Morose

🦄 Darker Than Black - Merged With T.S.

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Cecily Ashworth

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Location: Justice Airport

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The flight may have been six hours long, but Cecily was glad there wouldn't be any delays due to weather. Plane flights were never much fun and she pulled out her phone, switching it over to airplane mode. The text from Riley was left unanswered--it'd have to wait for her to land. She nodded at Natasha wanting to change our her bandages, hoping that nothing too terrible had happened to her wound since the doctor tended to it last. She dreaded there being any complications.

Cecily relaxed in her seat as the plane went down the runway, closing her eyes as she rested her head against the headrest. When she was little, she'd always be staring out the window as planes took off. Eventually, she had seen planes take off so often that it wasn't worth staring out the window, meaning she'd either already be reading a book or she'd rest her eyes. But the coroner felt that Caesar likely had some sort of activities planned out for them during the flight, meaning that reading for the moment was out. A brief moment to rest her eyes was the best way to spend take off.

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Iris Kingston

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Location: 3932 Chicago Heights

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Iris beamed down at the quick reply from Marc. It was the best of feelings, being able to help someone else when they were in need. And if those photographs would help Agent Tinder find Cynthia, Iris was incredibly glad she had taken them home from her. It wasn't exactly protocol to take a patient's belongings home, but after what happened the day before, Iris was certain no one would notice. Those who did notice, she hoped, wouldn't mind.

Exiting the Messages app, Iris caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a million emails in her inbox. She tended to keep her inbox fairly tidy, with no unread messages if she could help it. Biting her lip, Iris opened it up and quickly scanned through them. Patients' families were asking for information about what had happened the day before, with it making the news and all. The message from the board disgusted her a little bit. Were they just going to cover all of this up? It reeked of corruption and made the young psychiatrist sigh a bit. Hopefully she was wrong and the press release later that day would come clean.

Opening up her Mac, Iris composed a quick email response to all of the families that had contacted her - I am unable to pass on any information at this time, but a statement will be released at 4 o'clock today. - Dr. Kingston. She didn't want those families to have to worry all day about their loved ones without any communication from the staff. The very least she could do was let them know that news would be coming later.

Packing up her belongings, Iris paused as she heard a knock at the door. Frowning slightly, she couldn't help but wonder who it would be. Opening the door to Amy Adams and a cameraman, however, certainly wasn't something she expected. "Erm...hullo? Can I help you?"

🦄 Soulless Regency - Merged With T.S.

@Lady Amalthea Since I hadn't moved Virginia and Alfred outside of the manor yet - they were in the hallway outside of Virginia's room - should I move them outside for my next post then?

🦄 Darker Than Black - Merged With T.S.

@Lady Amalthea I'll get a post up tomorrow (spent a good deal of the day looking at photos)

Current Mood in One Gif

🦄 Soulless Regency - Merged With T.S.

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Location: Crypt Townhouse Near the Strand, London

House and Description

The Crypts purchased the house ages ago, as their dear friend's practice was nearby. He was an undertaker. Does that surprise you? It shouldn't. Alfred manages the household affairs, as the townhouse was originally used for attending events of the season, as well as to be present for public executions. Virginia takes a professional interest in them. That should hardly surprise you either.

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Virginia could not remember consuming any draughts the previous evening. Yet had she done so, Virginia fancied she would have deemed it the Draught of Living Death. Juxtaposing with her night terrors from before, her worries and fears for dear James' safety, there was only nothingness. A darkness complete and absolute enveloped her, causing any trace of existence and life to slip through her fingers. It was how she would imagine drowning to be, yet she could still draw breath. There was no weight crushing her lungs, just an endless night that seemed to smother her.

By the time the child's screams began, Virginia wondered if she had died and this was what awaited her. She did not fear death, though she was certainly curious about it. She only had two hypotheses that seemed to be valid: there was either nothingness or there was something. Regardless of which turned out to be the case, it would be an adventure she would gladly undergo--yet not soon, if she could help it. She had a duty to her brother, a duty to her family.

Yet it was not death, Virginia realized, as she rose from her bed. She had little notion of the time as she crept over to the window, glancing outwards. When she was small, she always fancied she could see Scotland Yard from that very window and her parents had humored that thought. They couldn't have been more proud to have a dreamy child interested in homicides and mental irregularities. But of course, they held just as much pride in James as well, the little budding arsonist. Virginia believed strongly that her parents would have loved to see the strides James had made in their absence.

"Beautiful..." Virginia murmured, looking at the dead ivy on the walls of the manor. Even the garden appeared to have suffered some shape or form of devastation, with only one flower remaining. The globe thistle, from this distance at least, brought a bit of a smile to Virginia's face. She adored its color, a pale purple. She would need to send her compliments to the gardener for such fine work. It was a devastatingly enchanting display, just what she needed to lift her spirits after the events of the previous day.

She had no knowledge of how long she remained in her room that morning, and despite dressing for the day, she remained inside. Perhaps, she wondered, it was a manifestation of her grief for Mosi. Only once the bell tolled ten did she feel no longer obligated to remain inside of her room. The insistence on that time did strike Virginia as peculiar--she could not think of any particular association she held between Mosi and the number ten. But no matter. She could think on it later.

"Ah, my lady! I was wondering when you may emerge this morning. Are you quite alright?" Alfred asked, carrying a tray with various breakfast items and tea towards Virginia's room. He had assumed that perhaps due to the events she had shared with him yesterday evening, she would not be joining them for breakfast. It would have been irregular for a Crypt, yet he made no judgments.

"I was surrounded by darkness and made its captive, until the screams of a child liberated me," Virginia said matter of factly.

Had Alfred not been working for the Crypt family for years, her answer would have perhaps left him stunned. "Perfectly reasonable, my lady. The young viscount would be delighted to take breakfast with you, if you are so obliged." It wasn't the weirdest thing that had been said to him by a Crypt before, after all. He had heard far stranger explanations.

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Location: Teriny Inn

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The sugar inspired dream of being crushed by the parson might have been strange, but it was far better than what occurred after it. Once Maeve had fallen back to sleep, a darkness like death had claimed her, keeping her its hostage. There was nothing she could do to combat the emptiness, not until childlike screams ran through her mind. At first, she thought they were Roisin's screams, but the girl was safely in Ireland in Brennan territory. It could not be her, though Maeve was still tense and fretful.

Perhaps it was that fear that kept her in her room until the stroke of ten. She had changed and seen to her things, and with that done, sat on the bed quite uselessly, waiting for something she could not understand. Something kept her from leaving the room, ensuring that she stayed behind that door. Could it have been the devil, warning Maeve of the errors of her ways? She had committed a great deal of sins in her lifetime, that was true, yet she was still a Catholic. She still believed.

Eventually, the force keeping her inside the room seemed to vanish, allowing Maeve to notice the quietness of the inn. She had no notion of how long she had been awake. Leaving her room, she spotted Nigel and his wife moving about, handling the other guests of the inn. Thanking Nigel for the note, she read it quickly, a bit irritated with the parson. What was the point of using a false name if he would use her real one anyways?

Though she doubted she would see the parson at eleven. Securing the carriage might not have been too difficult for ordinary individuals, but Maeve was quite certain that the parson would find some way to get into an accident before he returned.

🦄 Soulless Regency - Merged With T.S.

@Lady Amalthea I'm gonna sit down and hammer a post out now. Hoping I can make a full return shortly!

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Starkette

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Location: Hanson Power Plant
{"Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk."}

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Judging from the screaming, Starkette figured she had a few moments before Stark came in, fuse blown and gasket popped and all. Even disabling the capacitors didn't seem to be helping much with the console--there was only so much damage that she could repair by hand. Heftier tools would be needed to fix this thing. And running on the clock, Starkette glanced down at her watch for a moment.

"What, no comment from you, huh?" Starkette asked, rolling her eyes at the watch. She'd need to make some major upgrades to the thing when she had a chance. It hadn't been too bad of a prototype, but still, it wasn't that great either. It had activated an emergency beacon after all and got Tony Stark of all people to come. Whatever protocol in its systems had called for that, she'd need to find it and disable it, pronto.

"I'm sorry, console love, but I'm going to have to relieve you of your duty," Starkette said. It'd be harder, but she technically didn't need the console itself. If she was able to find some extra wire, she could pull the console out and wire it manually. She wouldn't be able to change the use of power with just a few buttons, which was a major downside, but at least power would be back on. And there was only a large chance of getting shocked in the process too. Putting her hand on the edge of the console, she put her foot against the wall and tugged, popping the thing off with surprising ease.

It was a mess of cables and wires back there, none of which would be long enough to accomplish the task. But that gave her an idea, one that was just crazy enough to work. Pulling her headphones out of her pocket, Starkette looked back and forth between the headphones and the exposed mess of wires. It was just a glorified electrical connector, after all. There was a chance--a slim one, at that--that she'd be able to get it to work. All she needed to do was extend the reach of one wire, after all, so that way it could reach another one. And with those two touching, a current could run and hopefully, the plant's power would go back on.

"Tape, tape, tape..." Starkette muttered to herself, as she started to search the room. She'd need electrical tape to bind everything together.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Jack Hudson

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Location: The Outer Gate

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There wasn't much time left for them to say goodbye to James. They had ten minutes at best, though Jack figured that it was probably a little less than that by now. People had begun to make their goodbyes to James, with Jack watching as Miss Sally gave him a hug and Jim shook his hand. The truck was loaded with individuals and supplies, all but ready to depart Newnan forever. Jack couldn't help but wonder if James' exile would ever end, if the man would ever be welcomed back to Newnan, but he doubted it. It'd take a miracle for that to happen. This was the best deal they could make for James.

"Solovey! Damn it...You aren't supposed to be walkin' on your feet," Jack scolded half heartedly, his wife having hobbled out of the wheelchair and into the truck. Tatiana's feet were her livelihood and if they didn't heal up, she wouldn't be able to dance. Jack would have to dance for her and while his dancing was amazing and talent scout worthy, dancing was one of Tatiana's favorite things to do. It was in her blood. He wouldn't be surprised if their kid danced out of the womb.

But what was done was done. She was sitting in the truck, ready to get to work on her job for Newnan. Jack couldn't help but want to go out with her, just in case anything happened. It was all he could do to fight that protective urge and not accompany the truck outside. There wasn't any relative danger right outside the gate anyways. The team on the wall made sure of that. Once James had a free moment, Jack extended his hand to the man. "We're namin' the kid aftah you, pal. James for a boy--Jamie for a girl." He then nodded and stepped aside, knowing that countless others also had goodbyes to make.

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Beatrice Decker

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Location: The Outer Gate

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Beatrice was busy trying to block out the major spillage of emotions from her memory. She was leaving Newnan in an effort to get away from all of that--and if it followed her even outside of the settlement, what even was the point? She nodded as Ash mentioned that James had been the one to bring her in. He had been--he was one of the few people in Newnan that Beatrice enjoyed spending time with. She was like a cat in some respects--not hating someone was high praise for her. And it was true, of course. She never talked with Ash that much, though she respected the man. He was like herself in many ways.

"I've got his back, Ashton," Beatrice replied. She didn't feel compelled to say anything else. And as James approached, she nodded in agreement with Ryan. "We're coming with you, James." She then climbed into the truck after Ryan and one of the newcomers, wanting to get out of the way of all of the goodbyes. There wasn't much time left for them and she didn't want to get caught in the middle of an emotional onslaught. Trinkets were being exchanged from what she could tell, little gifts and well wishes too. The cowboy caught Beatrice's attention. She hadn't seen him yet, though he called himself Comfort. She hoped that was indeed his name and not some misguided attempt at humor. And while Beatrice could have introduced herself as well to the man, for whatever reason she didn't feel the need to.

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Chloe Ridgeway

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Location: The Outer Gate

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Chloe was surprised as well that Captain Tight-Ash didn't step in with any form of discipline. But really, punching Ryan around was nothing compared to what James had done to Dick. Walking back over towards Riley and Amelia, Chloe noted that Meg had joined the group. She genuinely liked Meg--she was another one of the people in Newnan who didn't treat her like a reject. Meg also knew the life of being a twin, especially a fraternal twin. It was irritating sometimes, especially when they were growing up, fielding the comments when people were confused that Chloe and Riley didn't look the same. Meg's twin was her brother--she understood completely.

Chloe wiped a bit of Ryan's blood off of her knuckles, searching Riley, Amelia, and Meg's faces simultaneously. While Chloe wasn't friends with James, these three were. Their good friend was being sent to his death and Newnan would be all the worse for it. Without James, the agricultural team was crippled, as far as Chloe was aware. Kristina was probably the most qualified to take it over out of anyone there, as the ginger ex-con didn't know about Commander Martin's qualifications.

"You three should go say goodbye," Chloe suggested, feeling numb herself. The anger and the rage was gone, leaving just...nothingness behind. "There's not much time left."

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Ravi Chakrabarti

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Location: The Outer Gate

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"It's as I said--a reminder of what true beauty looks like while you're out and about. It'll be hard to live without seeing this face for a bit," Ravi teased, though he did perk up a bit at the mention of beard creams. While beard care products were not in high demand during the outbreak, it didn't mean they weren't still hard to find. Most places had been hit by now, becoming more scarce and picked over as the months go by. He'd appreciate a good thing for his beard. "And I'll try, mate, but I honestly think Commander Martin is more qualified to do the reverse. I can't fathom her needing a single thing from me." And for Gavin's sake, he hoped she never did. It wasn't good luck to need the assistance of a Medical Examiner and former Forensic Pathologist for the CDC.

The extremely masculine, uber manly, very macho, and ultimate bro-hug made Ravi's back pop for a moment. He chuckled slightly, though he clapped Gavin on the back just as hard as he had done for Ravi. While Gavin might tease Ravi about being gay--though the man was flattered by quite heterosexual, thank you very much--that didn't mean he didn't know the Bro Code. He knew how to interact with his mates.

"Don't do anything you would do!" Ravi called out to the man as Gavin ended the hug and headed over to the truck. Ravi didn't know much about Peachtree City, but he knew one thing for certain--they'd have no idea what hit them. Gavin was a special sort of crazy.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

Will be attempting to post here now. DTTS went well so hopefully I can focus enough for this too

🦄 Deeper Than The Sands - Merged With T.S.

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Nora Kingston

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Location: Cairo - Headed Towards The Museum

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Nora felt a bit pessimistic, once hearing from Neema the possibility of the tiles being at another museum. It seemed all too likely, as Lady Munn hadn't pulled any other tiles from the archive the previous evening. But she also hoped that returning the tiles to the Cairo Museum, if needed, would not be too much of a fuss. Lady Munn appeared to have great influence, a Countess in her own right and the niece of a prominent member of the British military. Why, even her long lost love was famed for his prowess in mathematics!

Nora continued to follow Neema's winding route through Cairo, noting how far away from the museum they were. It certainly wasn't the most direct path, but the stares of the cats were more alarming than the distance they were off by. Cats were just cats, after all. They were intelligent creatures, but it was silly to imagine they were all staring at Neema and Nora. The only logical explanations for that, as far as Nora was concerned, was that either a) she was being paranoid and imagining things or b) she smelled like Spot.

She stood a few steps behind Neema as they reached the side street, with Neema's friends calling out to her. Nora noted the odd collection of people standing there, as well as the cat eating a meal near the dark haired woman. Could they have accidentally run into Neema's talkative friend, the one who followed Bastet? But in the interest of being polite, Nora remained quiet. She was both a quiet person by nature, as well as one who followed some of the most basic social customs--as she had done the night before when in the company of the fellowship.