Status
Not open for further replies.

firejay1

The Phoenix
Original poster
DONATING MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Look for groups
  2. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. Multiple posts per day
  2. 1-3 posts per day
  3. One post per day
  4. 1-3 posts per week
  5. One post per week
  6. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
My times are pretty erratic, but I try to avoid being on EST 11pm-9am.
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
  4. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
Genres
Fantasy, Modern, Historical Romance.


Chapter 1: Summer Days

The House of the Fallen Star is waking up. Much the way it wakes up every day, its general employees stream in through the front door, separating out in orderly masses as they go off to their various workplaces. It seems like another ordinary day, but there are whispers that the king has fallen ill, and after the death of his son in a car crash last year, the question of the new heir weighs heavily on everyone's minds, and none more so than the residents of the House, for though no one outside would be wiling to admit it, they are as much part of the political scene as any one of the nobles.

Start Time: Thursday, June 15th, 2215. 8 AM.

IC Notes
It's a hot, humid day. What else would you expect from mid-summer Georgia?

The day starts differently for everybody. Security guards have been do shifts basically all night and day. Regular employees come in at 8 sharp. Kitchen workers come in at 6 to start making breakfast for the House. Cogs and Buds wake up at 6 as well to begin their numerous daily chores (doing laundry, cleaning the House, taking care of the children who can't walk yet, etc), though Buds break off at 8 to begin their studies. Angels typically wake up at 8, to act as personal maidservants to their Fallen, who are not always awake before 12, depending on what time they were allowed to sleep. Clients rarely sleep over, but those who do are more than likely leaving the establishment through their tinted-windowed cars.

Remember, there are things called Pellies, which are holographic wristwatch devices that have corresponding ear pieces, and stand in for handhelds and various types of cards. In other words, if I see any mention of credit cards, debit cards, subway cards, ID cards, cell phones, smartphones, or tablets, I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU. ;) luv y'all.

Residents are allowed Pellies and internet access, because easy access to learning and keeping up with the news are highly encouraged, but only 3 numbers are input - the Head (for extreme and private emergencies), the medical emergency number, and a number to the general administration. All other forms of communication are strictly prohibited, and all internet and phone activity is carefully monitored and regulated.

Getting through the front door does not require any identification, but your Pelly had better have your identification on it if you want to access the secret Wing Passage (to the kitchens, school, library, residential areas) or the inner part of the administrative building.​
 
Reni.jpg

Open Field

(Ooc: I have a feeling this will be pretty lame. Just opening the games ;3)

Thinking the humid morning air would slow him down, they made a rookie mistake and laughed at his face. Well now, it was hardly a laughter. It was merely just a smirk of self-proclaimed victory soon to be, the one you need to be really keen to notice for it to be there. For Reni, that was not a problem. Both while practicing and actually hurting someone, he couldn't help but search any sign of mockery to tick him off. As much as he preferred calm conversation, he also appreciated releasing all of his anger through legs and arms in a good old fight. He would never loose. Not if he had anything to say on that matter. It was the last think he thought of as he slammed the last newbie and he fell to the ground. He stood there, in the middle of the field, surrounded by a group of freshly recruited guards. Boy did it feel good. Reni, or Mister "Red" as the name they knew him by, chuckled over the light panting sounds coming out of his bared chests.

"Forty-five minutes into training and look at you. All laid on the ground like a bunch of hobos." He smirked deviously as he looked over the group of young people barely catching their breath. "Well. I suppose the old habits die hard." Reni straightened up and wiped sweat running down the back of his neck. "A bunch of nobodies as you were before you even stepped through the gates of this house. Nothing changed." Couple of guards' attempt to complain about the way he addressed them, was aggressively cut off. "I do not care. Your opinion will not matter as long as you think you are a special little shit that deserves a special treatment on the field." He wasn't worried about them having the upper hand. Allowing them to attack in larger number was exactly the advantage he was hoping they would use. However, running around like headless chickens instead of cooperating, did them more harm than good, even against a single opponent. They would learn. Eventually. Everyone did. But everyone went through hell for it. They were no different. Grabbing the towel, he sighed. "Dismiss. I had enough of you. We will be taking this more seriously tomorrow."

"We are doing our best, sir!" One of the guards yelled and immediately gulped as Reni stopped in his track and took his sweet time to decide on his reply. He turned slowly on his heels and head towards the guard, smiling. "Oh I know." The male glanced at him, confused. "Except! The fact is that your view on the definition of 'the best' is much different than mine." Reni stopped in front of the guard as others carefully followed the conversation between the two. "Your definition of 'the best' is doing what you know before your body tells you to stop. A ridiculous and stupid definition as it is." The male frowned visibly, but Reni didn't seem to be bothered by it at all. He simply got used to being considered a bully. "For me, it is taking every chance you have until you turn it into your advantage. Life isn't fair. Don't expect anything in life to treat you fairly, princess."

As the word 'princess' rolled off his tongue, he caught a fast movement in the corner of his eye and barely managed to move away as one of the grasshoppers charged in attempt to knock him down, or at least out of his balance. He chuckled in amusement as the only female guard in the new group charged again, angrily. "Well, about fucking time." He thought as he blocked her and smiled. "I see someone has been paying attention in the class." She seemed to have no time to talk as she angrily tried to break through his blocks. Opening his mouth lightly to tell her something, he was cut short by a heavy fist blow in his side. Groaning lightly, he took a deep breath. It hurt like hell, but even so, it was somewhat expected. The male, too dramatic for his taste, insulted by the fact a girl would have more guts than him, decided to approach the cowardly way and take the cake. "Son of a bitch." Reni exclaimed, pissed more about male's fashion of joining into the fight, than an actual blow he suffered. Wrapping the towel around the male's wrist, Reni pulled and kicked him out of the balance, smacking him against the ground, where he stayed, gasping for air. "Fucking cowa..." The wave of surprised gasps was heard when the girl swung her fist and landed it straight into Reni's jaw as soon as he turned towards her. It was more of a surprise than pain that could be seen in his eyes as they narrowed and looked at the girl that now lost her fighting attitude and regretted her decision. "I...I am sorry sir! I didn't..."

"Porca puttana!" Slipped like somewhat smooth growl from his lungs, and as the girl thought about what the hell would that even mean, Reni's foot smacked the side of her neck, enough to hurt and not enough to jeopardize her overall health. She felt to the ground with a yelp. Kneeling above her, Reni offered her a charming smile, somewhat messed up by a tiny line of blood that now ran down from his busted lower lip down his jaw. If he would make himself admit it, he was darn proud. "You messed up the perfect punch. You hesitated. It was awful and foolish. Expecting me to spare you for being a female is the shittiest thing I have even encountered. I hardly doubt anyone would give a damn about your gender. You are either a sissy like your colleague here," He nodded towards the male guard lying on the ground. "or you are good enough not to get yourself killed." He stood up and offered her his hand, pulling her up. "But at least you had guts to do something about it. Congratulations. You are promoted to a Worm." It was a good thing. Worms deserved more respect than others, but they were far from enough. "Your friend here just made me really happy. Knowing at least some here aren't as hopeless as I thought you were." He looked around. "Several hours to sleep. I expect to see you all up and running till afternoon. How you will use that free time of yours is not of my concern. You may leave."

As the field cleared out, Reni sat on the bench and pressed the clean towel on his lip to stop the bleeding. He didn't mind it as much, but it was an uncomfortable sight for some, like one of the workers that mowed the field this morning, glaring at the Chief of Security, half-naked and bloodied in the middle of the field. Realizing how ridiculous or even scary it might seem to the man, Reni smiled widely and waved at the mower. "Good morning! What a lovely morning, isn't it?" Seemingly convinced, the man waved back insecurely. "Indeed it is, Mister Red."
 
Last edited:
LGvxotJ.jpg

|Open Field|

Too hot... This morning was too hot for Aleks, who had his hood up to protect his face from the sun. He sat on a bench not too far away from the new guards and Remo, who were practicing. He couldn't understand how they could be so energetic this early, but then again they weren't on guard duty last night. Yawning, he stretched his arms and legs, glad that said guard duty was finished for the next couple of hours. So why wasn't he in bed sleeping while he could? You know, that's a great idea. However, Aleks found it way more fun to sit and watch the newbies getting thrown all over the place by the Chief. It felt odd to think he once was at their level of training... how many years ago was that now? 10? 15? He wasn't going senile already, was he? Ah well, what does it matter. What did matter was the level the newbies were at, they really couldn't get a hit in despite outnumbering Remo? Now now, the white haired guard knew how good Remo was and had a lot of respect in his abilities but that guy wasn't even going all out on them. Nevermind that, did they never learn to make use of their numbers and surprise him? Aleks scoffed a bit and shook his head, sorta wishing he was the one out there teaching them how it's done.

Remo was giving the newbies a speech, when all of a sudden the female guard sprung into action and began throwing punches at their mentor. White raised an eyebrow "Oh? Seems like someone finally caught on." He thought while watching intently, pondering if she'd eventually break through Remo's guard. In truth Aleks got so in to it that he began leaning forward as if he could see better then. Alas, one of the male guards interrupted with a punch to the Chief's side, resulting in the latter kicking him down on the floor. It was the correct move by the male guard, Whitey thought. Cowardly, but correct to move in and help. Teamwork was never a bad thing... then again the male seemed more intent on not being worse than the girl and moved in because of that. The aforementioned female guard used the sudden interruption to her advantage and punched Remo's jaw, but seemed to regret her decision immediately afterwards. Remo shouted out something in italian, Aleks guessed, and rewarded the girl with a side-kick to her neck who then fell to the ground. Aleks shook his head and sighed, she should had continued attacking when she had the chance. People with the intent to kill won't show any sort of mercy on the battlefield, Aleks knows, he used to be one of those very people after all.

The Chief then knelt down and offered the female guard a hand, pulling her back up. Aleks smiled faintly as he heard her getting promoted to Worm, seemed like someone here had potential at least. He'd heard of the Chief's internal ranking system now and then, but he doesn't know how high it goes nor really how high up Remo's ranked the still on-trial guard. Yup, despite being her for a little over a year now, Aleks was still on trial for obvious reasons. It was a miracle he even got to be here, to be honest, he knows he wouldn't have recruited himself. Made him wonder if Ms. Daystar was in her right state of mind.

Either way, once the field cleared out (with Aleks giving them a few claps), Remo sat down on one of the benches. Letting out another yawn, Aleks stood up and casually walked over to Mr. Red. As he got closer the guard lifted both his hands and framed in Remo's body and bloodied face with his thumbs and index-fingers, imitating a camera, then sounded off with a "Click!" But didn't say much more until he sat down on the other side of the bench, as he then let out a loud sigh. "Ah~ah... This morning will be the end of me. Too hot for my taste." He said in a disappointed tone, along with a frown. "And I wouldn't say the recruit's were any good either, too passive... well, except for that one girl. I don't think they understand how dangerous this job can be yet." This hot weather sort of made him long for his home in Finland, where the summers weren't as hot and humid as this... though they did have their share of overly hot days as well, but not as many. "And Reni~ I want to try fighting them some time as well! Pleeeease?" He asked as he pouted and tried his best with eyes of a small puppy.​
 
apep35.jpg


[Host Areas – Entrance hall – Residential Area ]

“You would have been the perfect wife, if it wasn’t for…” the minister mused to himself contently lifting his chin a bit so that the escort could fix his tie. The politician never finished his sentence, falling silent as he admired the man he had ‘bought’ for the night. The whole situation was already scandalous enough without uttering it out loud.

Eremurus smiled back at the eminent figure, his hands moving over to brush his client over the shoulders. “How scandalous, minister,” the escort spoke, an amused chuckle sounding through his voice as his eyes flickered back up to his face. “What would your wife say, hearing such?” he continued, his tone mocking and a slightly teasing as he took a step back from his patron. The man just grinned, stepping closer to the Fallen, unable to let the enchanting figure go just yet. “Which is the only reason why I haven’t bought you out yet, Ere,” the man exclaimed, taking a strand of hair in hand. Kissing it, the minister stared at the escort for a few more seconds before finally letting go, breathing in deeply.

“Don’t you worry about me, sir” Eremurus replied as he helped the man with his coat. “I’m in good hands within these walls,” he continued, before turning around to open the door of his room. It was partly true, for the Fallen had nowhere to go to if he were ever to leave the place. However, there was nothing he wanted more but to leave, despite the fine life he lived here. The call of his faith and a sober lifestyle were tempting him, clouding his mind on a daily base. “Can I tempt you to share one last cup of coffee before departure?” the male made a gesture towards the tables in the host area, another smile crossing his face.

The client shifted his attention over to the table and back to the Fallen again, lustful eyes urging for more. However the clock warned him that he should leave hurriedly. Composing himself the minister shook his head at the escort, refusing the offer as he followed the halls out. “The next time I want to see more of this Angel you took in, Ere,” the politician spoke and Eremurus bowed his head a little in a nod. “I’m sure she is just as lovely as you are,” the man breathed, his hand straying over into the direction of the Fallen. Eremurus just smiled, his eyes moving along with the expression. “She still has a lot to learn, however, I’m sure she will impress you.” With that their walk together had ended. His client had reached the exit and from there their road parted, the Fallen had finished his job.

Turning around to face the escort one last time the politician chuckled a little, rolling his head back as he tried to compose himself and not burst out in a laugh. “Everything about you impresses me, Eremurus,” he spoke sweetly. Again the escort only responded with a smile and a low bow of his head. Bidding the man a good day and a safe trip the Fallen spun around slowly, leaving for his own private quarters. The day was still young and he could use an extra few hours of sleep.​
 
Last edited:
V8rh6Ty.png


[glow=blue] Residential Area :: Sierra's Room [/glow]

The soft sound of the birds chirping outside her window were slowly growing louder and louder. Bridget tried to do her best to ignore them, but it was pointless. Her eyes snapped open as she glared at the ceiling. She was almost positive she had been asleep for only a few minutes. She had stayed awake the majority of the night simply because she was restless and couldn't fall asleep properly. She wasn't comfortable. She hadn't been for a long time now. Ever since she was chosen by a Fallen and became an Angel her peaceful nights of sleep went out the window. She's tried everything too, different positions, different temperatures in the room, drinking tea or warm milk, nothing helped. It wasn't until recently that she finally acknowledged the reason she couldn't sleep. Her sister. Ever since she was little she had been sleeping with her sister. Of course, she wasn't comfortable without her sister being there with her. It was the only logical explanation, and the only cure for it would be, being around her sister, which she could not do. Bridget felt foolish for ever thinking that she would get to be with her sister if she became an Angel. Though, it wasn't completely a waste.

Bridget got to see Elin occasionally, which was a lot more than it would've been if she was still a Bud. Still, this small separation they had was killing her, but of course, she didn't want anyone else to know that. Sitting up in bed she rubbed her face before stumbling out of the bed into the bathroom to get ready for the day. She looked like a mess, under her eyes looked dark and her eyes were irritated a bit. She looked exhausted and that was never good. It was nothing some makeup couldn't fix, though. That's when she caught sight of it. She wasn't used to it yet, but she had to say she loved it every time she looked in the mirror. Her Fallen, Sierra, had been kind enough to let her hair stylist dye her hair a deeper shade of red and it looked amazing. She got it done yesterday and she had already forgotten about it. Seeing her hair now was like seeing it for the first time all over again. She was proud of her choice, this was just a way of expressing herself and she loved it.

Once Bree was finished with her daily routine of getting ready, she walked out of the bathroom and stood in front of Sierra's bed, her hands on her hip. Shaking her head before backing up a couple steps. A grin spread across her lips as she took off running, jumping on the bed and climbing on top of her Fallen and shaking her awake. "Wake up already! Are you going to sleep all day?! Wake. Up!" It's a good thing that Bridget had a cool Fallen. She was sure if she had someone else other that Sierra she would've been screwed right now. But Sierra actually told her to wake her up in case there was some miracle that Bridget woke up before she did. Though as of late, that has been more of a common occurrence. Bridget missed the days when she could sleep like she was dead. Good times, of course, that only happened when she was around her sister.

"What are we doing today?" She asked climbing off her mentor and sitting beside her. Bridget wondered if she would be able to run into Elin today, she was sure she'd be surprised with the change of hair color. She hadn't seen her sister in a couple days and she was really missing her.

Characters Mentioned:

@firejay1 > Sierra Mordred

@VocaStar > Elin Stavros
 
Last edited:
  • Love
Reactions: Faust and Wicked
[ ooc: The song Cas is playing is this one. ]

20929ex.jpg


[glow=red]· Gymnasium » Residential Area ·[/glow]


The strong beat of the music vibrated through his muscles and bones, and his body was melting and becoming part of the sound. He was breathless, but he did not care. His skin was drenched with a shimmer of sweat, but he did not mind. His muscles were quivering after two hours of workout, but his need to move kept him going. He was strong, he was steady. Within the sound, he was free. Within the steps he did not have to think. Within the short illusion contemporary dance offered him, he was not Castiel Roux, a boy forcefully trained to become a high class escort that held no free will. Within the music he was just a bare spirit; a passionate fire burning, expressing his silent feelings that were hidden away under a lock and key, and deceitful smile.

As he moved to the beat, his body almost fluid with its agility, the steps choreographed to perfection, this was possibly the only moment of the day you could see Castiel wearing an actually serious expression. He was concentrated despite knowing exactly what he was doing, his body had memorized every move long ago, aiming for the perfection where he had set the bar for himself. Cas was possibly the harshest trainer on himself unlike any other; if he did one move wrong, he got frustrated and made himself do it over and over again until he got it right, relentlessly without allowing himself a break. A fighter is not someone who never fails; a fighter is someone who never quits.

The music was blasting from the wireless stereos that were connected to the Pelly on his wrist, playing the song from his personal music library of old classics. His steps had been chasing the dawn, and the sunrise had now lit up the gymnasium with a bright morning light that flickered in from the vast windows. Others might have found it odd to start the dance practice in the dark, but Castiel had been in the House before he had even turned his first year. He knew the place like his own pockets, where everything was, how many steps away the door was with his eyes closed, what floorboards creaked. He did not need light to see, and to be honest, he had learned to find the natural light to be far more soothing than the man made light. His eyes would get used to the darkness when he woke up earlier than his peers and many others half past five in the morning, and he did not want any curious stragglers to come and see who would be using the gym before sunrise if he used the lights. It was the only time of the day Castiel knew the gym was going to be empty, and sometimes he simply wanted to dance alone even if he did get to dance in class. No curious eyes, no voices, no interruptions. Just the steady sound of his own heartbeat and breathing, and the music that echoed in the vast space. Just Castiel and the music.

As he sunk on his knees and fell back, catching his own weight on his arms and arched his back, head thrown backwards and neck stretched out like a dog offering it in submission, the last notes of the song made him sway. When the song would end, he was supposed to use his back muscles to lift himself to sit upright again end up in a sitting on the floor, cradling himself, arms wrapped around his body and head bent down. But Cas never got that far, because the sound of music was interrupted with the most loudest, irritating alarm clock sound that was blowing from the stereo system. The sweat on his palms made his hands more slippery on the floor, and surprised by the sudden unexpected noise that was not part of the song he had been replaying over and over again the whole morning, his hand slipped and Cas fell on his back on the floor very ungracefully. He barely avoided hitting the back of his head, but the force was enough to knock the air out of his lungs momentarily.

"...That hurt." Cas mumbled out loud, but sounded surprisingly calm about it. After a second or two gathering his bearings and listening to the ungodly sound of the alarm clock that was telling him it was 8 AM sharp, the dark haired boy lifted his wrist up to peer at the Pelly and touched the screen to make the alarm stop. Complete silence fell upon the gym, and the suddenness of it was almost suffocating. There was a buzzing in his ears as he let his arm fall on the floor and he stared at the ceiling, expression unreadable.

It was another day beginning in the House. His fun time was over now. It was time to get back to reality and forget the freedom the dancing offered him. It was a fraud anyway. He was an Angel, but his flight feathers were clipped. He would never fly, not really. His freedom had been traded for a gilded cage. Many of the residents refused to see the bars that confided them in, pretending that they were not there and they were actually okay with it. But Castiel refused to unsee them. He refused to forget that he was trapped, and seeing the walls and gates that would never open for him and the videos of the outside world would only make him work harder to get out.

But at the same time, he was also grateful for being in. Because if he would have not been here... He would have been one broken bird. Either killed by his parents, possibly his birth mother, and if he survived, he would have probably followed after his father's steps and become an addict. Possibly even a drug addict. Joined gangs. Been killed on the street and nobody would have ever known he existed or miss him.

It was complicated. His feelings towards the House. He was aware that it saved him, but at the same time it turned him into a slave; dehumanized him, turning him into an object or like a cattle. One day, and the day would not be too far away now, he would be losing the last worth as a human being by having to let a woman or a man buy a night with him, touch him, taint him. All for money. He had always known this, and he had always known that it would happen. It was inevitable. In this House, there was no love. Just like there had not been love in the house he lived before this one. There was just the daily routine of pretending everything was okay even if it was not. The younger kids did not yet quite understand what they were to do in the future, and Cas was almost jealous of their ignorance. The others his age... They knew. And they pretended. They all pretended like they had worth and that they had a choice.

Even if the truth was ugly enough that nobody wanted to say it out loud. That they were all just high class whores.

And Cas pretended too. He smiled, he laughed, and whenever the chance, he rather tried to forget. It was the only way to stay sane. Because this body was never truly his. It was meant to be for the highest bidder. And even if someone kept claiming nobody's worth could not be measured in money... they were wrong. In the House they did that effortlessly. In human trafficking they had no problems doing just that. Money would remind you that you never truly belonged to yourself and everything could be bought. Even lives. Welcome to the 23rd​ century.

And that was why he danced. In music, he became part of the sound. He had no body, as it was lost to the beat. If he had no body... It could not be sold.

Castiel was aware that his logic was more than a little warped and even if it did sound alright in theory, in practical terms that still needed some working. There would be a day when even music would not keep the hands at bay that wanted to touch and taste his skin.

Castiel Roux did not hate the House. But he did not lie to himself that it was fine either.

The brown eyes stared at the ceiling, for a few more minutes, before Cas finally decided to stand up. He should get up and take a quick swim to freshen up before he would go back to his Fallen's room to wake the guy up. So he discarded his black sleeveless hoodie on the floor, along with his grey jersey pants. As a smart young lad, Cas had worn his swimming trunks underneath as per usual. This was after all part of the morning routine, and been for couple of years now. Even if he was rather casual about everything, he did not fancy someone waltzing in and seeing his family jewels.

Cas took a few running steps and threw himself into the pool. Who cared about acting mature when you were alone anyway? He was only eighteen, he had all the rights to still act like a kid every now and again. When he surfaced, Cas wiped the dark mane off his face and simply enjoyed the cool water against his skin, cooling his overworked muscles. It felt nice, so he splashed around in the pool, taking few slow swimming motions and pretending like he was actually going to swim, before simply giving up and ending up floating on his back in the middle of the pool and pretending he was a starfish. All he was missing was that his black swimming trunks should have been green with big purple flowers and he would have been a perfect Patrick. Maybe he should shop ones online?

The Pelly on his wrist that was build water resistant (modern technology was kinda awesome like that) informed him soon enough that it was time to get out and face the music. Or wake up and smell the coffee. Or... well you get the idea. Reluctantly, Cas dragged himself off the pool and staggered his tired feet into showers in the corner, washing himself clean from chlorine with shampoo and soap. Once he was done, Cas closed the shower and ignored the stand in drying option that it was offering; he could have been dry within a minute. But Cas rather enjoyed the fresh feeling after shower and would rather let his hair be dried in time by itself and with a towel. So he picked one fresh towel from the shelf and rubbed his body dry, and then the excess water from his hair swimming trunks. After that he exited the shower area and went to pick up his discarded clothes from the floor, pulling on his sleeveless hoodie to cover his naked upper body. However he decided against wearing his grey jerseys because his swimming trunks were still really moist. It would look like he wet himself if he wore the pants over them. So he simply threw the pants over his shoulder and made his way out of the gym and into the outdoors.

Castiel was not wearing any shoes, but he did not mind. He liked the feeling of the paved ground and grass under his bare feet. If there was something he liked about the House, it was the gardens. The earthy smell was fresh and morning dew was cool against his toes, raising goosebumps on his legs. But it was alright, mornings like these were what made Cas feel more alive. One should find the enjoyment in the small things given his situation.

The youngblood made his way into the Residential Area, slipping in as quietly from the doors as he could. People were awake already mostly, he knew, but he did not want them realizing he was up before they were and off somewhere on his own. Cas had managed to remain discreet about his early morning practices so far, and he was not going to bring it up for public notion now either. He was aware that some people were very interested in his comings and goings, and sometimes it was tad bit irritating when people swarmed around him like a curious buzzing bees. He just wanted privacy, and that was hard earned in the House when you were locked in with numerous people where everyone knew everyone. And sometimes people knew your own business better than you did your own.

The first thing he did was to go to the coffee maker in the small kitchen area. It was not like it was meant to actually prepare meals, because there was a dining area just for that. It just had the small basic stuff that kept the people happy; a coffee maker for the ones that needed the caffeine acutely, a microwave for popcorn whenever some groups were having a movie night, a little cabinet for storing some basic dry food snacks and cans, a small fridge for drinks that the staff kept stocked. A fruit bowl and some bread in a box. That was about it. You could not really even call it a kitchen, because it did not even have a stove or an oven. He guessed that the staff were afraid the residents would accidentally burn themselves and that cause scars that would devalue them, or worse, burn the whole place down with their nonexistent cooking skills. Because lets face it, they were all so damn pampered that they did not even know how to prepare cup noodles without a manual behind the packaging.

Cas started preparing coffee. A large patch, because he knew other residents who enjoyed a cup of coffee before the day officially started for them would appreciate it when there was some ready. Once the coffee maker was dripping the black liquid into the glass pot, Cas leaned against the counter to wait and listened the sounds in the house. He wiped the wet locks of his mohawk back, trying to untangle the knots with his fingers.​
 
Last edited:
2cosbp1.jpg

¤ Administrative Building - Open Field ¤

The ruler of the establishment known as the House of the Fallen Star had sat watching her namesake make his diurnal, sleepy journey to his post in the sky two hours ago, puffing away at her pipe on the white stone roof of the administrative building, seemingly uncaring of the biting cold up there in her thin, silk pajamas. It was her ritual to go up there every day, to wait to worship. People here all chose different names for different reasons when they became Fallen. Some chose whatever sounded good, some chose their names to mean things like "hope" or "angel" or "fortitude" or whatever else struck their fancy. That hadn't been Chie. Chie for wisdom. Chie for layers. Chi-e for blood painting. Her first name meant many different things to her, but her last name defined who she was, who she belonged to. She had struggled up from the darkness and become blindingly bright. She was the daughter of the sun, and she belonged to the sun, because no one else had stayed with her day after day, year after year, protecting and warming and watching over her. So every day, day after day, year after year, Chie Daystar rose with the day star, to thank it for its many years of service, and to remind herself that she would be nothing without it.

The earliest of her House - for it was her House - were up by that time, and after the sunrise was over, she often looked out over the expansive gardens that served as the House's external face, pretending she could see over those imposing white walls to where steam began to rise from the kitchens and quiet clanks of pots and "good mornings" of sleepy greetings grew louder. She pretended she could see over to where the young Cogs and Buds, some of whom were a little sleep-deprived from waking up to feed the infants, began doing their daily chores of cleaning the residential area and doing the laundry, becoming livelier as the sleep fell from their eyes. She closed her eyes and imagined it, drawing every line of every structure clearly in her memory until the image became almost intolerably vivid. She wandered the grounds every day, the only sound she made as she padded in her bare feet, being the rustle of silk from her elaborate clothing. Every day, she made sure to take it all in, so even when she was old and no longer in control, she would never forget the place that she belonged to.

Chie was not stupid. She knew how most people saw this place. She knew that most people simply hated it here, seeing it as a cage. Certainly, it was true, that the residents would never be allowed to fall in love like other people or escape to the outside world, but she'd seen the outside world in all its glorious cruelty, and she knew, somehow, that they were actually just as much a part of it as everyone else. They thought because of their sheltered lives, that they were somehow separate from it, that they'd been deprived of some abstract "thing" that would magically make them more human. Make no mistake, the House of the Fallen Star was not the same as the rest of the world, and there were certain rules in place here that simply did not apply to everyone else, but the people inside were still people. They just didn't seem to always realize it. No matter what they thought, Chie protected the people in here as much as she protected the place itself. She knew every resident from the moment they entered to the moment they left. Her life revolved around each and every one of them, even the ones she had to punish. They just didn't know it. This was a shelter, and she conducted it, but a shelter could not shelter anyone if it did not exist. And in the end, the unfortunate truth was that the House could not shelter its residents from the thing they most needed sheltering from - themselves. They were all so... blind. But it was perhaps this precise blindness that tied her so deeply to the House. That blindness wrapped around her like a cloak, making everything else feel so surreal. A surreal world was nothing more than a game, and a game was a manageable. Only here did she have power. Only here was she home.

By the time it had hit eight, she had returned to her chambers, and was making quick work of the simple breakfast she was sent each morning. Unlike the previous Head, who had reveled in his particularly elevated status and wealth, Chie found comfort in eating what she'd eaten as a child, first entering into the House. It reminded her that she had started out no better and no worse than everyone else who lived within the House. It kept her humble. Once that was finished, she donned one of her many weirdly anachronistic dresses. It was designed to look rather similar to a kimono, and was, at points, almost as difficult to put on, but it took her little effort to put on and secure, as she'd been doing it since her days as a Fallen. Even then, she'd vehemently refused the advice of her seamstresses that she allow them to assist her. It was something of a mystery to the woman that anyone would want to have someone else dress them, as if they were as incompetent as children. Her rooms were an extravagant affair, comprising the entire second floor of the administrative building, with her own kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom, and a gigantic walk in closet. These were her private quarters, and no one else was allowed to enter. They'd once been richly furnished with antique British furniture, but the minute she'd had her coronation, she'd sold them and stripped down the walls, leaving only a very comfortable settee of the original furniture, everything else bare and austere. That is, until Soot came along. In an almost shocking deviation from the coldness of the rest of the room, a corner of the bedroom was lavishly bestowed. It had been cordoned off with very short stone barriers, though there was an opening, so the bunny could get out easily. It was richly padded with thick pillows, and even had a separate, special area that acted like a litter box.

"Soot." She called quietly, and the black rabbit finished its own breakfast and came bounding into her waiting arms. She stroked his soft head gently, still cradling him in her arms as she floated down the spiral staircase like a ghost. She made it to the back courtyard, where a few nobles were making their exit, overlooking them as if they were utterly inconsequential. Other people were required to be polite to the clients, she was not. Once she was sure she was alone, she pressed her palm against one side of the wing statue, pushing away a couple flowers. While the Wing Passages were usually accessed by Pelly identification, the entire system was coded to respond to her handprint, as long as it could sense a steady pulse and heat signal along with it. A small door swung open inwards, going directly into a deep stairway that led to the underground tunnels that spanned the entire complex. She popped up again next to the gymnasium and seamstresses' workplace, greeting the workers as they came in. She lifted her head and closed her eyes for a moment, again, taking in the actual sounds of empty buildings being filled by people. Then, she struck off towards the open fields, where she could often find her Head of Security at this time of day. She figured she might as well visit him before beginning her usual perusal of the grounds.

Her Pelly beeped with a news notification, an update on the sick king's condition. He was getting worse. The corners of Chie's lips lifted ever so slightly. She had liked the old king alright and would be sad to see him go, but their overseas clients would be visiting much more, each watching the other, wondering and whispering about who would succeed. She had very great hopes that this turn-over would be both profitable and interesting. She had very great hopes, indeed.

Characters mentioned:
Remo "Red" Donati - @Ritual Lobotomy
 
bannerfans_16512089 (1).jpg
§ Residential Area: Sierra's Room §

Sierra had had a late night. In preparation for taking on an Angel, she had warned her regular clients months in advance that she would be trying to limit her 3 am returns or overnight appointments. She had good relationships with most of them, so they'd mostly just laughed and promised to accommodate her as long as she promised to eventually introduce them to the little spitfire she was so excited about. There were, however, a couple who took advantage of the fact that she had to cater to their hours whether she liked it or not, and last night, the man hadn't let her return until well past midnight. She might be a morning person normally, but times like these, she really just wanted to sleep until kingdom come. Alas, it was not to be.

The breath went flying out of her lungs with a whoosh, as her young charge tackled her. "Wake up already! Are you gonna sleep all day? Wake. Up." Sierra groaned and rolled over. Groping for her Pelly, she cracked one eye open to check the time, and gave another groan of protest when she saw how early it was. Bree climbed off of her and asked, in a tone that sounded a little forlorn to her, "What are we doing today?"

The raven-haired Fallen turned her head to look at Bree with her one open eye. The hair surprised her for a moment. They'd gotten it dyed just the day before. It was still red, but darker now. It suited her. Besides that, however, what she saw worried her. She knew Bree hadn't been sleeping well, and the girl looked just as tired today as Sierra felt. She just wished she knew why. Being a Fallen was hard enough on sleeping habits without having inherent difficulty sleeping. Closing her eye again, she grumbled jokingly, "Remind me again why I decided to take on a troublesome child like you?" She sat up properly and ruffled the girl's hair. Maybe seeing her sister would lift Bree's spirits. It did seem as though they were rather close, back when they were both Buds. Inseparable. And even now, the Angel seemed to light up a bit more when she could spend time with the other girl. Elin, wasn't it? "What do you say we go visit Ere around a little after noon, see if we might catch sight of that sister of yours? In the meantime, I need to get up. And you," she poked the girl in the nose, "need to practice your calming exercises."

One of the first things she had done after getting Bree as her Angel was think up a way to teach her to control her temper a bit better. She'd recorded a list of the most crude, ignorant, and annoying things she could ever imagine anyone saying to her as a Fallen and sent the files to Bree's Pelly. Her assignment for each morning was to try listening to a couple of them every day, and focus on controlling her breathing. Sierra had been a bit of a wild card herself when she'd been picked as an Angel, because she had a few problems listening obediently to orders. Her mentor had not been well-equipped to handle her at all, so she'd had to learn the hard way that clients were very used to getting their way and didn't take kindly to being yelled at or walked out on. It was terribly satisfying to master the subtler ways of getting a client to back off, but the first step was going to have to be managing The Temper. Sierra was sure the rest would come naturally to the girl once that was over. This was, however, the most difficult part. She chuckled slightly to herself, before pushing herself off the bed, about to get ready for the day.

Characters interacted with:
Bridget "Bree" Stavros - @Misaou

Characters mentioned:
Elin Stavros - @VocaStar
Eremurus - @WishfulNemo
 


KatieDeanBanner.jpg

[[Residential Area]]
Katie Dean stepped into the shower and sluiced the sweat off of her body. Her muscles were warm and ached pleasantly from the warmup exercises on the barre her Fallen had installed against a mirrored wall. Of course, it would take her an extra three years or so to work off, less if it helped her improve like she thought it would, but it was worth it. She could focus here in the room. Well, she could focus as long as she ignored the explosion of fabric that was her Fallen’s side of the room. It was also her job to pick it all up and organize it. No maid could be trusted with the fabulous costumes the Veracity wore. No common hands could touch her cosmetics. Katie wondered if that was why her Angels took so long to graduate. Veracity just couldn’t be bothered to do her own work so she held back her own students to do it for her.

Shaking her hair out under the water, Katie poured shampoo into her hand and started sudsing up. She tried to push Veracity out of her head. She didn’t like her Fallen and wouldn’t have accepted her if she thought she had any other options. Since she wasn’t sure anyone else would take a quiet girl like her, she had accepted the brash Fallen’s offer, and she hadn’t had a full day of peace since. It only pained her to think of three or four more years doing this. At least she was learning how to be outspoken and put herself out there. She hated doing it, but Veracity insisted.

Clean now, Katie stepped out of the shower and dried off. She needed coffer before she could contemplate cleaning up the mess that the still snoring Veracity had left all over her half of the room. She slipped into some dark leggings and a yellow sleeveless tunic that fell down to mid-thigh. It was simple and flowy. Katie liked clothes that she could move in. Without brushing it out, she twisted it up in a bun and stuck a couple sticks in it to hold it.

Without bothering to put on shoes, Katie slipped out of the room and followed the scent of dark coffee towards the kitchen area. She turned a corner and saw the dark haired Castiel standing against the counter, near the percolating coffee machine. Of course he was here. He usually made the coffee for the morning. She wondered if it was serious Cas or puckish Cas this morning. Noting the wet swimming trunks, she expected the later.

“’Morning, Cas,” she said with a small smile, reaching past him for a coffee cup. “How’s the pool doing thie morning?”
 
Last edited by a moderator:
20929ex.jpg


[glow=red]· Residential Area ·[/glow]


He did not have to stand alone for long. A couple of minutes at best, where the coffee maker had already almost filled itself during that time. It was rather normal for someone to come up to him soon enough, and this morning it was Katie Dean, approaching silently with her willowy figure for such a tall girl. She dwarfed usually the other girls easily, sometimes standing about a good head taller than them. Cas himself had noted in the recent couple of years that he only stood about half a head taller than her nowadays, and it seemed like his growth had slowed down or possibly stopped for good. If she was going to keep growing, he would start calling her Goliath.​

"'Morning, Cas." Katie said with a small smile, reaching past him for a coffee cup. Cas ducked out of the way lazily, still battling with his moist tangled hair. "How's the pool doing this morning?" She inquired, and for a second he stopped with a small frown to wonder how she knew he had been in the pool. Then he realized that he was still wearing his swimming trunks, and the pants were still thrown over his shoulder. Maybe he should have thrown the trunks out and worn the jerseys anyway. Nothing cozier than going commando, right?

"Sharp as ever, Miss Dean." Cas said, the words complimenting, but tone sounding more sarcastic. "Now if our career choices wouldn't have been set in stone in here, you should have definitely aimed for private detective. The pool was doing alright, if just missing some bikini babes. I'll send it your regards next time." He managed to untangle most of the knots, and blew some of the wet locks from his face. Then the boy turned to her, wearing his typical smile. "On another note, good morning. Coffee?" He reached to snatch a cup of his own and with his free hand the picked up the coffee pot that had finished brewing, offering to pour the elixir of the undead for her before filling his own cup.


Characters mentioned/interacted with:
@Krysondra - Katie Dean

 
Reni.jpg

Open Field

Reni just wiped off the last drop of sweat from his neck when he heard a clicking sound. He smirked lightly and even before he turned to face Aleks White, he spoke. "Well now, seems to me someone is laying off their duty. Again. Whatever will I do with you, White." Of course, after a year, Reni had finally understood that Aleks simply never gave a single damn about his attempt of scaring him. He was so indifferent that Reni simply stopped caring altogether. As long as he did the job he left him there for, he was to be tolerated. So far so good. He sat on the bench, putting down the towel and let out a deep and fast sigh. He used it as a pretty neat technique to restore his heartbeats and calm his breathing, lowering down his fatigue all together after each practice. Aleks approached silently and joined him on the other side of the bench. It was quite impressive how he walked so quietly around regardless of the kind of shoes he was wearing. It was good to know he was not assigned to be an assassin just for the sake of it. He had skills, though at the same time, it still made him a risky employee. Reni kept his full wake attention around that seemingly lazy and uninterested young male. Indeed, he was the one to bring him in, but he was also the one to know very well that the seemingly laziest ones were those to be aware of the most. At least till they prove their loyalty, and Aleks was yet to do so in the future. "Ah~ah... This morning will be the end of me. Too hot for my taste."

Reni replied with a short and dimmed laughter. "Yes well I am sure that you are too much of everything for it's taste too." He joked. Most often, his jokes were said in a calm tone that seemed more as an insult and it was quite the skill to determine whether he was insulting you or just joking. Making a mistake in that assessment made a difference between the 'marked as idiots' kind of people and 'good for something' ones. Reni believed that knowing small antics such as that one meant he would be able to count on his team to be able to determine whether a client's 'you are so beautiful I will just lock you up in my basement' kind of comments was indeed a joke or a matter of security issue. It was hard, but it was necessary. "And I wouldn't say the recruit's were any good either, too passive... well, except for that one girl. I don't think they understand how dangerous this job can be yet." Mister Red nodded. "I had worse candidates. I wouldn't call them off as hopeless just yet. I only do that if they die in the process." Not to be taken too seriously, he smirked. "Not necessarily a biological death by stupidity. That is the most convenient way to die. Once you die mentally, then you are a really hopeless creature. My job would be to attempt to kill them in the process. If they can survive that, they can go with anything." He referred to Aleks' view of practice. "The girl is good. Darn good, but hesitant. Hesitating is what I can't tolerate. But I am sure we can fix that."

"And Reni~ I want to try fighting them some time as well! Pleeeease?" Well that was new. Then again, not so shocking. He would be lying if he had said that it was something that never came to his mind. However, it was the first time anyone had asked him before he offered something like that. "Interesting thing coming from a lazy hog such as yourself." Reni offered a calculated smile as a form of challenge. The smile caused his lip to bleed again though he failed to notice it. He thought about it for the moment then replied. "Tomorrow morning, 6 AM. You may do your thing. Or is that too early for you to have fun, mister Casper?" He teased. "I do hope I won't have to send in my top security members to shamefully drag you out of your bed and onto the field. And you do know that you do not want that to happen." It was nothing new. One of the things Reni hated the most was ignoring the duties. Once you would accept the job, he would sure as hell made sure you did it as it was supposed to be done, and sending his best agents to be the first thing his target sees in the morning was among his favorite methods. Nothing like a good cup of coffee while watching the person being dragged to their working place and kissing some grass before realizing what even happened in the first place. "So. I am taking that we have a deal here?"

Before Aleks was able to reply, Reni heard a familiar beeping sound coming from the edge of the field and he looked in the direction of the sound just to see none other than the Head of the house herself, coming towards them, looking at her Pelly. It was something he would never be arsed to say out loud, but he was always struck by some kind of a warm feeling mixed with respect when she would appeared, radiating with her flawlessness at any time of day. Yes, she was a powerful individual, feared and respect for her position and influence, but for Reni, she was always a lady of great importance first and then everything else. And even though it was not to be discussed, it was more than impressive how no age could have obstructed her looks, her posture and her spirit. As always in all those years, he was quite honored whenever she would come around. Well aware he had no time to dress up and look the way he usually did, he quickly pulled his unbuttoned shirt over his shoulders and pushed his messy hair backwards. At least he looked like a human being rather than a savage now. He quickly stood up straight and bowed down lightly in a respectful greeting, hoping mister White would do the same, sparing him the embarrassment. It was hardly a surprise visit. He was aware that Chie would often come around while he was there and he somewhat scold himself for not looking more decent. Then again, he was more glad that she wasn't there to see the embarrassing hit in the face he got. Small mercies. He addressed her calmly and with a smile, as he always did. "My Lady. How are you this lovely morning?"

@Faust > Aleks White
@firejay1 > Chie Daystar​
 
  • Love
Reactions: Faust
V8rh6Ty.png


[glow=blue] Residential Area :: Sierra's Room :: Kitchen [/glow]

"Remind me again why I decided to take on a troublesome child like you?" Sierra mumbled sleepily before leaning forward and ruffling her hair. A cocky grin formed on Bridget's lips as she twirled a crimson lock around her slender finger. "Because I'm delightfully irresistible. You can't help but want me." She added with a wink. "What do you say we visit Ere around a little afternoon, see if we might catch sight of that sister of yours? In the meantime, I need to get up." She couldn't help how her face lit up. It was like Sierra could read her mind, she would love to see her sister. But she didn't want to look too desperate so she cleared her throat, glancing away from Sierra, a slight blush on her cheeks, "Sure if that's what you want. I don't care."

"And you...need to practice your calming exercises," Sierra spoke the hated words before poking her on the nose.

Bridget groaned and flopped against the bed. Sierra had come up with this bright idea that she believed would help Bridget with her 'temper problem'. 'It will be good for you' she said. Bridget rolled her eyes. It was more annoying than anything. How was her listening to absolute trash and practicing on breathing supposed to help her with her anger? If anything it made her more frustrated. Still, Sierra didn't ask too much of her so Bridget decided that she should just tough it through.

Getting up, Bree walked over to her side of the room, grabbing her wireless earbuds and sticking them in her ear before plopping down on her bed to prepare for another aggravating session. She when to her audio files in her library on her pelly and went to her 'temper' playlist she had made for herself and clicked play. Closing her eyes, she prepared herself for the worse. It wasn't long into the first couple that she noticed her hands were shaking. She clasped them in each other just trying to focus on her breathing. But everything that was said in the recording was complete bullshit. Either that or it was so degrading that it made Bridget want to punch someone in the face. Anyone really. If clients were really like this, then god have mercy on them, because once Bridget lost it and put her hand's on them, they were gonna need some higher power to pull her off of them.

--

She sighed and threw her ear pieces on her bed. This wasn't working. It never did and she honestly didn't feel like doing this anymore. She was already tired, and now she was in a sour mood. Maybe some tea would cheer her up. She got off her bed and slipped on some sandals to go with her shorts and shirt. Did she put a lot of work into her look today? No. It was way too hot and humid for her to even care. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail that stopped in the middle of her back. It was days like these that she wished she'd just chopped her hair off like Elin did. It was too hot for long hair. With that, she made her way out of her Fallen's room while she was getting ready.

She made it to the kitchen in no time, having memorized the layout of this place already. Not only had she been in this 'house' for a long time already, she was always pulling some prank so she's probably lapped this place at least a thousand times by now. The closer she got to the kitchen the more she started to pick up on some voices. "On another note, good morning. Coffee?" a deeper voice said. It wasn't until she was fully in the kitchen did she see a girl that she only recognized her face and Castiel in only swimming trunks and a sleeveless hoodie.

...

In only swimming trunks and a sleeveless hoodie?! Did he have no shame?! Did he not respect a poor maiden's innocent eyes? She shook her head, tearing her eyes away from him with a blush on her cheeks. She hadn't seen him in a while and this was what she got after all that time? Well, she figured he was a free spirit, she shouldn't expect less right? Anyway, she was overreacting, still, she was just going to mind her own business and fix her tea. She went to the cupboard to reach for a mug when she realized it was just a little bit out of her reach, which ticked her off because, she hated her height. And her sister was shorter than her so she shouldn't feel so bad, but she did. She sighed, muttering a slur of curse words under her breath. Cursing whoever put those mugs so high up. That's when she noticed cups beside Castiel. She didn't want to be in the middle of his conversation with the girl, literally, but tea was more important right now. "Excuse me," she said softly reaching for a cup then retreating to the other side. Adding a capsule to a machine and putting her cup underneath, all she had to do was push a button and her tea started to pour into her cup.

God, she loved technology.
Characters Mentioned:

@VocaStar > Elin Stavros

@firejay1 > Sierra Mordred

@Krysondra > Katie Dean

@Wicked > Castiel Roux
 
Last edited:
  • Love
Reactions: Wicked and firejay1

.
KatieDeanBanner.jpg

[[Residential Area]]​


Katie repressed a sigh. It wasn’t serious Cas or puckish Cas. It was Hi-I’ve-got-a-chip-on-my-shoulder-Cas. They were all stuck here for the time being. There was no since in rubbing it in anyone’s face. That was just borderline cruel. That was also borderline Cas – opening his mouth before he opened his brain it seemed like. But, as usual, he changed like the Georgia weather, and the sun came out.

Katie extended her cup toward Cas for him to pour, deciding to just ignore all prior commentary. “Sure thing,” she drawled slightly, smiling again.

However, before he could pour, one of those twin girls came in and reached between them for a mug, causing Katie to step back a bit so she could get in. She never could tell the twins apart, even though one had been with her in ballet. One would think in a closed compound, it would be easy to learn everything about everyone. However, it seemed like the denizens of Hell guarded their secrets more closely since that was the only thing they really owned. Katie’s mind grazed briefly over her secret, causing her to frown, but she quickly shuttered that thought and smiled again. “Hey! You don’t have to let Cas put you in the corner,” she said, trying to be friendly.


@Wicked > Castiel Roux
@Misaou > Bridget Stavros
 
20929ex.jpg


[glow=red]· Residential Area ·[/glow]


Katie looked like she wanted to roll her eyes at him but somehow found the power within to resist. Instead she looked kind of stale with his sarcasm, and kind of done with him, as per usual. And that was completely alright, because Cas lived for that shit and ate it up like Oreos and milk. Nothing beats the satisfaction of causing general offense within others. However her expression changed as soon as he had switched the tone of his voice and changed his behavior to his more typical mellow one, and she responded with a smile of her own and offered her cup.

"Sure thing." She drawled, her southern accent more prominent than most of the residents had. It was kind of dorky, but dorky cute, in a country girl kind of dorky cute kind of way. Since Cas himself had basically lived all his life inside the walls of the House and never remembering more than quick flashes of the world outside them, he had adopted a more general speech pattern from the other kids and adults around him, and from listening to actors speak in movies and TV shows and so on. He did not have a dialect or an accent that really stood out like Katie's did, and thus did not project persona the way she spoke. Cas had always liked the way she spoke, and honestly when they had been younger, he had gone his way to sometimes tease her just to hear her speak because the way she pronounced the words was fascinating to him. But she did not need to know that.

The black haired boy had reached to pour coffee into her cup, but before he could very gentlemanly fill it for her, another person stepped between them out of nowhere with a soft spoken "Excuse me." Cas withdrew his hand but did not move; he was pressed already on the kitchen corner as it was. Then his field of vision was suddenly dominated with the color of red, and not because he would have been angered by the sudden intrusion. It was the color of the girl's hair who was reaching for a cup past him, a very deliciously deep shade of dyed red like a ripe apple. Creamy white skin with specks of freckles spread across it like stars in a galaxy. Dark eyelashes and bluer than blue eyes that could have been holding an universe inside them. She seemed painfully familiar but oddly alien.

He took in all of this, the sight of her, within seconds but to Cas it had seemed like the time had slowed down for awhile there. It was like she was there forever but gone too fast at the same time. Once she was on the other end of the counter and preparing tea, Cas released a breath he had not even noticed he had been holding. He frowned and leaned past Katie to shamelessly peer at the red haired girl, trying his best to pinpoint who the hell she was. Sometimes it was pain in the ass to not give a shit to always remember everyone's names and faces even if you were locked in with all of them. New kids came and older people left, it was always changing and Cas had seen many people come and go in the past seventeen years. Just during times like these when you suddenly were forced to pay attention to someone like this and for once wanted to remember who they were, the names and faces escaped him. Annoyed with himself, Cas poured himself coffee and absentmindedly took a sip. Then made a face because it was so bitter. He forgot to add the sugar.

"Hey! You don't have to let Cas put you in the corner." Katie spoke up to the redhead she had also been looking at pretty much just as curiously as Cas had. The said dark haired individual who had reached for the sugar cup threw an unimpressed glare at the brown haired girl's direction.

"What?" Cas exclaimed in exaggerated offended tone, "I'm pretty sure it's you and not me, K. I'm the funny guy and you're the one with the sense of humor of a turnip. People love me, remember?" He motioned at himself as if he was appalled for even being accused of such. Cas scoffed for extra measure and threw in disgustingly lot of sugar in his coffee as per typical. He liked his coffee black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love.

"No but seriously," he continued as he mixed his coffee with a spoon he had whipped up from the drawer next to his hip, and looked up at the redhead, "You should join our shitty conversation where Katie shares her obvious observations and I make witty commentary. Then she gets mad with me and I bribe her with coffee. Speaking of which," Cas turned to pour coffee finally into Katie's cup, "Before you have me by the balls..."

He put the coffee pot back on its rightful place and shot a smile at the redhead's direction, ignoring Katie casually. "And I swear I've seen you somewhere before, I can't just... Wait-- Holy shit, hold on, are you Little Bree?" Cas' voice rose about an octave with his surprise as it finally came to him who the girl was. Bridget Stravros. Or as he used to call her back in the day, Little Bree. Since Cas had been promoted to an Angel, he had stopped keeping in contact with Bree. It was not like it had been intentional, it just kind of happened -- they simply did not share the same social circles due to their age gap and difference in status in the House. And hey, the place was hella big with tons of people. Now he was just outright gaping at her, up and down like he would be looking at her for the first time. Funny how much people could change in just couple of years, especially during her age.

"I am slightly disturbed and uncomfortable with this plot twist," Cas admitted out loud, blunt as ever, "Seems like somebody grew up. And grew up fine. Damn, Bree. Pretty as a picture."


Characters mentioned/interacted with:
@Krysondra - Katie Dean
@Misaou - Bridget Stravros
 
Last edited:
V8rh6Ty.png


[glow=blue] Residential Area :: Kitchen [/glow]

Now that she thought about it, it was hot and she was fixing herself a hot cup of tea. Maybe some good old fashion sweet tea would've been better. Oh well, it was too late now. She opened the cupboard again reaching up on the tips of her toes for the honey. Of course, thanks to ballet, she was used to being on the tips of her toes so at least her balance was good as she extended her reach. “Hey! You don’t have to let Cas put you in the corner,” the brown haired girl with a thick southern accent said to her. She recognized the girl from her ballet lessons, but she really couldn't recall her name. She wasn't one of the people she talked to. Besides, Bree tended to be more focused in dancing lessons than anywhere else. Bridget just glanced at her with big doe eyes as she continued to squeeze a ridiculous amount of honey in her tea. She didn't understand, Cas hadn't chased her to in a corner it was where the machine was? She shook her head, grabbing a spoon and stirring her tea with honey.

"What?" Cas exclaimed in exaggerated offended tone, "I'm pretty sure it's you and not me, K. I'm the funny guy and you're the one with the sense of humor of a turnip. People love me, remember?"


Bridget giggled. That sure enough was Cas if it had been any doubt in her mind earlier if it was him earlier, which it wasn't. Cas was always so dramatic and she loved it. It added that special flare, a different seasoning to him as a person and came together to make him who he was, uniquely himself. It was one of the things that attracted her to him back in the day when she had a little crush on him. Oh god, just remembering how much of a fool she made of herself around him was cringe worthy, still. But hey, she was young and naive. "No but seriously," Castiel continued, "You should join our shitty conversation where Katie shares her obvious observations and I make witty commentary. Then she gets mad with me and I bribe her with coffee. Speaking of which," Cas turned to pour coffee finally into the girl's cup. "Before you have me by the balls..." So Katie was her name, it sounded familiar, she was thankful she also didn't have to look insensitive and ask what her name was, Castiel just gave it away. Points for him.

"And I swear I've seen you somewhere before, I can't just... Wait-- Holy shit, hold on, are you Little Bree?" Bridget, who had been mid sip of her tea, suddenly started to choke at the mention of that old nickname he had given her. She put her cup down and started fanning herself while she tried to stop her coughing fit. A deep crimson blush spread across her pale cheeks as she looked at him with wide eyes. First of all, what was with that reaction? Second of all, he'd forgotten about her? Well, she shouldn't really be offended once someone becomes an Angel they don't have contact with buds, like ever, and he was promoted to Angel way before her. But still, she would've assumed that he would remember her. "Wha--" she started to say, but Cas wasn't finished yet. "I am slightly disturbed and uncomfortable with this plot twist," he said, looking at her a little too shocked for her liking, "Seems like somebody grew up. And grew up fine. Damn, Bree. Pretty as a picture."

...

If it was even possible that she could get redder in the face, then that's what happened. It was rare that Bridget was left without something to say, but she was rendered speechless by Castiel's commentary. She opened her mouth several times to say something, but nothing came out. She just opted for remaining quiet for now so she could stop looking like a fish out of water. After a moment, which seemed like forever in her mind, she cleared her throat and fixed her blue orbs on Castiel. "Is that what you say to all the pretty ladies Cas? Is that how you reel them in?" She said with a cocky smirk and an eyebrow raise in his direction as she took another sip of her tea. "You don't look too bad yourself," Bree admitted, this time softer and without looking at him. In order to save herself from saying anything more embarrassing, she looked at Katie. "You look nice, who are you trying to impress hmm?" She said with a teasing wink in her direction.
Characters Mentioned:

@Krysondra > Katie Dean

@Wicked > Castiel Roux
 
  • Love
Reactions: Wicked
2cosbp1.jpg

¤ Open Field ¤

Chie had allowed her feet to carry her the extra couple meters to the open field next to their gym, and by the time she looked up from her Pelly, her Chief of Security was well within view. Remo Donati. The blonde man cut a striking figure, gleaming slightly with sweat in the hot morning sun. His hair was carelessly pushed back, and his shirt was unbuttoned, giving her an excellent view of his well-defined muscles. The corners of her lips lifted slightly in her usual, enigmatic smile, even as he bowed formally to her. He gave her a composed smile, despite his state of relative disarray, which she was sure he was none too pleased about. He always liked to be a bit more composed when she was around. At least in public. As if she didn't know what he looked like when he was a little less... put-together. "My Lady. How are you this lovely morning?"

Her odd, antiquated speech rolled off of her tongue effortlessly, as much a part of her as her sultry gait. "I am well, my ever-faithful friend." She replied, looking directly into his eyes. She extended her right hand as if to have him kiss it, but noticed something, and instead stretched it out further to touch his cheek softly. Her fingers braced delicately against his chin as her thumb brushed across his lower lip. She had noticed the cut. Seeing Red hurt was not so terribly unusual a thing, what with his position and training methods, so it didn't worry her too much, but she did wonder, idly, what he'd done to get that cut this time. "And you?" She asked back, her voice soft and quiet, this time. She withdrew her hand. "How are you, this ungodly hot morning?"

She ignored the man sitting not far from the two of them, though she certainly didn't fail to see him. It wasn't every day that someone came into the House to kill someone inside, and ended up an employee. The Head of Establishment had had half an eye on him for the entire year he'd been here. She still didn't fully trust him, and while she trusted Remo to prevent a tragedy if Mr. White turned out to be trouble, she felt compelled to stay alert anyways. She hadn't gotten where she was now by letting other people do the worrying. She was sure he knew that already, but still, she wasn't about to put that distrust on display, so she kept her eyes coolly on Remo, still smiling.

Characters interacted with/mentioned:
Remo "Red" Donati - @Ritual Lobotomy
Aleks White - @Faust
 
LGvxotJ.jpg

|Open Field|

Reni had jokingly scolded Aleks about him not being on his duty as usual, which was not entirely true as he had been on duty... though he had ditched it in order to watch the Chief's training session. White understood that the night patrol was the most important duty, he himself obviously having used the dark of the night himself numerous of times to accomplish whatever crime he was set out on doing. Of course, the nights weren't that dark during these times so the change in visibility wasn't much. This didn't mean you could get complacent however since a skilled assassin could easily use that complacency to his advantage.

"Yes well I am sure that you are too much of everything for it's taste too." The older man replied to his complaint about the hot morning with a short laugh and a joke, it would seem. "Pfah, then I hope I taste bad. Or of coffee~" he chuckled shortly and smiled. It was a bit tough in the beginning to understand Reni's "jokes", since he always seemed so damn serious about everything. But Aleks had adapted to the man's attitude, somehow growing to be able to differentiate between Reni's vague line of jokes and insults. He knew what was acceptable, what ticked the Chief off, what made him proud or feel utterly disappointed and the obvious fact that the older man was way too serious for his own good. The old habit of taking careful notes about people around him was hard to kill, but he deemed this habit of his useful to many degrees. Reni nodded as White had shared his thoughts about that morning's practice. "I had worse candidates. I wouldn't call them off as hopeless just yet. I only do that if they die in the process." The guy was probably not serious about what he'd just said, but Aleks couldn't care much less if he meant it or not. Death was a natural part of life, it would come whether you liked it or not and if you died fighting then that was that. Before his time with the gang back 4-5 years ago he'd probably thought differently, but whatever that time's Bodell thought and felt was long forgotten along with whatever morals that man once had. "Not necessarily a biological death by stupidity. That is the most convenient way to die. Once you die mentally, then you are a really hopeless creature. My job would be to attempt to kill them in the process. If they can survive that, they can go with anything." He continued, White trying to understand what he meant. He understood the mental part, it was important not to give up and to keep on moving. So he supposed that going by that logic Reni meant that he'd turn the recruits into battle-hardened guards. If that was the case Aleks could see what that earlier statement was. But being stubborn would obviously not be enough, it was a waste if they couldn't properly defend themselves at the very least. "The girl is good. Darn good, but hesitant. Hesitating is what I can't tolerate. But I am sure we can fix that." Aleks nodded, agreeing completely. Hesitating is probably the worst thing one could do, he knew many who met their deaths simply because of that. He found himself hoping these recruits wouldn't do the same mistakes as his former comrades, but he believed that Reni would accomplish what he'd set out to do, he was a good teacher after all.

Reni had seemed surprised when White had offered to help him with training the recruits, at least he thought Chief was, since the Chief smiled in a challenging way to which Aleks answered with a grin. Reni thought for a few moments until he came forth with a suggestion... or perhaps it was more of an order? "Tomorrow morning, 6 AM. You may do your thing. Or is that too early for you to have fun, mister Casper?" The Chief teased. Aleks knew full well that Casper meant ghost, he'd made sure to read up on that word the first time he was called that. And if he was entirely honest, it didn't bother him. The word was true to him in more ways than simply him being overly pale. 6 AM though? Man he was rough... Aleks was a night-owl, not a morning person. But he supposed that it was reasonable enough for him in order to have some sort of enjoyment. "I do hope I won't have to send in my top security members to shamefully drag you out of your bed and onto the field. And you do know that you do not want that to happen." Aleks smiled, in a more excited way this time. White was playful when it came to fighting, it was more of a game than anything. But he'd never really fought anyone seriously since he got here, Reni probably knew already, because he didn't feel the need to. They were sparring matches, not deathmatches. Aleks really thought the idea of having a short spar with the Chief's top security as fun, but that would probably mean his room would get injured... and he didn't want his books to get ruined, so he ultimately decided against it. "So. I am taking that we have a deal here?" Aleks let out a defeated sigh and shrugged, he was just about to open his mouth and give him his answer when a beep sounded off at the edge of the field.

White didn't turn around to look who it was, he felt the Head's presence as she walked towards them. It was more his trained instincts that had taken notice of her rather than his senses, since he'd been busy listening to Reni. He scolded himself for not taking more note of his surroundings, he'd probably noticed her earlier if he had. Was his senses growing duller? It wouldn't surprise him since he wasn't using them to the extent as he did before he got here. This irritated him, he would have to retrain them later on, no matter if he had time to or not. Aleks looked at Reni, who did just as he always did, stood up and bowed down a bit in respect. "My Lady. How are you this lovely morning?" White thought of teasing him in some way, but decided not to do so now. He never got to know why Reni respected Ms. Daystar so much, Chief never talked about his past. Aleks had never asked him in the first place, he wasn't one to talk about his own history himself so he understood the Chief wanting to be secretive about it. The white-haired man turned around on the bench to look at the Head. Aleks had to admit that the lady looked good despite being 20 years older than him, how did she manage that one could wonder. She was a powerful individual who people both feared and respected, Aleks felt neither of them towards her which probably sounded rude, but he had his reasons. Respect was earned, even if they had a higher standing, and earning it from Aleks was no easy task. Fear was something he'd learned to suppress. "I am well, my ever-faithful friend." She answered him in kind and reached her hand out to Reni, touching his cheek. "And you? How are you, this ungodly hot morning?"Aleks never quite understood their relationship, they were too close to be simple friends, but they weren't lovers. He had decided not to bother too much with it, he never really understood relationships. Or had he simply forgotten? Either way he had himself and that was all he needed, he thought.
However, something that Ms. Daystar had earned was his gratitude, he was thankful that she was willing to give him a second chance despite his attempts on murder. Every other person would have most likely taken him out of business right there, but she didn't. She was willing to take a gamble that he wouldn't cause any sort of trouble. And for that reason he stood up to greet her with a respectful nod, but she seemed to not take much notice of him. He could feel the chilly cold radiating from her, the obvious distrust still reaching him. White didn't care about her distrust, she had obvious reasons behind it so he didn't let him down. He put on a smile and continued his usual cheery way of being "Morning, Miss!" He said in a happy tone, not awaiting any sort of answer from her. He slowly felt his need for a cup of morning coffee arise, but he decided he's stay around for a little while longer. Not feeling the need to say much more than that as he was wary of what he saw as hostility, no need to create more distrust between them. He had kept his hood up even after he'd greeted the Head, something that Remo would perhaps complain about, but he should be glad Aleks even bothered standing up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
bannerfans_16512089 (1).jpg
§ Residential Area: Sierra's Room - Libraries §

Bree lit up at the prospect of seeing her sister, but her good mood instantly deflated at the mention of her exercises. With a little dramatic flair Sierra had come to expect from the girl, she groaned and fell back on the bed before properly getting up to begin her assignment. It did not surprise Sierra at all that she hated it, but it did make her laugh slightly. They hadn't been together very long, but she already felt like a mother and friend to the young girl. Most Fallen, she knew, took advantage of an Angel's typical duties, but she wanted to do this properly - actually teach her Angel to be a good Fallen, and to enjoy it. Paying no more mind to Bree, she got up to get ready for the day. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, yawning while brushing her teeth. She showered quickly, then called in her make-up artist, Quiterie, who typically helped her with those finishing touches. Even if they weren't fully dressed up for their clients, Fallen were not allowed to exit their rooms looking like vagabonds, after all. They had an image to maintain, even among each other.

Bree had gone by this time, no doubt frustrated with her irritating assignment, so it was just the two of them in the room while she finished dressing. Quiterie Sauveterre was a French woman. She was not the least bit glamorous, but there were few people Sierra considered better when it came to doing make up tastefully. A petite lady with blonde hair and brown eyes, she looked frail and quite frankly was a little weak and clumsy, but with a brush was deft and certain. She was also one of the only people Sierra felt she could confide in, as the woman was very practical and a good listener. "... What if I'm just going about this completely wrong?" She asked, trying not to bite her lip, because she knew Quiterie hated that. "It took me three lost clients and months of denied refusal privileges for me to figure out how to finally get ahold of my temper. I just don't want her to have to go through that, too."

The French woman clicked her tongue impatiently. "There you go pecking away like a mother hen, again. She will get the hang of it eventually. It's only been six months. Stop worrying."

Sierra laughed. "I can't help it. This is my first time raising an Angel. I want to do it properly, you know."

Quiterie brushed began brushing Sierra's hair as she answered back calmly, "And I'm sure you will. For now, just let her focus on that bit, and you focus on the rest of the things you need to teach her. Don't you have much besides that you need to teach her?" She gave her a pointed look. "You still haven't gotten around to teaching her how to drink, or the more... intimate details."

Another long, exasperated breath came rattling out of Sierra's lungs. "She's just so cute and innocent, it's a difficult to bring myself to start that part of her education."

"You're such a stupid parent. You're her teacher. You're supposed to give her the chance to learn about these things without her facing them alone. You had better start soon." Sierra knew she was right, but she couldn't help feeling a little reluctant about the whole thing. She gave another sigh and stood up once Quiterie had finished.

"Thank you, Quiterie. I think I'm going to go to the library to look for something light to read. Last night was a bit stressful and reading things on my Pelly..." She shook her head. After a quick note so Bree could find her when she got back, she left with the make-up artist, separating halfway to make her way over to the compound's vast libraries.

Characters interacted with/mentioned:
Quiterie Sauveterre - NPC Make-up Artist
Bridget Stavros - @Misaou
 
Last edited:
reni-jpg.90723


Open Field

As always, Chie replied calmly, in her mysterious fashion that was quite intriguing, regardless the content of her sentences. "I am well, my ever-faithful friend." Remo greeted her reply with a sincere smile. That was good. She was pleased. That was all that mattered. It was embarrassing how a simple title as 'ever-faithful friend' managed to kick him out of his formality and into a limbo of insecurities. He hated it. Hated that he loved it as much, to be precise. The only field he had ever known how to swim in was the one where he excluded everything but duty. Emotions, warm approach and empathy were something he trained, but that was it. Expressing himself spontaneously came in rare moment when calculations were meaningless. And he knew that Chie somehow knew it very well. His constant emotion was anger and his constant state of mind and body was focus and discipline, though here he was, forgetting about it, just for a split of second, because of a single Lady of respect and meaning in his life. "I am more than happy to hear so." He replied calmly, somewhat defeated in his intention of keeping a straight, cold face. "It is the only thing that would be fair towards you."

His perception never failed him. He noticed Chie's hand lifting up even before it was in his direct vision field as he also offered her a confident, but somewhat warm eye contact. Before he could react and accept her hand, it continued it's way up to his face. It softly went over his cheek and down towards his chin, before her fingers ended up moving across his lower lip as she examined the cut. He could only hope it wasn't as bad. Judging by the interested but calm look on her face, it couldn't possibly be that bad. "And you?" The gentle questioning voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "How are you, this ungodly hot morning?" She lowered her hand and looked at him, expecting his answer. Truth be told, all that made him feel much better. He replied quietly though without a hesitation, remembering Aleks was still there and knowing he might take it the wrong way even though it was none of his business. "I am still uncertain should I tell you that was quite enjoyable, but since I just did, to hell with that dilemma." He chuckled lightly and cleared his throat, before he spoke clearly and delightfully. "Alive and well, my Lady. Trying to...'talk' some sense into my young grasshoppers. As usual." He cocked his eyebrows and smirked deviously. It was always exciting to talk about 'the talk' and all his methods. Was he really as cruel? "I apologize for the mess I am at this point."

Just before he turned to give Aleks a death glare for ignoring the presence of the Head, he heard him getting up and greeting her optimistically. "Morning, Miss!" Yes. It was indeed well played. Remo realized, just by looking at White that he was highly agitated by his posture and his disrespect by hiding his face. But then again, it was on Chie to appreciate it or not. As far as he knew, the feeling was mutual and she was never a fan of Aleks White anyway. She trusted him with the potential threat and all he could do was not disappointing her. Teaching people how to behave was something he had no will nor time to do. His methods of persuading were far more than a hit over the hands when you do something wrong. Therefore, he used them wisely.

@firejay1 > Chie Daystar
@Faust > Aleks White​
 
  • Love
Reactions: Faust
KatieDeanBanner.jpg

[[Residential Area]]​

Katie knew what attraction between two people felt like. That had been one of Veracity’s first lessons. Know when two people sparked, and know how to stay the hell out of their way. Well, usually out of Veracity’s way, as she reeled a client into lowering her debt in a thousand little ways. Now, she could tell that there was some kind of attraction between Cas and Little Bree, as he called her. Surely, she had some other name for other people. Best if Katie stayed for a while. Not that she actually liked Cas, but she respected him enough that she didn’t want him to get in trouble doing anything foolish with a new Angel. Not that she thought he would, but Hell was built on the premise that attraction to talented, pretty people would cause otherwise intelligent, careful people to part with large sums of cash to do foolish things and perhaps release foolish words. That was just how this place worked. That was how Katie depended on this place to work.

Sipping her cup of black coffee, she leaned back against the counter, giving Cas full view of Little Bree’s red cheeks. We’re all cool here, she tried to say with her body language. Her hand crept up to her hair, wondering what she had done to be accused of looking good this morning and hoped that it was kindness and not snark.

“Yes, Cas,” she said with an overdone sigh. “That is why the people love you, and I have no hope of ever approaching your level of client satisfaction. Perhaps I should stop now and be content to spend the rest of my life cleaning up after Veracity’s late nights.” She turned back to little Bree, making the effort to pull her hand from her hair. “I dress to impress Veracity most days. She’s the only one in this place I have to convince to take me anywhere. Well, that and her clients.” Katie made a little pout at that thought but neutralized the expression. She held out her hand. “Katie Dean. Is there something I can call you besides Little Bree?”

Characters Interacted With:
@Wicked > Castiel Roux
@Misaou > Bridget Stavros

 
Status
Not open for further replies.