Roleplaying

Before Celeste could jump at the door of the cell Jett grabbed her by the arm, holding her still. He wasn't going to let her go in alone or unprepared unless their patient was dying. The threat level he posed still hadn't been fully determined, and Jett wasn't about to test it out on Celeste. The new ager was his responsibility – he had brought him to be taken care of, and he wasn't going to let all of the weight of the issue rest on his friend alone.

“How long has it been since your food last stayed down?” he asked, releasing the healer's arm and moving closer to the cell.

This time he took the dominant position in the room, and Celeste didn't seem like she was about to argue. They passed off the role of leadership without much butting of heads, shedding it as easily as a coat during a warm day. It was what made them good partners.

Breathe. Try not to think about how your insides feel like they've been clawed by a family of rabid raccoons.

Verit had closed his eyes and didn't bother opening them. He hummed nonchalantly at the question. "When was the last time I ate food," Verit said, as if he were distracted. "Hmm. Let me think on that for a bit."

To be honest, Verit hadn't the faintest clue the last time he actually had something legitimately edible. It sure hadn't been anytime remotely recently. Anything that didn't fall into the category of '100% real human meat' didn't stay down terribly long. Either way, he hadn't expected to stomach the stuff he had been given earlier anyway. Hopefully whatever it was hadn't damaged his insides beyond repair and he could still eat the leftovers he hadn't had- which was pretty much the entire chunk, really.

Jett sighed and turned away, pulling his hat away and running a hand through his hair. He signed something to Celeste and moved back to the door to lean heavily against the frame.

Celeste moved to the front of the cell and crouched down on her feet, hands in her lap. Most of the anger seemed to be gone, but it wasn't fully apparent how she felt at that moment. Her eyes were thoughtful, gentle, but her mouth was still set hard. She raised her hands, about to sign, before remembering that her patient wouldn't be able to understand her, so they dropped back onto her legs.

Slowly, she opened her mouth to say, “What can I do to help with the pain?”

The words were said in something just above a whisper, and her lips hardly moved like she was trying to keep the sound of her voice from escaping into the world around her.

Verit folded his arms behind his head. He wasn't quite ready to get up, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try and make himself slightly more comfortable.

Hearing a voice, Verit cracked an eye open and peered towards its source. Finding the mutt, he slid them shut again, disinterested.

Exhaling with a huff, Verit gave a slight shrug. "It'll go away eventually," was his bored answer. That was how he usually dealt with pain in the odd times that it became a problem. Give it some time, his body would deal with it somehow.

Verit momentarily considered asking about the smell and noise coming from outside. Some dogs seemed pretty upped, as did some zombies further out.

Not prepared to give up, Celeste lowered herself until she was sitting on the cold floor with her legs crossed, hands resting each against a knee. Her curiosity was far from sated, and time meant little to someone with a lifespan of her length – she would wait years to unlock the secrets to new age ghouls if she had to.

“I want to help. You can't neglect your body,” she urged, her voice brimming over with urgency and passion.

The silver bands of skin encircling her slim wrists glinted softly in the low light of a dimmed light bulb as she rubbed at her legs, throwing gentle reflections on the things closest. Her eyes pulled to them, tracing the veins that ran the length of her arms.

“The vessel of the soul is as important as the soul itself.”

"Soul?" Verit snorted. Like something intangible like that existed. Gee, he was looking forward so much for the day he died and his 'soul' would be freed from his body to go and get tortured for all of eternity down there in the pits of hell. Way to go. Verit absolutely couldn't wait.

"Look," Verit said, rolling (painfully) onto his stomach to face the mutt head-on. "Unless you intend on feeding me humans for the rest of my days there isn't a single thing you can do." He honestly had no idea why he was suddenly struck with the urge to put it out there- actually, it was probably because he wasn't in the mood to have the same question be asked of him over and over.

New agers like him? The only remedy they knew was eating. And it worked darn well.

The healer stared back, unrelenting. She had answers, replies, retorts, but they were all held back. She couldn't give him what he wanted without suffering consequences that Jett would share. It wasn't a decision she should have made. Then, of course, there was her duty as a healer. She would be failing her beliefs if she simply let someone as sick as him go, and she could be giving up important knowledge along with his health.

With each swing of her ribs Celeste felt her heart beating and her blood moving. Life; she was feeling life, a precious experience.

There was no pause or moment where she wavered once she had made her mind up – with the conviction of one unmovable, she nodded once, just a small tilt of the chin.

“Then that is what I do.”

Verit paused for a moment, his mouth turning into a light frown, not sure if he had heard correctly or if the mutt was pulling his leg.

Realizing the thing was serious, Verit's lips split into a devilish grin that showed nearly all of his deadly, misleadingly harmless-seeming, sterling white teeth. He didn't care or realize any of the consequences the mutt was facing in agreeing to feeding him, or what it meant to anybody involved. He didn't understand or bother to understand the resolution in the mutt's voice. He didn't even know he was doing any of that.

"Awesome," he said wickedly, "I'm feeling better already."

“However...” she added, piercing back at him with her eyes.

The Vaudeville Collective had rules and expectations. These things were to be met at all times, and there was very little leeway or wiggle room. Celeste had a perfect record. It wasn't pride that urged her to keep her sheet untouched by mark but a strong feeling of duty. The Collective had given her so much, and to spoil any of that through poor choices or unwise actions would be fully disrespectful. She wasn't ready to sacrifice that.

“You work for your food. We get you the best we can. Knowing your name would be a good start.”

Of course, it wasn't like he'd actually hit jackpot and free things were going to start fluttering down from the sky. Verit was stupid enough to think that.

Griping the bars of his cell to pull himself into a siting position, Verit looked to the mutt impassively, his face once again setting back into its usual neutral, harsh expression. Really, out of all the things the mutt had to know, it had to be something useless like his name.

"Sure, you can call me 'lab rat' from now on," Verit said offhandedly. There wasn't a doubt in his mind as to what the 'work' described entailed. And really, it wasn't like it was too far off from the truth or whatever.

Celeste moved closer by barely an inch, chin lowered and eyes piercing through her silvery lashes, yet her brows were soft and without hint of anger. It was the face of a studious thinker examining something found complex but not that couldn't be untangled. Her index fingers hooked around one another, lining the rest of her finger up against one another, thumbs steepled.

“I need a real name to call you by. You know mine. Give me yours.”

It was no request, but it wasn't a demand either. Her voice was soft, full of strength, and calm. There was no doubt she held authority when she chose to. In a quiet way, without feeling overbearing, she took control

“I can't call you lab rat, and I won't call you 'assistant'.”

"Yes, dear?" Verit said in a mockingly sweet voice in response to 'lab rat', promptly interrupting the mutt in the middle of its sentence. He was honestly quite entertained by how the mutt was speaking to him, finding toying with it far more interesting then obediently complying to its wishes.

Verit completely ignored the resolution underlying the mutt's tone of voice, opting instead to pretend as if the matter had not been brought up. He was mildly curious as to how far he could tease the mutt before it snapped again. Really, one more black-out added to the records didn't make a difference at this point.

Celeste plowed on through her sentence. She didn't move nor falter at the interruption, but instead she opted to make mental notes. His behavior intrigued her, though she could foresee it eventually causing mischief that would truly bring damage – this was something she intended to avoid, if possible. He was irritating, and she knew few others would put up with him, so it was her job to keep him in his place, and that would not be achieved while he tried to push her around.

“I will call you-” she said, breaking off to sign three sharp motions with her fingers.

Though she had broken her long silence for the ghoul, she wasn't willing to speak for longer than necessary. It felt harsh, unnatural, and like a punishment, though she showed no signs of this outwardly. Celeste was determined that he would learn to read motions, even if only basic ones, enough to paraphrase her sentences and understand her properly.

Verit stared at the mutt blankly for a moment before bursting into a fit of sharp, barking laughter, falling onto his back.

"Hah, good one," he said between snickers, recovering to sit back upright. "Alright then, oh mighty one, consider me christened." If the mutt didn't want to talk to him, that would be just fine by him. Their conversation had already lasted longer than he'd have liked.

Standing up and 'dusting' himself off, Verit curtsied with a wry grin, lifting his hands as if they were holding the edge of a skirt. His eyes glinted darkly as he bowed, showing the insincerity of the action. The mutt could pretend to preside over him all it liked, and he'd play along- one day he'd rip its throat out.

From the door Jett stared unblinkingly at the ghoul, trying his hardest not to rush over and knee him in the face. Celeste stood and, in an impertinent way that was hidden behind smiles and her beautiful voice, thanked him for showing her such a wonderful display of respect. She could hold her composure where he was sure he couldn't. It often made him feel like the irresponsible one between the pair of them, though he knew that not to be true.

She walked over, and he reached out to grab her forefinger with his, encircling her slim digit. The healer linked back but with less surety; she looked distracted, most likely already trying to plan the next few days out now that their new ager had thrown things awry.

I don't recognize the sign for his name, Jett said with his free hand.

Celeste's lips twitched into a tiny smile, and her hand replied, I wouldn't ever call anyone else that.

Something very rude?

Naturally.

Jett grinned back, squeezing her finger in his. His friend's troublemaker side was something he cherished deeply and she used sparingly. It was one thing she shared with him that made them feel like childhood friends, as if they'd known one another for many years.

What do we do tonight? he asked, glancing over at the ghoul.

We watch him – no trusting others, not with a new age ghoul in the equation. I doubt they will give any form of understanding towards the situation at hand, she answered slowly.

“Sleepover, then,” Jett said aloud, turning to look at the patient.

Earth is a dangerous place, whether in the hybrid-infested countryside or crumbling, dark cities, but no place is more dangerous or rough than New Chicago. Whether out on the streets or high in the penthouses, no one's truly safe.

The world has become a new place. Some people call it impossible, but others just call it apocalyptic. There's barely a government, and what's left of it is corrupt and dangerous - the people live in factions, gangs, or try to survive on their own, and the only peace between them are through the pacts that have been made. The rich thrive and keep themselves safe, but anyone unfortunate enough to be less than that spends every day hoping to stay alive.

Species:
Ghouls - they're intelligent beings, humanoid in appearance. Their skin rots, and their lifespan is determined by how long their meat stays on their bones.

Zombies - they're dumb and benign unless angered or bothered. They're brainless, so essentially they don't do anything except wander around, bump into things, and (on the occasion) turn into a terrifying killing and flesh-eating monster. These aren't characters, but they can be used by any writer as a tool, the way one would write about a pet or object a character interacts with. If you plan on using a zombie, PM me to clarify what you want to use one for.

Humans - just like us, but now they share their planet with many other species. Many feel cheated out of their home, and most scramble to keep their kind from dying out.

Aliens - there are many, many kinds, and over the years they've adapted to the newness of the world. From tall to small, these creatures come in all shapes, sizes, and origins. (PM me to clarify what kind of alien you would like to be - it has to be your own creation or one that someone else in the roleplay has made up).

Mutts - an alien-human, alien-alien, ghoul-alien offspring.

Hybrids - always different, always weird, hybrids are animal-human-zombie creatures. Whether four legs or two, each species of hybrids are as oddly animal as they are humanoid. Some can talk, most can't, but all have a highly feral nature and are willing to 'defend' themselves quickly through force.

Additional - any species you think should be on this list that isn't. PM me if you have any ideas.

None yet.

THE ROLEPLAY SLOGAN: Falcon hug that piece of beef jerkwad

No godmoding, guys - be cool

Come up with your own, unique charater, but make their personality realistic. No one likes a Mary Sue or an impossible character.

You only get to kill another character, or injure, if you have the writer's permission.

Don't let things that happen in character affect or influence how you treat someone out of character, and please don't use your character as a way to get at another roleplayer. Don't be cheap.

If you want to write a huge post, go for it! Write a huge one! But, before you do so, write up a message in the OOC chat to let everyone else know it might be a bit and to wait to post until you finish.

If you need to write a post that connects directly to a previous post, but you're worried that someone else might post before you can finish writing, say something in the OOC chat and everyone will wait to post until your done, but you only have a 4 hour window to finish up and post.

Always check the OOC before you post, just so you know what's up.

Breaking the rules can end up in being expelled (kicked out, or whatever you want to call it) from the roleplay depending on the offence.

Lastly, if you have any questions, hit me up. If you choose to be an alien, mutt, or hybrid, send me a message giving me more information on your character as well as an example of what your roleplay post might be like so I can get a sense of what kind of writer you are. If I like your moxie, you're in.