Forum Thread

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Toshiko Aden

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As they walked, Toshiko let her eyes wander, admiring the slime streaked walls and delicious looking sewage water. She even thought she saw a few rats scurrying up and down the rotten pipes!

She nearly teared up at the memory of poor Remy. Oh how he had loved that shoe. It was such a shame that she had to skin him to make earmuffs for her snowman.

Eventually, they arrived at some shady-enough spot. Hopefully she got to fight today!

And maybe see someone among the crowds, arms crossed, snarky smirk, bright amber eyes staring into her soul.

The memory was stupid so she shut it down.

Weirdly enough, the place seemed genuine so far. All the more reason for bloodshed! Her heart raced in her chest, excitement drawing her blood to her head and flushing her cheeks.

"If I pissed her off, would she fight me?" Toshiko asked hopefully, tugging on his arm.

"If you pissed her off, we'd be kicked from this settlement," Chizu grumbled. Her eyes were surveying the crowds of people. Evidently she didn't see the face she was looking for, because the light seemed to dim from them a moment later. She turned back to her. "Seriously, Toshiko, we really should just be on our way."

But she avoided her eyes. Was it possible, that little old Chizu want to stay here?

Toshiko's grin grew wider.

She could use this.

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"She terrifies me. She won't fight you, but she'll do something much worse."

Aleksandr eyed Siobahn.

"She'll lecture you. On manners."

He shuddered. Aleksandr watched Siobahn carefully.

"Any sign of the people/person you two are looking for down here?"

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Chizu Hiroto

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"Eh? Manners? That's lame." Toshiko's nose wrinkled.

"You're lame," Chizu said, unable to stop the childish quip from slipping through. "And no, I'm fairly sure he'd not down here."

After all, she thought longingly. How could a paragon of human perfection be in this dump? How could that sweet supple skin stay smooth down here? Or those eyes blazing and unbattered? Or those golden earrings shining, much like how she imagined his hair would in the sun-

She flushed, aware she'd been quiet for too long.

"We haven't finished checking though!" Toshiko chirped. "Can you introduce us to the rest? Pretty please?" She gave him a winning smile. It was familiar. She used every time they went into one of Toshiko's shady gambling tents at the trade centres.

Instantly, Chizu was suspicious. Toshiko cared about two things exactly. Trolling and murder. If she wasn't in it for the murder, then she was surely planning something.

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Footsteps sounded out behind them, and a man burst into the subway platform. His hair was fluffy and brown, his eyes narrowed, his mouth in a scowl. His trench coat was just a little too big for his small frame. He rushed towards Aleksandr, poking him in the chest.

"You fxcking bastard... We were supposed to meet back up on the surface! How the fxck-"

The man stopped talking, noticing Toshi and Chizu.

"...ah. Children."

Aleksandr laughed quietly, pushing the other man to the side, casually.

"..and that is my partner, Magnus! Play nice, Magnus. These are some kids I found on the surface."

The other man- Magnus his name was, huffed.

"...fxckin... children..."

He seemed much younger than Aleks, maybe in his late-teens?

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Toshiko Aden

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"Children?" Toshiko giggled falsely. "Oh how you flatter me! Do I really look so young?" She winked.

"You're even shorter than me." Chizu rolled her eyes. For someone so mean, she sure looked pretty insecure right about now. Hunched over, arms crossed, eyes flitting back and forth-

Toshiko smiled.

"It's nice to meet you!" She chirped. "I'm Toshiko." She offered him her hand. "My dummy friend here is Chizu. Don't worry, she's definitely a child. Just pay attention to her pathetic attempts at insulting her good friend Toshiko!"

"Not my friend," Chizu retorted. "Plus, I'm 15. Hardly a child." She scowled, shifting from side to side and still avoiding eye contact.

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"...Don't ever wink at me again."

Magnus huffed, clearly pissed off. He ignored their attempts to greet him.

Aleksandr laughed.

"Magnus is a little grumpy. Don't mind him. He's a nice boy."

Magnus looked very obviously annoyed.

"Don't you fxcking condescend me, old man. I'm 19. I ain't a bo-"

Aleksandr cut him off, covering the teen's mouth with his hand.

"Anyways, let's go meet the others! There's only a few important people here, anyway."

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Chizu Hiroto

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Toshiko started winking at Magnus so rapidly that Chizu would've worried that she was having a seizure, had she not been aware that Toshiko was entirely incapable of falling victim to convenient illness. That would be the dream, and unfortunately Chizu's life would never be that simple.

With a sigh, she turned her gaze to Aleksandr. "Who's important?" She questioned, curious about his wording. What did he mean by that? It was almost as if...

She shivered.

No, it was never good to go there. Those waters were too deep and murky for anyone to ever tread and come out alive.

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"Okay so look around. You see the people with strangely colored hair? THose are the important people. Becaue of course it's the people with strangely colored hair who are important. Have you kids never read a comic book?"

Aleksandr yawned slightly, pointing at a few people. A blue-haired boy with a cap pulled over his eyes was sleeping against the wall. A pink-haired girl was sitting next to him, her bandaged head resting on the boy's shoulder. Then he pointed at Siobahn. Then he pointed at Magnus, who was sulking. And then he pointed at himself.

"...yeah, that's about it. Those two in the corner are Artemis and Emma. Don't touch either of them, Artemis will try to cut your head off. I know from personal experience."

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Toshiko Aden

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"Okay, so we're supposed to go up and hit on Emma! Got it!" Toshiko patted him on the shoulder and moved forward.

"Hey Emma, wanna go out on a date with me?" She called. "I like skinning rats and beating up people with girls' names!" She winked at Artemis. "I think we could be best of friends, since we share so much in common!".

You could've heard a pin drop.

"Oh no." Chizu groaned from behind her.

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Instantly a knife was at her throat. Artemis's cap fell off, his crimson eyes glowing slightly.

"Take a step back."

The tip of his knife was freezing cold. Frost ran up the black blade of his knife.

"If you know what's good for you, I'd recommend you take a step back before I slice your vocal-"

he stopped. Emma was tugging on his coat. She opened her azure eyes, her mouth set n a frown.

"Art. Stop it. No more fighting."

Artemis looked down at Emma.

"..."

Aleksandr sighed.

Magnus sat in the corner, annoyed.

Siobahn seemed to be watching with interest, smiling slightly.

Aleksandr took a step forward, separating Artemis and Toshi.

"Kids, break it up."

He turned to Artemis.

"She didn't mean you or Emma any harm, okay? Put the knife away."

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Chizu Hiroto

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Chizu's heart froze in her chest.

A knife was at Toshi's throat. And for some reason, instead of being smug, instead of being glad to see Toshi get her rightful dues, her whole body was screaming at her to MOVE! Knock the knife away. FIGHT!

Then Toshiko laughed and the feeling vanished.

"I love your knife!" She said delightedly. "I used to collect switchblades. Where'd you get this beauty?"

She stroked it with the tip of her finger and pushed it away, ignoring the blood that bubbled up as she did so. "Hey, do you wanna stab me with this? You can always put it away of course, but my ex-girlfriend would love to hear I got something this nice imbedded in me!"

Chizu barely had time to work through those many revelations. Switchblade collection? Further evidence of her lack of survival instinct? Someone actually LIKING Toshiko?

"Hey, we should fight," Toshiko eagerly went on. "I wanna fight you. You've got a girl's name and you look kinda weak, but your knife is cool and I like that you went straight for my throat! You're super fast."

"Shut up, Toshiko," Chizu ordered her. "We are not fighting."

But Toshiko just kept talking. AND TALKING. "Hey if I win, can I date Emma? A duel for a maiden's heart! Like something out of the storybooks! It'd be so much fun!"

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Emma laughed quietly, standing up. SHe stumbled, and Artemis steadied her.

Emma glanced up at Artemis, smirking.

"She's funny."

Artemis seemed speechless. he looked down at Emma, blinking slightly.

Emma laughed, poking the boy on the nose.

"Don't worry. You're still number one."

Artemis sighed, putting away his knife.

He looked at Toshi suspiciously.

he was silent for a minute.

"...I don't have a girl's name."

Emma started laughing, doubling over.

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Toshiko Aden

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"There's more where that came from, pretty lady." She winked at Emma.

Toshiko felt the distinct energy of Chizu's suffering behind her. The sheer pain fueled her further and she turned back to Artemis. "You're right! It's not a girl's name, because you're not a girl."

She waited a heartbeat.

"Since you're my baby girl, Artemis!"

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"Can I kill it?"

Artemis looked at Emma, dismayed to find that she was laughing.

"...Em... why are you laughing...?"

Emma calmed down after a minute, getting on her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek.

That seemed to calm him down, as he looked away, burying his face in his hands.

Emma turned to Toshi.

"You're a funny, one, aren't you?"

She leaned forward, slightly, smiling.

"Don't mess with Artemis, though. Only I get to do that."

Her smile was cheerful, but her words were not.

"Anyways, I like you a lot! Wanna be friends?"

Emma straightened up, holding out a hand.

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Chizu Hiroto

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Chizu heaved a sigh of relief, grateful they wouldn't have to fight their way out again. It happened all too often, travelling with Toshiko. Her whims and moods could drive even the calmest of souls to sheer and utter madness. She winced remembering the barbecue monk who had chased them off with the charred shin of his great uncle.

"Thank you, Emma," she said quickly. "We appreciate your kindness."

But she worriedly kept an eye on the boy Toshiko seemed determined to tease. Chizu wasn't very good at reading people, she had to admit, but Toshiko was fairly decent at it. And if she wanted to pick a fight with him, he must be very strong indeed.

A shiver ran up her spine. For a second, she almost thought he had looked at her. Or someone behind him, at the very least.

Toshiko seemed to be reacting to something the girl said. Chizu half missed it.

"Eh?" She pouted. "Well fine. Friends are okay too. But-" she perked up "-I know someday I'll win your heart! I accept this offer of friendship and the boytoy- or rather girltoy- that comes with it. One day you will love me more than you ever loved this sad lump of teenage angstiness!"

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"That's impossible. You're not my type."

Emma giggled quietly.

Aleksandr seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

Emma looked at Aleks. Aleks mouthed "Thank you".

Emma smiled cheerfully.

"Plus, Artemis is too much of a sweetheart. I'd never want to hurt him like that."

Artemis was sitting on the floor, knees to his chest, his head buried in his arms, muttering swears.

His knife was on the ground, frost slowly creeping across the floor.

Emma smiled.

"See? He's such a kind boy."

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Toshiko Aden

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Toshiko laughed. "Can't blame a girl for trying!" She hummed a forgotten tune that came with the words, then turned her attention back to Alek-something. Yeah, she hadn't been paying attention. "What're we doing now? Playing board games? Skinning rats? Putting live rats on skinned board games?"

She bounced on the balls of her feet, grinning at him. This was all so fun. Torturing Chizu always had great outcomes. She should do it more often.

"We need to move on," Chizu interrupted, being annoying. "We're both looking for people. If there isn't anyone here who can help us with that, we're leaving."

Toshiko stuck her tongue out at her. "Kill joy."

Chizu ignored her. "Please. Do you know anyone who would have a record of the inhabitants of this city? We really need to see it."

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Luther Waters

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Luther had always been happy keeping his two feet on the ground.

Yet here he stood, suburban kid at the end of the world, staring into the sky, a thousand wishes tumbling through his mind. A victim of gang members, screaming, begging for mercy from a god who would never answer her prayers. A child asking for an extra bit of rations for their sick mother. And an elderly recapping the old world and asking for a return to the past.

He was the god they prayed to.

Him.

He was the one who sat in this filthy building, filthy backpack hiked up his back, peering out through the knots of a boarded up window, trying to get a singular glimpse at the stars that made up the sky.

Their ignorant god, praying the stars would impact and kill him before he had to grant a single one of their prayers.

Once upon a time, he'd heard you could wish upon stars. He was sick of wishes by now. He pressed his palm to the wood and closed his eyes. In his mind's eye he caught a glimpse of his own singular wish, buried at the heart of himself.

And then a bang sounded in the distance, and his eyes snapped open. Quickly, he dove to the ground, pullin his bag to his chest and curling up into a fetal position.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to hold on to his stupid worthless life yet another day.

Luther wanted to be a normal person, more than anything. But in one big sick joke, the universe had decided to pick him up and thrust him into its stratosphere.

Well, they picked the wrong person.

He was staying here on the floor, where at least nobody could hurt him- or dare to put him under the cold and clinical gaze of the stars above.

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"...You'll need to find a guy named Miyasaki. He's wandering the streets of the city, pretty often. He might know your guy."

Aleks sighed.

"...but I am being deadly serious. Don't piss him off. And I mean this seriously. If you want any chance of finding your guy, you'll need to listen to every word he says."

Aleks fiddled with the hilt of his sword.

"He's kind enough, but he's dangerous, far more dangerous than any human in the city. Even more than that other guy who passed through here yesterday... wait, come to think of it, there are two guys. There's another guy named Perceval, travelling with a small band of people. He know's everyone and everything as well. He's staying in a station a few stops away from here."

Aleks looked around, nervously.

"But you should find Miyasaki first. Perceval is nowhere as kind."

Aleks sighed.

"Miyasaki's a pretty tall guy. He's around 6'3, and he wears a baseball cap. His hair's goldish-brown, and he has a glowing baseball bat."

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Chizu Hiroto

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"Huh." Toshiko blinked. "A bat, huh? This guy sounds pretty basic. Lame. I prefer danger man."

"We really appreciate your help," Chizu quickly interjected. "Thanks for the advice!" She hooked her arm through Toshi's. "We'll go find Miyasaki, and maybe we'll find some supplies along the way! To repay you with!"

She smiled nervously. "Have a nice day- or uh- life. Let's go." She practically dragged Toshiko after her. She was surprised that the blue haired girl acquiesced for once, her eyes filled with a thoughtful light.

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He dragged his bloodstained bat across teh floor.

...they hadn't been thankful for his help.

He was willing to give them some food and supplies, but it seemed they wanted his items as well.

So the Fallen Star smashed their skulls in.

He stared up at the sky.

He looked away, pulling up his hood.

"...Chizu Hiroto and Toshiko Aden... should I help them this time?"

he sighed quietly.

"...I'm tired."

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Aleks stopped them.

"Wait. If you two are going to go, do you want some supplies? We have enough to spare. We could give you two maybe a week's worth of food?"

Aleks smiled.

"I can't let two bright girls starve to death, can I?"

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