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(I thought about giving Xander a little sword, because I feel like he would fit a kind of Rogue archetype when it comes to combat, but I decided against it because I thought it'd be ridiculous (though funny) if everyone had a sword.)
(Oops, sorry then lol. I will call you Ash! And yes, Peregrine was clearly more prepared than the rest of our characters for the collapse of society lmao. I wouldn't worry too much about characters who don't currently have a weapon—they're not terribly hard to come by. Even a particularly sturdy pipe will do with beating back some Stages.)
(Xander is great! Although I am a little worried curious about what "different functions" he uses his knives for… Nah, I'm sure it's fine! :)
I'll be starting this sometime after my class, unless someone else joins while I'm away. Either way I intend to start today, if no one has anything else to add? Note that characters can be added at any point as long as they're not exceeding the limit of two!
(Don't worry, he's soft lmao. I meant more like preparing food vs carving, or like a utility knife. Also I have work after class today, so I might not be available until later.)
Just an update to everyone: I have a starter in the works, but I'm getting major writer's block midway through and so I'm going to retire for the night and try again in the morning.
I'll be in contact, though, and I'm still really excited to do this!
( @Cheers you doing alright?)
(May I join?)
@Tired-but-passionate Not really to be honest, but I think I'm getting there. I still have to finish my starter, but ideally I'll have that up by this weekend. If not, any of you are free to start it on your own. I can always introduce my characters at a later time if need be.
@Mosis Sure, come on in! Hopefully I'll start this tonight so there's actually an rp for you to join lol.
Ah, nevermind. Apparently my starter had more than I thought, so I'm just going to post it now. @Mosis feel free to post your character(s) at any point.
“Are you sure this place is empty?” William asked lowly, warily glancing around the vacant parking lot.
“Not at all.”
A surprised huff slipped out of the Brit’s lips, and he shook his head briefly. “Dumb question,” he hummed in agreement. “So… In and out?”
“In and out,” Alex repeated solemnly, patting his back with a grim smile. “Let’s go.”
The two stood and began to pick their way towards the convenience store, keeping an eye out for any movement.
When they reached the doors, Alex caught Will’s eye and raised a finger to her lips, gesturing with a tilt of her head that she would enter first. Will nodded, fingers tightening around the hilt of his baseball bat as he readied to enter after her.
The inside was stuffy and dark, but they were able to make out their surroundings by the faint light streaming through the grimy windows. The sight that greeted them wasn’t very promising; it looked like everything had been thoroughly picked through already.
After checking the immediate coast was clear, Will lowered his bat and met Alex’s eyes. He motioned towards the right side of the store with his head, and after a nod of agreement from his companion, he split off to check the canned foods section. Meanwhile Alex veered left to investigate whatever pharmaceutical supplies might remain.
A loud clunk quickly pulled Will’s attention from the empty shelves. He glanced down just in time to see a stray can roll across the floor towards him. In an instant he had his bat positioned in front of him, throwing on the most intimidating look he could muster (which, according to Alex, wouldn’t have scared a butterfly) and backing up against the wall so no one could sneak up on him.
“Who’s there?” he hissed, scanning the gloom warily.
Peregrine stepped into the aisle, picking up the can she dropped and tucking it into her bag. She glanced up at the pair, and her hands flew to her sword's hilt. Her expression was still calm, but if needed, she could spring into action.
"Just me," she replied. Her hands nearly fell back to her sides as she saw what she assumed was the boy's attempt at intimidation. "No need for those weapons of yours, at least, not here."
Xander stood a few feet behind Peregrine, sort of using her as a shield. He still slowly reached for his knife, just in case.
"We're just scavenging, same as you probably," Xander added.
He walked out from behind her, revealing himself to Will and Alex.
William's stare flickered between the two newcomers and his pre-planned exit. He subconsciously began to angle himself towards the latter as he surveyed the situation. "That doesn't mean anything nowadays," he responded nervously, knuckles whitening from the force of his grip on the bat. "I think it's best if you leave," he continued slowly.
"Will? The fuck are these people?" Alex demanded, emerging from the shadows of the next aisle over and cautiously walking to her companion's side.
He spared a glance at her before retraining his gaze on Xander, drawn to the movement of the man reaching for something. "Don't know. But they could be infected," he added unsurely. "And that one has a sword." He gestured towards Peregrine.
"You idiot," Alex scoffed, harshly elbowing Will's ribs. "Put your bat away. It'd be more concerning if she didn't have one. And besides, for all they know, we could be the infected ones."
Reluctantly, William lowered his means of defense, shooting Alex an annoyed glance in the process. He hated how well she acted diplomatic, but if he said anything he'd be risking both their lives.
"Don't give me that," she said, rolling her eyes. "We don't want to make any enemies." Having said that, she turned to properly study the newcomers, ignoring the little twinge of fear that suggested she just shoot them both on the spot.
"Ignore him. I'm convinced he'd be dead if it weren't for me. Actually, I know he would be. So… Who are you two, exactly?"
Xander frowned at Will's attempt at getting them to go. He was about to speak up in protest, but luckily Alex beat him to it.
"I'm Xander," he said softly, moving his hand away from the knife completely.
He kept his distance as he spoke.
"Sorry we startled you guys, but we're just doing our business here, and then we'll be on our way."
"Peregrine," the girl stated. "I have no intention to pick a fight, but if necessary, I will." Her hands still remained on her sword, and her eyes were still calm.
"I do intend on surviving this disaster, so I'm afraid that I'd have to kill you if you tried to ruin my chances." A small smile spread across Peregrine's face. "I do hope you'll understand."
( love how Xander's like 'please don't hurt us we'll be gone soon' and Peregrine's just like 'fuck with me, i dare you')
(He's a very soft boy lmao)
Xander's frown hardened a bit. He wasn't going to say anything to stop her, so he fell silent again. He brushed a strand of hair from his face and looked away, scanning their surroundings again. They hadn't noticed the others there at first. Was it possible even more people were here without them knowing? The thought scared him.
Lyn stopped dead in her tracks. She’d heard the door open, and was trying to slowly, quietly stuff a box of crackers and an old bottle of sweet tea into her bag. The convenience store had been a surprising gold mine, and she wanted to quickly check the checkout counter for cash before taking her leave. But unfortunately, she wasn’t alone.
Though she breathed a sigh of relief when she heard voices, she knew she couldn’t let down her guard. She managed to get her chosen items into her bag, and slowly, she stood. She creeped through the back aisle, as slowly and quietly as she could. The voices rose in volume, but she couldn’t see who owned them. She caught the sound nervous male and threatening female, but she knew there was probably more.
Eventually, the voices quieted and she reached the checkout counter. Slowly, cautiously, she pulled open the drawers.
Nothing. Not even a penny.
Another quiet sigh. Disappointed, but not surprised. At least she had food. She turned to leave, her adrenaline skyrocketing as she slipped on a stray pen, falling on her side with a thud.
Oh, come on. Why did the pen need to be there? Now the other people will hear her. Just great. Trying not to groan in pain, she got on her feet.
The second a thud rang out, Peregrine's head snapped toward the sound. The girl drew her sword and soon had her blade pointed at the girl by the checkout counter.
"Who are you?" Peregrine's voice was a low growl. "Are you infected? If you are, you'd better tell the truth about it."
"Jesus…" Xander sighed, "I think it's maybe time to wrap things up and go home, yeah?"
He leaned his head back and let out an exasperated sigh.
"It's not exactly wise to point a blade at everyone you meet."
(Oh yeah! So aside from bites, are there any other ways the virus can spread?)
(Yes, there are other ways of becoming infected with the virus! Mainly through ingestion of contaminated food or water, but those are very rare as most of those sources were destroyed in the Collapse. There's also an airborne version of the virus, but that's even rarer and really only found in hospitals, research labs, or military bases.)
"That's what everybody says, until they get a blade pointed at them first," Peregrine muttered. The tip of the teen's blade was pointed at the girl's throat, hovering only inches away. "So? Who are you?"
"Of course. That's only natural, after all," Alex responded, seemingly just as unfazed as Peregrine over the situation. In fact, she seemed to have turned their confrontation into a challenge, holding eye contact for far longer than was necessary, almost as if daring the other to look away.
Will muttered something incomprehensible under his breath, then violently blew strands of his hair out of his face. "Right then!" he exclaimed suddenly, propping the bat on his shoulder and placing his other hand on his hip. "I can drop the act now, right Al?"
Alex blinked, caught off guard, then whirled around to glare at William. "You idiot! We still don't know if they're clean or not!"
The Brit shrugged, tilting his head contemplatively. "They didn't gang up on me or slit my throat when I wasn't looking, so unless they're ones, I highly doubt it. Besides, you play the weakling a lot better. You're not the 6'4 guy with a spiky bat and reflexes to be feared," he deadpanned.
"I cannot believe you," Alex sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose forcefully. She turned to address the other survivors, when a noise from the front of the store drew their attention. She exchanged a glance with Will, and then the two were moving in tandem to investigate. They both paused to let Peregrine past them, neither keen on standing with their backs to her.
"Hey now," he said to Peregrine, grabbing the tip of his bat (being sure to mind the spikes) and guiding the tip of her sword away from the girl. "Xander here's right. You think threatening her with a sword will inspire her to tell the truth? If anything, if she is infected, she'll just lie about it more adamantly," he explained crossly, barely even glancing at the girl he was talking about. "Besides, it looks like she was just leaving," he added, gesturing with a tilt of his chin toward the direction her body was facing.
"Will, unfortunately, has a point," Alex said through gritted teeth. "Although," she continued, eyes trained upon the girl. "So does she. Who are you?"
“Um…” Lynn had been momentarily speechless. Her eyes flashed between the blade at her throat, the girl who owned it, and the other people talking.
As another moment passed, she considered her options. They didn’t look like bad people to her, just genuinely trying to survive. She was surprised to find herself feeling pity for the girl with the sword. She looked around her age, and already she was being forced into a place where she had to threaten people and do things someone of her age probably wouldn’t do.
Then again, she was being forced into the exact same situation, and she had already seen too much. Better safe than sorry. She let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
“Call me Julia. And no, I’m not infected.”
Peregrine narrowed her eyes, but sheathed her sword nevertheless, absentmindedly patting its hilt. She stared into the girl's eyes for another second, before focusing an annoyed gaze towards Will. "I find that if threatening doesn't work, they begin to tell the truth once they see blood." A slight smile crept onto her face, but quickly faded.