Morose

Hooked on a Feeling

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Guinevere Stark

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Guin crumbled into Lance, leaning on him as she cried softly. It had been hard enough to figure out how to broach the subject with her father - and he had been the one to start the conversation. Talking to her father about her addiction was one thing - talking to Lance about it was venturing into all new territory. They hadn't really talked about what happened and how she had ended up in rehab, much less the time she spent there. She tried to dry her eyes on her sleeve but the tears kept on coming.

"I'm fine..." she told him softly. "It's just...Look, I'm not doing great, Lando. I haven't been doing great for a while. So like last night, after you went home, I was going to swallow a handful of pills and see if I could make everything a little more tolerable. I didn't do it, but Dad found my stash while I was at school...Hence why I'm crying like a little kid right now..."

Hooked on a Feeling

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Guinevere Stark

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Guin nodded, hugging her father back. Had it been a different scenario, she would've pointed out that rumors of drug use didn't mean she was doing drugs. Someone could easily start a rumor just with the intent of getting her in trouble for something she didn't do. Yet given that Tony wasn't sending her off to rehab or grounding her or anything, she figured she ought to just be content with the outcome she had received. Content was the wrong word, however. She felt numb and depressed at the same time, just sitting on the couch as tears welled up in her eyes and eventually became too much, spilling over the edge and falling freely.

She glanced at Lance, trying to think of some sassy remark to say but she was at her emotional limit. She frowned when she saw his black eye but she was already in tears and somehow, seeing Lance just made her cry even more. Part of her brain told her to go do drugs to calm down, but her father had just taken away her entire stash. There wasn't much she could do about that, short of going out and replenishing the supply now - and she really didn't want him to send her to rehab again. It had been a horrible experience. "Hey Lando..." she said softly, her voice shaking.

Hooked on a Feeling

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Guinevere Stark

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Hammer paused before he launched into an explanation. "We have a big presentation coming up at the Stark Expo, buddy. It's our chance to shake up the playing field. Now, I can't tell you any specifics without you officially coming on board and joining us as an intern, but the project will be key to making a strong showing at the Expo. It could make or break a new direction that we're interested in pushing our company."

Guin nodded at Tony numbly. She knew that he was right - that this was dangerous. And there wasn't really anything she could say to make things better. She'd made her choice and replenished her stash. Wiping her eyes on her sleeve again, Guin glanced up at Tony before looking at the ground again. The ground didn't seem to be nearly as judgmental as her father was at the moment. "I know...I...I...I don't know why I got a new stash..." she mumbled. She peeked up at him again before instantly regretting it. "Please don't hate me..."

Hooked on a Feeling

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Guinevere Stark

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"Go for Hammer," Hammer answered just a few seconds after Lance called him. Guin wasn't nearly as quick with her response time to Tony. She sat down on the couch numbly, knowing that she had to say something or she really would be shipped off to rehab again. Rehab had been one of the worst experiences of her life and she never wanted to go back there again. Her eyes were watering and she dried them on her sleeve, missing already when all Tony had to yell about was her mouthing off at teachers.

"I never used any of that...," she said quietly, looking down at the ground now. She felt like she was going to be sick to her stomach. How did she explain to him what was going on? She didn't know what to say - did she tell him she got the stash because she thought she might want it again? And sure, she had already told him she never used any of it - but would he believe her? And even if he did believe that she was telling the truth, which she was, would he decide against sending her away to rehab? Her mind was going faster and faster as she kept on generating more and more questions she simply didn't know the answer to.

"Please don't send me back there..."

Hooked on a Feeling

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Guinevere Stark

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Guin's breath caught in her throat and her amused slightly taunting smirk vanished from her face as Tony dropped the bag in front of her. She bit her lip, trying to think of what to do or say. She knew that he was beyond angry - anger from him was something she could deal with. It just meant a screaming match between the two of them. No, his silence terrified her and she pulled out her headphones, bundling them up in her pocket as she finally remembered how to breathe. She opened her mouth in an effort to explain herself, but her chin started to wobble and then tears sprang up in her eyes.

She was glad Lance wasn't there yet.

Guin tried to look away, but she couldn't bring herself to. She was staring at Tony, knowing that he could easily send her back to rehab for this. She hadn't even used since she got out. The stash was just there as a safety net - or at least, that was what she told herself. She'd been intending on using the night before but she hadn't. However, if she had thought telling Tony that would help her, she would have done so in a heartbeat. "I see..." she whispered. "Good choice in lecture material..."

Hooked on a Feeling

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Guinevere Stark

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The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully. Banner checked on Lance an hour later than he said that he would and was none the wiser that he had snuck out of the tower. Guin didn't receive detention or a suspension, which was a bit of a happy surprise. However, by the time she was due back at Stark Tower, she was still at MidTown Tech. She had gone into the chemistry lab, picking the lock to the door as soon the teacher was gone. It didn't take her too long until she found what she was looking for. This was a bonus phase of the plan. She then crept out of the room, before heading to the lockers of the perps and pushing the nozzle of the squirt bottle through the vents, before spraying the inside with amines.

"Awesome revenge plan part two, check," Guin said to herself with an amused smile. Their lockers would reek like rotting fish for months. And they wouldn't be able to find the source of the odor no matter how hard they looked. She had emptied the squirt bottle and she slipped it into a recycling bin, putting in her earbuds as she walked out of the school. The last part of the plan would be taken care of that evening. She'd corner them in the alley on their way to Flash's party, beat the shit out of them, and then leave. It wouldn't be too hard to track their phones. She had gotten the names of the kids responsible and most phone apps, especially with social media, had some version of location services.

Eventually, she made it back to Stark Tower and took the elevator up to the top floor, dropping her bag on the couch. "So Dad - what'll today's lecture be on?"

🦄 Darker Than Black - Merged With T.S.

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Iris Kingston

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Location: Outside of Justice Asylum
Skills: Perception, Photographic Memory

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Iris pulled up the poster for the Russian Circus on her phone, memorizing its details for a moment. She typed the address into google and realized that it wasn't too far from the airport. There were fairgrounds near the airport so she supposed that it made sense - though she was still a bit surprised that the Russian Circus had come all of this way. While that sort of thing was common in Europe, she had been led to believe that in the United States, cultural enrichments like those were rare to come by. Perhaps it had just been prejudice on the part of her fellow British citizens who were still nursing a wound that even the War of 1812 couldn't fix.

She wasn't too certain what she'd find once she arrived at the Circus, but it was only a twenty minute drive. She pulled up the Uber app in her phone and put in the details for pick up and destination, before requesting a ride. She was a city girl at heart and accustomed to taking a lift whenever she could to get where she was going. As she waited for the ride, Iris mentally went over the details she had seen earlier - recalling in particular the report of the missing white tiger she had seen on the news. Jaina and Cynthia had to be connected to the Russian Circus somehow - she just wasn't sure exactly how yet.

🦄 After Miranda - A Firefly Rp - Season 1 (Completed)

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Dr. Dorothy Pender & Dr. Fitz Townsley

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Location: Prometheus: Lower Deck
Skills: Perception

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Dorothy watched Mei split off from the group and head on to medical, leaving her sister, Jackie, and Fitz. She noticed the way Fitz was peeking at Daphne every few minutes, as well as the slight blush on his face. He might as well have declared his crush on his sister right then and there, as everyone in the ship would know before the night was over, if they didn't already. The engineer didn't seem to be able to hide his emotions even if his life depended on it. However, Jackie seemed to think that Dorothy was playing the role of a concierge.

"Mostly amuse ourselves," Dorothy answered her, clasping her hands behind her back. "Lot of us play cards. Some people read. Some people chuck ridiculous books filled with nonsense at each other. Others have made a bit of a sport out of tossing people out of the airlock, yeah." She paused, her eyes flickering towards the engineer again. He had a hand on his bag and seemed like he wanted to say something.

"W-well...I have...Cl-Cluedo..." Fitz explained, rubbing the back of his neck a bit. "W-we could play that if you're bored, J-Jackie...and y-you should join too, Daphne..." He smiled awkwardly at the ex-pilot. He regretted that they hadn't had a chance to dance properly, but board games were more his element. Dorothy was going to remind Daphne that she still had work to do, but given that Anisa had fired her, she didn't think her sister had to fulfill her punishment anymore. She was technically a passenger on the ship now.

"O-O-Oh and you're in-invited as well," Fitz added to Dorothy. Dorothy considered it for a moment before shaking her head. She wanted to get her room unpacked and organized. She had spent a majority of her day running around on various errands and the thought of having a disorganized mess of a room was appalling to her. Besides, she knew she'd begin to feel tired soon enough. She was always an early riser, meaning that she tended to head to bed a little earlier. "Another time, Dr. Fitz."

🦄 Soulless Regency - Merged With T.S.

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Virginia Crypt

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Location: Corner of Portland Place & Oxford Street -> Westminster Bridge (Northside)
Skills: N/A

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Virginia noticed Mary's smile - she supposed that it was only fitting for Mary to smile at the mention of Veliona. She was the Dark Maiden, after all - a goddess of death and remembrance, of power and strength. Had she not a brother to care for and friends to defend from the trappings of society, Virginia fancied she would have pledged herself to dark forces and campaigned in Veliona's name. It was what her mother had always wanted for her, that much she was certain of. As for what happened after death...Well, that would be a thrilling adventure.

As much as her family was enamored with death, Virginia never thought much on what was awaiting behind the curtain. She preferred to focus her attention on the here and now. She could be enthralled with death and the chaos it brought on, attending public executions with her brother and observing intently as the necks were snapped as the victims fell. She could obtain cadavers and dissect them, teaching herself more about the human body than most people her age would care to know. And yet, what occurred after death did not trouble her. If pressed, she might recite a belief that Veliona would protect her - that she would see her ancestors again - but she had every intention to Seek Life Elsewhere. It was not yet her death day.

🧚🏻‍♀️ The Walking Dead - Year 6 Part 1

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Beatrice Decker

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Location: Eden - Service Corridor
Skills: Pistol, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Stamina

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Beatrice raised an eyebrow at Lola's wink, before she shrugged. If that was Lola's way of making a pass at her, she wasn't protesting. Sure, she imagined that some people would've been prissy and claimed that they wouldn't do that - but they were all just human at the end of the day. It wasn't about loneliness for her - it was just a need that needed to be taken care of from time to time. It was low on the list of requirements for survival but it wasn't entirely at the bottom. Her radio crackled and Beatrice paused, before responding. "I copy. We're coming from the south," Beatrice replied.

"Kiwi, they're coming from the north east - in the building already," Beatrice said as she pushed forward, rejoining Lola. She spotted a hostile to the west and pulled her gun, firing off a few quick shots aimed at the head. Anyone who came too close either got a bullet in the brain or an elbow to the face. Part of the severity of the situation was lessened by Lola singing the entire time. It was comforting, that sort of crazy - but it also made Beatrice wonder how long this job would end up lasting. It had felt entirely too easy so far, but she had been safely tucked away inside of Lola's tank. The others probably had different stories to tell.

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Jack Hudson

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Location: Arnco Mills Safehouse (E10)
Skills: Pistol

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Jack took a deep breath. No one had mentioned anything about Tatiana - and he was trying to convince himself that was a good thing. No news was good news. The only news they could have for him at this point would be bad - he tried not to imagine Ash coming up to him and informing him that his wife was dead. At their wedding, Tatiana had promised that she could live without him - but Jack didn't know if he could live without her anymore. The walls of Newnan and the comfort and security hadn't made him soft. Love had.

He glanced over at Niesha, before a thought stuck him. Riley must have been separated from her sister, right? There was a ginger missing from this group that should have been there. More and more names of people in Newnan were popping into his mind that should have been there. There had been so much death and loss - and he knew that not everyone could've made it out of...whatever that was alive. But he wanted them to all have made it. He was a member of that community. He was its second - they were his people. He had to take another breath to clear his head. "Let's get stahted then," he told Niesha, drawing his pistol as he entered the building with the others. He was trying to remember where exactly the supplies would be stashed away.