[private rp] Relic & Co.

[bailey.t136]

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------❛ siren lily luss ❜
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paragraph siren bit her lower lip as faith tried to convince her he wasn't in pain. his eyes were full of it though. the thought of him lying to keep her safe was grounding, she had to admit it. he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. but at the same time, his words chipped away at her heart. she wished she could defend them both, become strong and courageous like this random girl who had just stepped into their lives, but no. she would have to settle. she slid her hand in his and was about to bring it to her lips as a silent thank you when faith's words caught.

paragraph"-she's... she's not my girlfriend..."

paragraphher heart nearly stopped, but she tried not to react. her eyes went straight from him as he spoke of their ever-sacred childhood, to the pretty stranger across the room. maybe they hadn't figured out titles yet. they had never had to before... just always assumed nothing would ever change. but here, she felt almost challenged. her head was beginning to throb again as her pulse threatened to rise.

paragraphthen she felt his strong arms under her body again, lifting her to rest in his lap. her legs were elevated and the pressure was almost immediately eased. his deep, woodsy smell soothed her senses too as he moved, adjusting around her. God, her emotions were a mess. one second, she was worried about losing him for some misunderstood labeling and now she was closer to him than she had ever been. subconsciously her hand fell to rest on his bicep and she nodded with a weak smile as he asked for a spoon.

paragraphher fingers reached his bag and tugged one out from the pocket, pausing momentarily to tease his own with the utensil, "i have a rule. i want a whole can in you before you even try to give me any. think you can handle that for me?"

[ethereal .]

Riley wrinkled her nose at his comment, "Okay, rude." She huffed and watched as he climbed down the ladder, leaving her alone. Her gaze shifted back over to Faith and she nodded. "As far as I know it's everywhere. I hightailed it out of Georgia before things got worse than they already were." She furrowed her brows and stared down at her hands for a moment. Over time they became a constant reminder of everything she had been through and what was going on in the world. There were plenty of scars lining her fingers and palms, mostly from breaking windows or falling on her hands.

Riley couldn't stop her eyes from widening as he mentioned the fact that Siren actually wasn't his girlfriend. "Oh damn, well this is awkward." She mumbled under her breath as she leaned over to hand him one of the spoons. Eating seemed like it should be a priority right now considering the fact that the last time she ate was the day before she met Relic. Sleep always won out in the end though. She could faintly hear Relic emptying the contents of his stomach and frowned. "I'm gonna try and get some rest. I know he's not the best company, but can you at least make sure Gumby over there doesn't like...die or something?" She asked gently, looking back and forth between Faith and Siren hopefully.

[sataraxias]

He wiped the vomit from his lips as he straightened up. “Well, that was disgusting,” he grumbled to himself, glancing back towards the treehouse. The murmurs of the conversation up there were faint and unintelligible, growing steadily louder as he approached. He popped his head over the ladder. “I think I prefer golden boy over Gumby,” he complained as he pulled himself up.

He resettled against the wooden railing, pulling his backpack on to his legs. He stuffed the spoons in amongst all his other crap. He’d amassed so much stuff… maybe he needed to lose some of the weight. At least he still had his treasure in there, too. Dry and secured. He shifted some things inside the crowded pack so he could tuck that 'treasure' in more securely.

His stomach rumbled. “Geez, make up your mind, you were dying a second ago,” he mumbled to himself, zipping the bag up as his gaze fell on the can he’d left out. Oh, goody, Riley hadn’t eaten his food. Oh, yikes, he’d been talking to himself, hadn’t he? Whatever, his voice was clearly the best one of everyone’s anyway. He popped the top, curling the lid halfway, and then reached to grab one of the spoons off the pile he’d brought in.

Except he’d put those spoons in the backpack. Juice sloshed as he set the can down again irritably. Relic fished around for one of the spoons he’d put in there just a minute ago – damn stupid metal utensils, hiding from him. He found one, tugging it out only to propel it away accidentally in Riley’s general direction with a frustrated cry of “Damn it, spoon!”

His gaze followed the spoon, flicking towards her. “…Wait, Riley May, why are you still awake? Hurry up and sleep!”
The sooner she slept, the sooner he could be off. Wait, he still needed a spoon. Back to the bag.

[䏠xote]

[ "have a little faith in me, okay?" ]

"as far as i know it's everywhere. i hightailed it out of georgia before things got worse than they already were."

color drained from faith's already rather palor complexion. "dear god..." he whispered, both shocked and truly in awe of the entire situation. things like this were... well, they were the stuff of horror flicks and dime a dozen television dramas meant to make a quick buck. but now it was happening here, now, for real. no matter how hard he tried it was so... so... so foreign. he couldn't handle it. "...how bad was it? i heard atlanta was the first place hit."

then, the stranger noted what he'd said.

"oh damn, well this is awkward."

instantly faith paused, glancing down at the young woman in his arms. he watched with bated breaths as her fingers gripped the silvery object, gaze following her hands as they held it up to him. did he mess up? was that the wrong thing to say? he just assumed, since it had been so long and he hadn't seen her in so long, since that wasn't something he'd gotten to talk about and something he'd really even thought through, and he--

"i have a rule. i want a whole can in you before you even try to give me any. think you can handle that for me?"

faith couldn't really help the tiny laugh that bubbled up in his throat, the sound airy with disbelief. this girl... she was dying, actually dying, and here she was teasing him. the same as always. the only constant that had ever been his anchor against the waves of violence and loneliness that had made up his childhood years. he could almost feel the sun, even as the air outside was chilled with early morning temperatures, even in the darkness that lay so heavy over them, like a blanket of lead. all at once, he felt like he could breathe again, and he relaxed as he gently squeezed her closer.

as close as he could.

"but i can't hold you, the can, and the spoon and eat at the same time, silly." he murmured sweetly through a tired smile.

"i'm gonna try and get some rest. i know he's not the best company, but can you at least make sure gumby over there doesn't like...die or something?" the other girl requested, and faith noted the concern in her voice. ah... he knew exactly what that was. he felt it in his gut, and the fondness wasn't lost on him.

"we'll do our best. for the food." faith promised, eyeing relic and... well, really altogether ignoring what incoherent nonsense spilled its way out of his mouth. what even was this guy? and who the hell gave their kid a name like 'relic'?

[bailey.t136]

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------❛ siren lily luss ❜
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paragraph siren's focus was momentarily stolen away as the other girl muttered something about her friend, but faith's words made her shake her head and huff teasingly. of course he was going to make this harder than it had to be- then the other guy came in - this one was so unpredictable. talking to them one second, then to himself the next, but she breathed a little easier when faith gave the man what recognition he needed to be content for a bit.

paragraphall she needed was just a moment of his attention. eyes followed his features until they fell back to her. the question still stood.

paragrapheven then, an easy smile tugged at her lips and her eyes followed suit. nothing else mattered to her more in this instant than making sure he was going to be okay. he had already done so much for her. and nothing for himself. she cut him off. "then i'll hold the spoon." the words were whispered, just loud enough to reach only his ears, and she tried to force a more serious casting over her intrigued glow. it hardly held. "let me have this, okay?" with her silent plea, she leaned into his squeeze and dipped the spoon into the pineapples. "open wide..." though dulled by the pain, there was a glint in her gaze that only came from complete faith in this person. her person.

[ethereal .]

Riley's gaze followed Relic as he proceeded to drag himself back up to the tree house, "If you say so golden boy." She chuckled lightly before he eyes landed back on Faith. Staring down at her hand a chill ran up her spin. Thinking of that day, the first day everything went to hell, made her feel sick to her stomach. It was like looking back on a bad dream, except the dream was real.

"It was...terrifying." She spoke honestly, swallowing the lump that had begun to form at the back of her throat. "I was at dinner with my family when it all started." It wasn't hard for her to remember the details, it was carved into her memory. The first emergency broadcast started playing on the TVs sour rounding them, warning everyone about this spreading sickness. Though, within the hour it had become much more sinister. Much more serious than a common cold. Next thing she knew they were all being told to stay where they were. To stay inside no matter the cost.

"They told us to stay inside, but of course nobody listened. Once you stepped outside you stepped into a whole other world." She struggled to find the words that would explain the atmosphere. She took a deep breath and shook her head gently, "Everyone was dead, but alive? The shock from it all made it hard to tell at first. Everything was a haze, but it all became pretty clear the more we were in it." It felt like she was reliving everything all over again.

Her hands were still shaking when Faith turned his attention back towards her for a moment. We'll do our best. For the food. She almost laughed at his promise, offering the two a nod as a silent thank you. She did however, roll her eyes when Relic ushered her to sleep. "I'm not going to be able to sleep if you're telling me to do so every five minutes." Grumbling she lowered herself onto the floor next to him and let her eyes flutter shut. "Good night Aurelius, don't do anything stupid."

[sataraxias]

“Once you stepped outside, you stepped into a whole different world.”

He hadn’t realized the conversation he’d just climbed back into, but Riley’s soft words clued him in immediately. He’d managed to locate a spoon, but he kept staring into his backpack anyway, brow furrowed as his hand clenched around the handle. “The idiots who stayed inside just caged themselves in, but the streets were overrun.” he said softly. “Lose-lose, really.”

He remembered the screams that split the air, some feral and others terrified. The pounding of feet on the road and on the sidewalk, the screech of car horns… The desperately shouted “I’ll catch up”’s or the echoing “I’ll see you soon” promises as sweaty hands slipped from grip and lives faded away. The waiting too, living minute by minute as minutes turned to hours which crept into days and then eventually months, of quiet hope and desperate optimism and then also of movement, of passing through burnt unfamiliar streets and sleeping in broken white picket homes with their shattered echoes of memory that never faded…

Stupid memories.

His brow furrowed as he stared at the contents of his backpack, eyes focusing on one particular object, then he blinked and forced his tense grip on the utensil to relax as he looked up.

Hungry! He was so hungry!

And Riley May was whining at him again. His gaze flicked up to meet her own, lips crinkling and eyes narrowing into a grotesque, mocking face. Then he felt bad, because she was trembling. He turned his attention to the can of food beside him, shoving his backpack off his lap lightly as he lifted the can. Armed with his newfound spoon, he dug in, scooping the fruit into his mouth not bothering to relish the sweetness,

Aurelius. His name stole his attention from his food as soon as Riley uttered it. Was she seriously just going to insert it every few sentences? He regretted telling her his name so, so much. Don’t do anything stupid, she instructed him, as if he would ever.
“Sweet dreams, Riley May,” he mumbled, shifting backwards a little to create more space between them.

[䏠xote]

[ "have a little faith in me, okay?" ]

hearing riley speak made faith shudder, just a little. he understood the words, but he couldn't really wrap his mind around the feelings behind them. he hadn't experienced anything like that. not even remotely. yeah, he'd been scared--he could still feel hot breath on the back of his neck as a patient looked over him, still remember the weight of his shoulder hitting the ground as he desperately pushed the attacker back, trying to get the woman off of him, however he could. the bright light of the circular lamp flickering as it clattered to the floor beside them, the yells of fear, the screaming as his study partner pulled her off and she just. bit them. lunged at them and buried her teeth in their neck.

it was the most horrific thing he'd ever seen. it made his blood run cold. he remembered escaping, but only barely--fleeing the hospital, fighting his way through the sea of people that clamored for safety, for help as more and more people went down, dragged to the floor with cries of terror and shrieks of agony. he didn't remember how he got to the parking lot. to his car. he just remembered launching himself in, slamming the door closed and driving away, not even giving the engine a pause to warm. he hadn't stopped. he hadn't slowed down to watch the panic unfold around him. he'd left town, not glancing back, and sped off into the dark rural land that separated him from siren.

by the time he'd gotten here, everything had already fallen into radio silence.

now he wanted to vomit.

then, siren was talking to him. her voice cut through the awful feeling welling in the pit of his belly, and he glanced over her, frazzled and confused, eyes wide.

"then i'll hold the spoon."

she leaned into him, and he realized how hard his heart had been pounding. how much his pulse settled at her reassuring weight in his arms.

"let me have this, okay? open wide."

she was holding a spoonful of pineapples to his lips, and to be frank he had no idea how to really respond. she was so gentle, so calm, a juxtaposition to the panic he had felt creeping up on him. he leaned forward, taking the bite without arguing, and his eyes burned as he closed them. just like that, his worries were calmed. his heart was steadied. his arms trembled, and tears began to spill over at the edges of his coppery lashes as he hunched over her, just barely. as if shielding her.


dear god, he loved her. he was lucky--he knew that. he had nothing to go back to. he'd had no family, no lovers nor friends to lose in this living nightmare. everyone had suffered so much, was mourning so much, and yet he had somehow managed to gain the whole entire world. the one thing he needed, the one person, his person, was right here. feeding him pineapples in a treehouse during a storm in the middle of the planet falling apart.

of course he was crying. of course he turned his head to press it to her own, trying not to choke on fruit as he shook with silent sobs.

god he missed her.

he had missed her so much.

[bailey.t136]

-----──────
------❛ siren lily luss ❜
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paragraph she watched his expression fall. she recognized it. that pain. something had triggered memories.

paragrapheveryone had them - the time, the place they were when ish hit the fan. the people they loved, the people they lost... she wondered who he had lost. God, so much time had slipped between them. they were like old bookends on a shelf, the entire world being held up between them, but being unable to reach for each other for fear of everything toppling down.

paragraphwell it had toppled, and the moment the books hit the floor, they had reconnected. now they could simply support each other. she wanted to wonder at which pages would eventually slip between them again. she didn't like the thought, but maybe they would be good ones. pages of books she wanted to hold onto forever. maybe the pages would be bits of their lives, holding them together instead of pushing them apart.

paragraphtears were slipping from his strawberry lashes and she lifted a gentle finger to wipe them free. she couldn't even find words as he pressed his head into hers. she didn't think she needed to. everything about the moment was exactly as it needed to be. she slid the can to the floor and her fingers found their favorite place, losing themselves in his hair and she simply leaned into the rise and fall of his chest. maybe a moment of rest would be good for everyone. her sweet doctor needed that time to breathe. she would make sure he could.

[sataraxias]

He tilted his head back to drink the last dregs of juice from the can, lapping up the remainder of the sweet fruit before he dumped it on the wood beside him and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. His gaze found the curled form of Riley beside him. Was she asleep yet?

He watched her breathing for a while, soft exhaling reminders that the girl behind him was alive. He shifted, uncomfortable in his filthy clothes. Would she wake if he moved? He wanted to ask her if she was asleep, but if she was it’d be a futile question to waste breath on. And there was the fact that speaking might wake her up. He glanced towards the others. They were preoccupied with their focus on each other. Wouldn't even notice he was gone.

Relic rose as quietly as he could, taking his backpack with him as he crept down the ladder. He walked across the yard and back inside, swooping to pick up the bat he’d discarded earlier. He rested it against the lounge’s arm inside the living room, taking a seat to search in his bag.

Pen, calendar. A tiny, neat tick in the center of two grid boxes. Yesterday and today. July 13th. Pi Approximation Day. What an irrational holiday to celebrate. His brow furrowed, but he managed a small smile as his wonderful keeper of days slid back into its sleeve and its bag. He considered the bag, zipped and resting on dusty cushions. He wasn’t going to take it, but should he just leave it there… in the open?

Relic hid his calendar under the seat and left the bag where it was. He left the house armed only with a mucky baseball bat, sliding into the front seat of the car. Keys still in the ignition. He breathed in a sigh of relief. If Riley had taken the keys… he’d have been more than a little annoyed. The street was empty. Not for long, probably. He looked back at the house, committed its details to memory. He’d find it again.

“Gotta get her a bag.” he mused out loud as he started the engine and pulled out. Riley May needed to be able to hold supplies for herself. His bag had too much crap shoved into it to be able to support her weight, too.
He didn’t quite know where he was going – he’d figure it out.