forum Dear Fellow Travelers | Small Group RP | 4/4 | CLOSED

Started March 18, 2021 by Deleted user

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“It is, isn’t it. When I was younger, this sort of stuff was only things you’d read about in fiction or see in movies.” She gave her own dry chuckle. “Look at the world now,” she said.
Hana listened to him. When the question came, she was ready to answer almost immediately.

“Not by blood, but siblings, and I’d like to think we’re close as any other would be. Neither of us have the whereabouts of our families, so we have each other instead. And it’s been good.”

Abe listened to the conversation, choosing not to say much. He also didn’t have much to say to begin with, either.

“I see… That sounds pretty similar to Mallory and I, though we don’t go so far as to actually call each other siblings,” Pilot responded with a light laugh. “We do get on each other’s nerves like that sometimes, though.”

His eyes swept past the trees on either side as they walked, more out of habit than expecting to actually find anything. He was surprised to find the forest thinning already, having assumed the town was farther away than it actually was.

“Are we getting close?” he called out, although he was wary to keep his voice softer than it had been before meeting Hana and Abe. It wasn’t just him at risk if he continued to shout, now.

-

The werewolf's eyes narrowed as she watched Finn amble by, though she didn’t comment on it. She waited patiently for any sign of confirmation that he’d found something, but when none came, sighed tiredly to herself.

Mallory seamlessly eased into her wolf form, limping quietly past the smaller beast and flicking her ears as she focused. For several long moments it remained silent. She was about to call it quits and go back to sleep when she heard it.

Her ears flicked again, fur bristling at the faint crunch of footsteps in the distance. She let out a low growl, attempting to scent the air and running into the same problem as Finn. Not only was the stench of her blood covering up anything distinct, but the dust of the old building was getting in the way, too.

Her tail swished as she considered her options. She could leave Finn and try to angle past the newcomers back to Pilot, but taking into account her promise to get the younger shifter food, not to mention her limp, it didn’t seem logical. The same went for taking Finn with her.

Better wait for now. These people probably aren’t stage threes if they’re traveling together, she mused. She fixed Finn with a sharp stare, then pointedly took her place a few feet from the door and settled down watchfully.

Finn kept close to the door to listen with Mallory, although he kept at least a foot or two away from her at all times. He couldn't communicate with her in this form, and he didn't trust her much to begin with, honestly. Although he was fairly certain she wouldn't attack him, he couldn't know for sure, and it would be incredibly easy for her to do so while they were in these forms.

He kept closer to the door when she moved back, keeping off to the side so his shadow wouldn't be visible and leaning forward to press one ear against the door. His fur looked pretty shaggy and disheveled, and a bit matted as well over his thin frame. He obviously hadn't been able to take great care of himself.

Roleplayer Questions
Preferred Name/Nickname: Anything as long as I know you're referring to me. Cyrus, Cy, Rus, King, etc.
Do you have any triggers fellow roleplayers should know about? If so, what are they?: Uhhh no not really. Nothing that will apply here.
When are your most active periods?: I'm super chaotic so it varies, but I can generally pop on sporadically throughout the weekdays and sometimes at unearthly late hours (i.e., the wee hours of the morning). I'm in EST. When I remember, I can respond multiple times a day; when I don't remember, I vanish like a ghost. :') I'm trying to do better.

Character Template
Name: Bridger Jacek
Aliases/Preferred Name/Nicknames: He just goes by Bridger.
Species: Mutant
Age: 20
Gender & Pronouns: Male, he/him
Sexuality: Demi
Stage of Infection: Stage 2, mid; he tries to act like it doesn't worry him, but he is absolutely terrified of it and paranoid that he is going to succumb to stage 3 soon and hurt someone he cares about.
Backstory: [see Cal's]
Appearance:
Build– He's a tank, standing at 6'6" with a broad build. He's muscular, but also carries a bit of weight along with him, so he looks like a bear of a guy. He's got thick arms, big hands, big feet. Incredibly strong.
Skin– Fair, with a light olive complexion to it. A few small scars, mostly on his hands and arms, but nothing too prominent.
Face– Squar-ish jaw and thin lips. Blue-grey eyes, with short, dark lashes and thick brows. His nose is prominent but not large. Wide and expressive smile, with straight teeth— though if you look close you can spot one crooked one on the bottom.
Hair– Thick jet-black hair; he used to try to keep it cut into a messy undercut, but lately it has grown out almost to his shoulders and is quite a shaggy mess.
Clothing– He sometimes ties a bandana around his forehead, sometimes wears a straight-billed cap (which is very worn out and tattered, by the way) that he's had for a long time. He wears a sleeveless, dark red shirt, though on colder days he has a worn out, black jacket that goes over it nicely. He wears a pair of tattered black cargo-pants with lots of pockets and thick, black combat boots. He also usually wears bloodied or dirty bandages wrapped around his hands and knuckles, though that's out of necessity just as much as it from the fact that he likes them. His socks never match.
Personality: Bridger is a passionate sort of guy. The best way to describe him is: tough, but soft hearted. He's kind, has a good sense of humor, and is, generally, super laid-back. He is stubborn and strong-willed, but also considerate of others and sensitive. He is incredibly patience, but once that patience is overused or runs out, he can have a bit of temper, and he does not handle his anger very well. He hates liars and traitors and doesn't care to confront the people who upset him— though, once he gets it out of his system, he's usually quite forgiving. He's super loyal and protective of his friends, willing to go to great lengths to keep them happy and safe. He likes to make people feel at ease, but lately he has been on edge due to his infection of the virus. He is terrified of dying and even more terrified of hurting the people he cares about; it has been causing him a great amount of stress, which he worries will only cause the virus to spread even faster within him…
Also, he seems to be accident prone and despite being near-indestructible sometimes had a tendency to get injured and bloodied. Maybe that's because he has a lot of tolerance to pain? Or maybe he's just an oaf.
He's also a lot smarter than he acts most of the time and likes learning new things.
Abilities/Powers: He can, in essence, harden himself to become nearly indestructible for short periods of time. It doesn't much change his appearance, but when he does it, he can withstand nearly anything and can break through walls or other obstacles. The problem is that he cannot do so for too long, and once it is over he is usually incredibly fatigued— and hungry. Staying in this state for prolonged periods can cause physical problems such as disorientation, extreme pain, and even unconsciousness or shock.
He has increased strength (at all times), pain-resistance, and endurance.
Gear: He carries a big backpack full of all kinds of miscellaneous stuff he's collected to help sustain himself (mostly tools, like some pliers, a few pocket knives, some rope, flashlights, lighters, etc.), two pistols (which he loves), a bowie machete (which he adores), and an axe he found awhile ago and jokingly picked up as his "apocalypse weapon" just to mess with Cal but then actually high-key fell in love with it and won't part with it for the life of him.
Other: Let me know if I need to change anything

Character Template
Name: Callaway Barnett
Aliases/Preferred Name/Nicknames: Sometimes Callie, but Bridger exclusively calls her "Cal."
Species: Angel (if this is allowed? If not please let me know and I will change it!)
Age: 18 years old
Gender & Pronouns: Female, she/her
Sexuality: Questioning
Stage of Infection: Stage 1; it hasn't yet made itself too obvious, but she knows she is sick. It worries her, but she doesn't mention it much for Bridger's sake.
Backstory: [pending] I am still heavily developing the backstories (as those are usually something I put together over time as I develop the character), but I know that both Cal and Bridger have been separated from their families for some time now. Whether their families or dead or otherwise remains undecided. However, Cal and Bridger have been friends for some time— a thoroughly platonic but still very strong friendship that formed when Cal stumbled across an injured and ill Bridger, whom she aided. It was from him she caught the virus, and he blames himself for it. Bridger is highly protective of Cal, and Cal helps keep Bridger calm.
Appearance:
Build– She stands at approximately 5'4", with a small, wiry build. She doesn't have much curve to her body and carries what little weight she has around her hips (though, that is not much). Bony wrists and small hands.
Skin– Very fair, somewhat blemished skin. No freckles or obvious birthmarks.
Face– Soft, round features. Large, sea-green eyes with long blonde eyelashes. Smallish nose, though a bit crooked if you look closely. Average lips, straight white teeth.
Hair– Light blonde hair, with a slight reddish tint to it; it falls down to her waist and is incredibly curly. It is sometimes a bit frazzled looking and gets tangled a lot. She tries to keep it back in a messy ponytail.
Wings– Large, white feathery wings, mottled with dark-grey.
Clothing– Varies, though she tends to wear mostly soft greens and light purples (her favorite colors) and has a pair of checkered green high tops that she always wears, no matter the occasion. Though, at this point, they look like they're about to fall apart. She also has a pendant she always wears that belonged to her mother; it is heart-shaped with an infinity symbol around it.
Personality: Upon first interacting with her, Cal is quite soft-spoken, shy, and overall timid and soft. She observes more than she speaks and seems like one who would flee at the sight of the danger and never harm a fly. She is very sensitive and empathetic to others, caring deeply for their pain and wanting to help. She struggles with being fearful of many things, but is working to overcome that. Generally, she avoids conflict and does not handle criticism very well. She tries to see the best in others, and, despite being quite wise, sometimes can seem gullible or naïve due to her desire to forgive and give others the benefit of the doubt. Under most circumstances, she would never really fight for herself— but the same cannot be said for when those she loves are endangered. She is highly creative and likes to collect random things. She is generally timid and docile but can become courageous and perhaps even aggressive if the situation so requires.
Abilities/Powers: Due to having wings, she can fly. She also has a higher lifespan than normal humans, as well as somewhat heightened empathy and intelligence. Although she heals relatively fast, her bones are much more fragile than that of most other supernatural creatures and prone to breaking easier.
Gear: She carries a worn leather satchel that is filled with various supplies, mostly medical (partially because Bridger seems to have a habit of getting himself injured). Her bag includes: some alcohol (like… the kind for wounds), half a roll unused bandages and a tourniquet, a small pocket knife, a short spool of rope, a sewing kit, a suturing kit, a flashlight, some other various first-aid items, a pair of slightly roughed-up binoculars, and a few extra clothes (as well as some random, pointless junk, I'm sure; she likes to collect random things). She also generally carries a small canteen of water with her.
Other: In this case, I am using angels not so much as a spiritual being so much as just a winged human. I wasn't sure what else to call that, I went with angel. If angels aren't suitable for this fantasy setting, that is no problem whatsoever and will be an easy fix (I'll make her an elf or something), so just let me know!

Okay so honestly these are kind of rough and I apologize for that because I know it's pure chaos. It's 3:00 AM and ya boy be strugglin'. Anyway, if I need to change anything pls just lemme know and I'll get right on that. :)

“Mhm.” She ended off with a chuckle of her own. The woods had been thinning - she hadn’t been paying much attention to her surroundings though, so it was a bit of a surprise glancing back up. Must be getting to the edge, soon. She watched Abe.

Abe looked forwards and stopped, pointing ahead. “It’s just ahead, the scent grows stronger from this point on.” The blood scent had been getting stronger, and he could only imagine how strong it would be in the heart of the town. Of which, the town was just visible from where the group stood right now.

“Oh. Well, there it is,” Hana murmured.

Pilot’s gaze followed Abe’s pointer finger, automatically sweeping across the area for any sign of somewhere Mallory might hide. Knowing her, it’d be as secluded as one could get in a post-apocalyptic town.

Without a word he took a few careful steps forward, brushing just past Abe as his eyes landed on a small, desolate-looking cabin in the distance. It was hard to see anything clearly thanks to the overgrown greenery that had crept into the urban space, but his gut told him his friend was close.

“What about over there?” he asked, his voice dropping into a whisper. Towns were dangerous, after all. Stage threes were usually the only ones who actively stayed in a place for more than a few days, meaning previously populated areas like this were basically minefields if one wasn’t careful.

-

Mallory stiffened as the footsteps ceased, immediately assuming the worst. There was no reason for the party to stop unless they were looking for something—or tracking something, she realized, sparing a glance at the bandages around her foreleg and noting the spots of red bleeding through with distaste.

She stood and padded towards the end of the room Finn had been cowering in, grateful for the carpet muffling her footsteps as her limp made her gait the slightest bit unsteady. There she sniffed around, looking for another exit they could use and eventually moving on when she found none. At the corner adjacent to the door, however, she noticed broken floorboards over a sandy-looking hole leading to the other side of the wall. Sniffing, she carefully scraped bits of rubble out of the way and growled lowly, just loud enough to get the fox’s attention.

The hole was big enough for her to squeeze through if she really tried, so she had no doubts Finn would fit through alright. If her ears weren’t deceiving her, the hole would lead them to the opposite side of the house that the newcomers were facing, meaning they could use it for cover if they needed to run.

Finn kept listening for a while, growing uneasy when the footsteps stopped. He continued listening at the door while Mallory searched the building, not bothering to pay her much mind until he heard her growling at him. Looking up, he noticed the hole and quietly approached, sniffing at it idly. He glanced between Mallory and the hole. He was sure that he could fit through it with no problem, but he wasn't convinced that she would be able to make it through. So, he started digging at the hole a bit, trying to make it bigger so that Mallory could fit more easily. Although he preferred to travel alone, he did still care about other people's wellbeing, so he was going to try and help if he could.

“I don’t know,” Abe admitted, “but it could be worth a try to check over there.” His posture was rigid, mainly out of aim to keep himself under control. With his own hunger for flesh being a problem, and in the company of strangers, keeping himself calm and focused on the task at hand was his number one priority. Although as soon as this was over finding something to eat would become his new goal.

Hana walked forwards to join the two. Her eyes briefly swept to Abe, then to Pilot, then to the lone cabin. Worry briefly crossed her features when her eyes landed on Abe, but nothing more.
“Yes, it could be worth something to look. But we’ll need to be careful the closer we get into the town.” She lowered her voice. She wasn’t speaking loud to begin with, but she couldn’t take any chances.

With most of his features hidden, it was hard to tell what Abe was feeling right now, all remaining hidden except to Abe himself. When Hana and him were travelling, the two rarely ever ventured into towns, unless they urgently needed something. What he felt was nervousness, for multiple reasons - though he tried to keep it under wraps.

((well it's wonk as heck but here you go; I was in a rush so I apologize for the quality of it :S also I didn't really know what to do so they've just arrived at the town that morning and are kind of scoping the area out to try and find a relatively safe place to stay for the time being))

In life, there is always a time and place for things— and this most certainly was not the time nor the place for Bridger's loud humming.

"Bridger, please." Callie's voice was soft, barely above a whisper, and even that sounded far too loud for her liking in the silence of the darkened alley where they walked. Her footsteps were light, quiet against the pavement, but Bridger and sounded like some kind of Clydesdale horse clomping around in those galumphing boots of his. She didn't blame him for it, no, but— she still didn't want it to be the death of them.

"What?" Bridger nearly bumped into her as she stopped walking at the edge of the alley.

"The humming. Someone is going to hear us." Callie leaned forward warily and peeked out of the alley, though there was no one to be seen. Her wings folded tighter behind her back as she glanced left, right. "There could be people anywhere. Everywhere."

"I'm just trying to lighten the mood a bit. You've been on edge all day." Bridger patted Callie's shoulder once, then stepped around her to take a look out of the alley for himself. "Maybe someone else will hear my beautiful humming and it'll lighten their mood, too."

"Bridger— No." Callie grabbed his arm and tugged on it; he relented and stepped back into the alley. "You know you can't just walk out there and risk being seen; you're gonna get us killed."

"Cal," Bridger said patiently, "Look at me. Do I look like a guy who is very good at being stealthy or discreet? No. Not at all. But we've made it this long, haven't we?" He grinned and gently brushed her relatively petite hands from his arm. "There's no use in overthinking it. We're gonna find a safe place to stay a couple days, gonna find something to eat, and we're gonna go on our merry way until we find a way to fix our other problem." Both knew he referred to the virus. "Nobody's gonna mess with us. Anyone who does is gonna get a smackdown." He made a slow-motion punching motion and bumped his fist against Callie's shoulder playfully.

Callie sighed.

_{(No worries, that'll work!)}

Pilot didn’t seem to notice his new companion’s internal struggle, far too focused on the shack in front of them.

He did notice the flicker of concern in Hana’s eyes as he turned to address her, however, immediately interpreting it wrong. “I can go check it out—there’s no reason for you guys to endanger yourselves anymore, and you’ve already helped out tons! She’s my responsibility, anyways,” he explained quietly, a thankful smile on his face.

-

Mallory stared at the digging fox, clearly unimpressed. She nudged him unceremoniously into the hole while she turned to grab his bag, quietly and gently setting it in after Finn and nosing it forward as much as she could for him to retrieve.

As she prepared to follow, she paused to listen a final time, confirming the group was still stopped before squirming and wiggling her way through. To her horror, she almost did get stuck, but luckily, with a little skillful maneuvering that had absolutely nothing to do with the extra space Finn cleared out, she managed her way out.

With a disgruntled rumble, she dipped her head gratefully before lifting it to scent the air again. She almost didn’t catch it at first, clouded by the scents of the other two, but that was definitely—

Pilot!

Her ears perked up immediately and she crouched to peer around the corner, confirming it was her friend and not just an item of his that carried his scent.

That idiot, why is he here? And who is he with?

She started to reveal herself but froze when her sensitive ears picked up a faint humming. More people? But they seem farther away, she mused, glancing at Finn to see if he’d picked up on it, too.

If necessary, she was sure herself and Pilot could take the two strangers he’d shown up with, even with her injured. But there was no telling how another group would impact the mix. She needed to get Pilot—Finn, too, if she could—out quickly.

Carefully, she slipped out of the shadows and faced the original group, keeping to the side of the house that would hide her from view of the humming group down the road. She stayed silent, unwilling to make a noise and hoping her demeanor would tip Pilot off once he noticed her.

Finn crawled through the hole easily when he was pushed roughly into it, thankful for his small shifted form. He grabbed his bag in his jaws when Mallory dropped it in and pulled it out with him. He watched the wolf try and get through the hole, growing uneasy when she was temporarily stuck. He knew he wouldn't be strong enough to pull her out in either of his forms. He couldn't help but sigh softly in relief when she made it out.

He caught onto the humming pretty quickly and glanced around, his ears swiveling to try and find the source. Wherever it was, it was out of his sight. He wouldn't be able to find whoever was humming without moving, and he wasn't sure he wanted to meet them anyway.

Noticing Mallory moving, Finn padded along silently by her, keeping to her side and slightly behind. He halted when she did, not entirely sure what she seemed to be looking for. We need to get out of the open… she's going to get us seen.

Hana placed her hand gently on Abe’s shoulder. She opened her mouth to speak, but Abe was faster to respond.

“No, we’ve gone this far, so we’ll still help you.” Hana couldn’t help but wonder if there was an ulterior motive to her brother’s statement, but she dismissed the idea for the time being, only giving a nod to say she agreed.

_{(Sorry for the wait!)}

Pilot opened his mouth, about to say something else when he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye.

“Mallory?” he exclaimed, posture relaxing in relief in direct contrast to the wolf, who tensed and flicked an ear in annoyance.

So much for avoiding unwanted attention, she grumbled inwardly, flattening her ears to her skull and turning her nose meaningfully in the direction she’d heard the humming.

Pilot seemed to catch on, facing his new companions and bringing a finger to his lips despite him being the only loud one. He motioned for them to follow him to the side of the shack, where they’d be hidden from view, the thought of them being concerned about the large werewolf never once crossing his mind.

It wasn’t until a few steps closer that he even noticed Finn crouching behind her, and he tilted his head curiously at the fox.

Mallory huffed impatiently and wound around Pilot’s legs to shove him towards the shadows a little faster, waiting until he was there to shift back.

“Hey wait a minute, you’re hurt—”

The werewolf rolled her eyes and put her hand over his mouth, appraising the two other newcomers suspiciously as she addressed Finn, first. “This is the companion I mentioned. Pilot, this is Finn,” she spoke curtly, only briefly taking her eyes of the changeling and ghoul to clarify who she was introducing. “Who are they?”

The mutant muttered something incoherent, noting his friend’s feverish touch as she finally pulled her hand away from his mouth. “This is Hana and Abe. They helped me find you when you didn’t come back,” he explained, accusation creeping into his tone at the last bit.

Finn cowered behind Mallory for a few seconds, growling defensively. When Mallory seemed friendly with the stranger, he hesitantly shifted back into a human, still glaring at Pilot distrustfully. Regardless of whether or not Mallory trusted him, Finn couldn't be sure. After all, he couldn't exactly trust Mallory either. He hardly knew her. He kept glancing around to try and find the source of the humming, figuring that Pilot was at least safe for now.

"So…" He began awkwardly, his voice tense and uneasy, "How exactly do you two know each other?" He asked. "Friends, siblings…? Something else?" He rubbed the back of his neck a bit, obviously pretty uncomfortable with the situation.

Upon Callie's request, the two had decided not to hit the open streets and rather ducked into another alley— a broader one that cut between several dilapidated buildings, winding and twisting in a somewhat chaotic manner. Bridger led the way this time, though for Callie's sake, he decided to put his humming to rest for a bit. It was a darn shame, though, considering how catchy of a tune it was. If only he hadn't gotten it stuck in his head—

"Did you hear something?" Cal's voice came from behind, barely a whisper, as usual; how Bridger even heard her was a mystery.

"No," he responded, keeping his voice low. Well, low for Bridger; he had never been the best at whispering quietly. "What was it?"

"I don't know." Cal stretched her wings once before folding them back behind her back. "I couldn't tell. But I know I heard something."

"Maybe it was a dog or a cat," Bridger suggested, though he knew better. There were people here, likely Stage Threes, and while he wouldn't express any concerns to Cal directly, preferring to keep his relaxed and careless attitude, he was hyper-aware of his surroundings. But they had to find a place to stay and something to eat, and soon; Bridger's condition was worsening, and lack of food or proper rest definitely wasn't going to help him fight off the virus. They had to keep going. Might as well make a point not to cause Cal greater anxiety along the way. "I'm sure it was nothing to worry about."

"I'm not." Callie picked up the pace so that she could walk beside Bridger rather than beside him.

Hana nodded, keeping watch from her spot next to Abe. It seemed there were a whole lot more people here, now. She cast a glance around their surroundings, but spotted nothing. Still, she decided to keep alert for the time being.
Shifter? Abe wondered, looking at the two newcomers. One of them must be the girl Pilot was trying to find. The other, he isn’t sure of his relation to this just yet. It definitely is the girl we’ve been tracking, though.
Despite the lower half of his face being covered including his nose, Abe shifts a hand up to his face and presses it against his lower face, attempting to suppress his sense of smell, which had been getting crazier the closer they got.

Abe could’ve sworn he heard something. Someone humming? He barely got time to think about it, though, because the moment he noticed it, the sound had stopped much to his dismay.