) and his sense of touch. The latter was useless, as all he felt at the moment was mind splitting pain-but he did notice the absence of his own weight. He felt the wetness of his own blood seep against his skin, dripping onto the cold asphalt of the street in the alley.

Then there was the clammy, chill (not cold-this was something unnerving on a psychological level) as his body began rapidly returning to its human state. It wasn't painful-it was most definitely good for him-but nonetheless, the itchy, scratchy feeling one gets as a wound stitches itself back together began to dance along his entire body. All the tiny nicks and scratches to the horrid breaks and lacerations were suddenly alight with itchiness, a most uncomfortable sensation gripped his eye sockets, scrotum, ears, fingers, and toes. Slowly, the pain began to recede and his vision returned. Archie felt...fragile. He'd thought of himself as strong, before... before all of this. His own body had torn him apart so easily, as it always did. Archie was trembling and groaned as he stood up using a dumpster as aid, not yet ready to force himself to stand on his own weight. His brain was panicking, phantom pain flickering between his ears, his eyes, and his dick, his mind desperately telling himself that he was still a heartbeat or two away from death, but his body insisting that it was just fine. He finally stood up on his own, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. He balled up his hands into fists and gave his legs a casual shake, one at a time, to help mask some of the rampant trembling.

His bare form leaned against the wall of the alley, and with renewed lungs he sucked in breath. He cleared the tears from his eyes, and he leaned against the dumpster, groaning as he strained against it, slowly moving it just enough to pull a change of clothes he had hidden behind it. He had learned from trial and error that the beast inside him liked this spot. In the back of the alley there was a rather large manhole that provided access to a nest of sorts. He dressed himself, and sighed heavily. He wouldn't sleep tonight. Not after that.

He needed coffee, and a new pair of pants. He knew just the place.

The trek to The Woven Roast had taken the better part of an hour, because he was on foot and needed to stop by his apartment for his wallet. He would need to get the pants he had been wearing in his most recent transformation fixed and Taylor, as she liked to be called, was the only person he had ever met that was capable of performing what couldn't be described as anything other than miracles on his clothing. As he arrived, he could see the familiar blonde cleaning tables absentmindedly though the storefront windows. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the store, so he initially though that it was closed. He looked to his wrist to check the time, only to remember he wasn't wearing his watch. He also didn't have his phone on him- he had left both at the apartment. He groaned and figured that if he was going to be a pain, he might as well get it over with. He had learned well enough that dragging it out never helped.

He winced, and leaned forward to knock lightly on the door. He surprised himself when the door gently opened against the pressure, but rebalanced himself quickly. He peeked his head in tentatively, hoping to not get in trouble. As of late he has been a regular to both of her businesses, so she should recognize him.

"Taylor? Are you open? It's Archie. I have another special order for you..."

---

@Silver Carrot@Chukklehed