please lock!

[nikbowie]

✺ 𝑯 𝑼 𝑪 𝑲
░░░░░ taurus • he-him • gay • 22 years • tags: kaz, lili • mentions: rhae • location: the crash site ░░░░░

Huck knew dimly that his two companions had probably watched his ungainly approach. That hardly mattered now anyways, he had arrived and they would soon forget it. Although he didn’t let it show, his leg was bothering him immensely. He couldn't put weight on his bad foot, so he was essentially standing solely on the other—which was quite the balance act; and with the added instability of wherever they were’s peculiar gravity, the entire position was more than precarious.

“Oh yes,” Huck nodded and shrugged nonchalantly. “Never have I walking with more grace than that excursion.” Hippotam, hippotam. He had never heard of that. “Unfamiliar with said animal, but I assume that’s a compliment.” He let the corner of his mouth rise, as if daring him to contradict, just for a second. Still, the foreign word rang in his mind. He had seen Rhae (a Cancer), met Kaz (from Scorpio), and this new girl (certainly not a Taurisian). None of them spoke his native language, or each other’s. They didn’t really know anything about the culture of the other planets. To be totally honest, very little of his life had been preoccupied with thinking about the other planets before. But now they were thrown together, in some unidentified non natural place, speaking English, which was no one's native language. It all felt very… he felt lonely. Out of place. With a soft, unnatural ache, he realized he longed for any little part of home. But there were none.

“Well, naturally. Anyone who watches a performance like that of my and my dear acquaintance’s recent encounter and comes out with a smile is certainly someone I must find again.” He sighed sarcastically for emphasis. “I’m afraid I’ll have to get back to you regarding the lessons of fight. I find myself currently, erm,” He ran a hand through his hair. “Well, might one say I’m indisposed.” He could feel his palms sweating beneath his leather gloves. Luckily he had cut off the fingers a few years ago, otherwise he probably would have had to remove them entirely by this point because of the heat.

He breathed in sharply as a jolt of pain tore through his leg, his face contorting into a brief but troubled troubled grimace. He leaned forward slightly, trying to steady himself and his breaths. Instinctively, he reached for Kaz and put a steadying hand onto the Scorpio’s forearm, half to prevent himself from toppling over and half for an unconscious desire for reassurance—although he would never admit that. Take control of the situation, Huck. He tried to give a playful smile, but it certainly wasn’t up to his usual standards.

[borahae.]

xx.█████
xx.█████
𝐋𝐄𝐎 ! ! ───────────


aries ✩ twenty-three ✩ cismale ✩ pansexual ✩ tags: rhae, odette ✩ location: outside of crater

xxxAll but oblivious to the bewilderment the other was reflecting, his ability to grasp even the most obvious of social cues nonexistent, Leo turned back to the male as he muttered under his breath and with a frown and tasteless scoff, responded rather (un)enthusiastically "But it definitely could! Ahh, I can't even imagine it...If it's this cold now, I think I'd die. No, scratch that; I'd definitely die. Turn into a popsicle. It's not a good look for me." Pulling his coat tighter to his body as if the thought itself could freeze him, a chill running down his spine and outwardly shivering as his imagination ran wild, Leo found his eyes drifting unconsciously up towards the sky and the boy began shooting daggers at the measly sun looking back at him, mocking him. Couldn't the universe at least have had the decency to send him crashing to Leo or Sagittarius? What did he ever do to deserve this sort of cruelty?

Ever the optimist, the Ariesian spent approximately 2.6 seconds longer wallowing in self pity before returning to his bright and cheery self, turning his attention once more to Rhaegal as he again muttered a response to Leo's infinite inquiries. Incapable of resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the generic answer he'd managed to pull from the melancholic pessimist he somehow found himself tied to, Leo furrowed his brows and opened his mouth in preparation of further prying but found last minute that he wouldn't need to, the sea-green-eyed male continuing on despite the doe eyed male's prior assumptions; and, with an ever widening smile, Leo had no trouble adding on to the conversation "I knew Cancers knew how to have fun! Y'know, you guys sound like my kinda people; of course, assuming they all aren't as pessimistic as you are. Being friendly shouldn't have to be act, Rhaegal."

Ending with a huff, his tone lying somewhere between playful and scornful (the line drawn between the two blurring together), Leo found his previous dislike towards the male all but vanishing; and, with eyes glistening in interest, the Ariesian had no trouble immediately delving into the pride he had over his planet at the open inquiry made by the other "Like me? Hmm...well, that's tough. People on Aries are far more obsessive, that's for sure; can't stop once we've started, and it has to go perfectly or we loose our minds. Like, we're spontaneous, but organized, for sure. I'm more the type to go with the flow, though. Keeps things interesting. Ahh, and we're known to be good leaders, but I don't really think that's true; we aren't always that good at people, y'know? Oh! Don't get me wrong, though. We're definitely extroverts. At least, I am. Absolutely hate silence." Letting his thought process play out aloud, humming as he spoke, Leo turned to the blonde beside him as she spoke up and couldn't help but to laugh, his nose scrunching as he openly expressed his amusement and broke away from his prior rant "Y'know, now that you mention it...No. Don't think so." Then, adding as an after thought, Leo turned back to Rhaegal and spoke once more "Oh! That's another thing! We're super competitive....can't stand loosing. I like to think of myself as rightfully confident, though; there's nothing I can't do, because loosing to someone else isn't an option."

Speaking as honestly as possible, unafraid of sharing, Leo continued along the sandy path with a cheery hum under his breath "So, Odette! Since we're on the topic....What's Virgo like? I'm super curious now."

[poppyxoxo]

~~Odette Jane Harlow~~

she/her, 24, Virgo, bisexual, location: crash crater, mentions: , tagging: Leo, Rhae

Odette walked in silence as Rhaegal and Leo conversed. Well, more like Leo chatted happily while Rhae chucked in answers once in a while. Despite seeming like an odd group, Odette personally didn't find her other two companions that bad. Leo had amazing energy, and even though he might not know what he was doing, Rhaegal's presence was reassuring but Odette could not quite place her finger on just one thing. However, her patience regarding their new terrain was growing thin as nothing presented itself but she supposed that was better than something leaping out at them. "Actually, that one thing that our kind have in common then. Virgo's are very competitive or they can be anyways. They never truly stop working and I guess you could say some are a bit boring. Others take to our competitive side in a more proactive way. I try to do that" she explained, speaking to both men.

"Well, the planet itself gives off either vampire vibes or backyard party. As for the people, we can be competitive, judgmental and overemotional. Depends on who you ask but that's only the ones that don't like to experiment a bit. We do it in a practical way, you know, not the smashing or breaking things stuff, more like the sitting around drinking and having deep conversations kind, you know?".

[senna_]

──────── 𝐊𝐀𝐙𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐙 𝐁𝐔𝐊𝐎𝐒𝐊𝐈

he/him;.24;.scorpio;.pansexual;.located: crash crater;.mentions: tag;.tagging: huck

Seeing how Lili had fallen quiet, Kaz took the opportunity to spin on his heel so that he could face Huck more properly. His head shot back to look at Lili, then Huck, then Lili again, before he rotated his body a bit too dramatically so that one shoulder faced each person. There, that was better. While he still tilted his head so that it faced Huck a bit more than Lili, he could still see the Libra out of the corner of his eye. That would do. His dark brown eyes grew wide as Huck dwelled on the animal he had spoken of, and he began to nod his head furiously like a bobblehead toy. “Oh yes,” he said, expression so serious it had to be real. “Great compliment. Big, big animals – ” he spread both arms out like he had wings to prove his point – “and so greatous. Grateful. Very charming.” As the plump, floating animals struck his memory once more, Kaz couldn’t hold back a snicker, but he was quick to roll it into a cough, which turned into an actual one. Oh, how sandy and dry it was here! He crinkled his nose and wiped his hand across it, ridding any dust that had settled on his face. He longed for the moist, comforting air of Scorpio once more. The dryness reminded him of the blaring sunrays, and with a pout, Kaz picked up the thin fabric that was draped around him and flipped it upwards so that it sat atop his head, like a hood. Taking his right hand, he held it out so that his hand was at around a forty-five degree angle up from his eyes. While it wasn’t perfect relief, especially given how thin the fabric was, it was a temporary roof that somewhat helped his vision. He needed to change out of black as soon as possible. Give it ten more minutes, and Kaz felt he would become the sand. So hot I will melt. At that, he found the pout returning yet again.

His attention swiftly departed the room of complaints regarding the ferocious heat as Huck changed the subject. Once more, Kaz’s eyes lit up. Ah yes, the fight. With so much happening, Kaz was ashamed to say he had temporarily forgotten about the incident that had occurred quite literally right in front of him. “We have time,” he assured him, swiping his hand through the air as if disregarding what Huck had just said. “Your opponent has fled for now. I will protect the Taurus Boy.” He sighed a contented sigh, as if overly satisfied with what he had said, or perhaps just proud, given his lack of mistakes in the sentence. He bobbed his head slightly to himself, then glanced over at Huck yet again.

“You do not even have sand on you,” he observed in an awe-stricken tone, eyeing the outfit the Taurusian was wearing. “You must not be pleasant enough to stick to.” That was weird. While Kaz had desperately wanted to make a funny joke out of the lack of debris on the Taurus boy, nothing of the English language that was decent had come to his mind in time. Tragic. However, at that point in time, Huck had leaned forward to grab hold of Kaz, and Kaz decided to attempt to take advantage of that situation. “But fret not, I will not leave you.”

While Kaz must certainly was not the sharpest tool in the shed, he was soon able to note that Huck was in pain. It was something he realized upon first encountering him, but now that things had settled a bit more, it was more obvious. Was it from the fight? While Kaz was sure that wasn’t the whole reason for the discomfort, it surely had to have added to it. “Oh… Oh, you are not okay.” His eyes flickered over the guy, then he brought his free hand up to brush away the hair from Huck’s sweat-covered forehead. Silky chocolate hair, a cute button nose… It was because of a face like this that added to the long list of disapprovals his father had stored somewhere in his head. “Come, take seat.” Despite his offering, Kaz knew right away that if he were to try and help Huck down, he’d more or less end up chucking the guy right into the sand, so he decided to simply gesture to the ground instead. It gave him a reason to distract his mind, anyway. “I do not have thing to help. How hurt are you bad, friend of Taurus?”

[senna_]

──────── 𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐘𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐙

he/him;.26;.cancer;.demi;.located: outside crash crater;.mentions: tags;.tagging: odette, leo

The whispers the wind carried past them sent an uncomfortable shiver down Rhaegal’s spine, and he found himself straightening his posture, as if stepping up onto a higher level of alert. Despite the emptiness around him, he still felt as though someone’s eyes were on his back. Zodiacs naturally had good eyesight, there was no denying it, which was exactly why Rhaegal was fairly confident there was nobody around them, apart from his two new travelling companions. If they really were on Earth, they wouldn’t be met with any crazy surprises, anyway; invisibility wasn’t a thing on the planet, or at least not that he knew of, and humans weren’t the stealthiest of species. While Rhaegal wished to keep this privacy that was currently bordering them, there was a tiny flicker of curiosity burning inside of him, asking what it would be like if they encountered the species. They looked similar to those living in Astromenta, but from what he remembered in his many classes regarding the creatures, they acted quite different. Would it turn into a babysitting sort of situation? Rhaegal most certainly was not up to the task.

He filtered back into the situation just in time to hear the girl cooing in awe over Leo. While Rhaegal somewhat could see how someone like her would appreciate the enthusiasm of the Ariesian, he couldn’t help but grumble a breathy “my God” under his breath. What was there to admire? The guy had wrapped his coat around his frame, and suddenly, he was divine. Maybe Virgos – which had just been confirmed by the Ariesian – got excited over small things like that. Weren’t they the people group? One of the signs had a thing for other Zodiacs. Rhaegal supposed Cancers fit into that category, given how most of them willingly went through with that nurturing bundle tucked inside of them. But why, when you could enjoy your own company without worrying about the stress of others’ problems? That was too much to deal with. Rhaegal no longer had the patience for things like that.

He squinted his bright eyes and glanced up at the sun, pressing his lips together in slight thought before giving a shake of his head. “Not sure it’ll get much colder,” he responded a moment later, giving the tiniest shrug of his shoulders. “We’re in the middle of a sandy desert and the sun is up. It’s definitely warmer than Cancer. How’d you even manage to survive Feller? Heating pods or something?” While the last part was more of a dry joke than anything else, Rhae couldn’t help but pause and dwell on that. What did the sun planet Zodiacs do? He hadn’t been to one, for obvious reasons, but if this was considered cold, then Rhaegal failed to see how they could comfortably go for more than a few hours on the main planet. He also wasn’t too fond of all the questions that were barrelling his way, and despite his steady stare up ahead, Rhae couldn’t seem to properly shake them.

“And endless talking shouldn’t have to be a thing in our current situation, but here we are,” he eventually shot back, pinching the bridge of his nose. Underneath, Rhaegal wasn’t actually as moody over the small quips as he was very likely portraying on the outside, but he did feel a slight bit of annoyance each time he realized he was getting off topic, which was a silent journey to find something that would help them out. Pay attention. The last thing he needed right now was to miss something because he was engaging in conversation with a very dramatic nesh. “Life’s all just one big game. We’re just playing pieces at this point.” On the tip of his tongue, he was almost about to ask Leo to see if he could win a game of “who can keep quiet the longest?’’ but the conversation had already moved onward. Everything the Ariesian said made complete sense. Rhaegal loved Ariesians. He loved poking at them, pushing their buttons. As someone who wasn’t very competitive, it was always great fun, getting into small little situations and pulling the right strings to get them flustered. Winning versus losing wasn’t really up his ally; not the type Leo was talking about, anyway. Or Blondie, for that matter. For Rhaegal, the only hard loss regarded loved ones. Losing a game of chess or failing at a test didn’t hit him the same way it did when he lost his mother, or broke up with the girl he once loved. Those were hard to overcome. Rhaegal wasn’t even sure he’d ever be able to properly recover. Did Ariesians move on quickly? They were so rowdy and confident that it wasn’t surprise Rhaegal, but then again, it seemed everyone had a different impression of everyone else. Leo’s comments regarding Rhaegal’s own group confirmed that. In Rhaegal’s opinion, there was nothing wrong with Leo. Sure, nonstop chatterboxes gave him a headache, but that was typical; he always needed to recharge in his own personal space by the end of the day. Of course, the chatting most certainly hit his anxious nerves, for the purpose of their travel was to stay low, but there was nothing wrong with the Ariesian. Maybe Rhaegal could have even considered him to be a fun target back on Feller. Or maybe even now, once he settled. If he settled.

His eyes settled on Virgo – Odette, Leo had called her – as she eventually spoke up. Virgos. Another type Cancers seemed to be quite fond over. The type to show their softer side, because, as she said, they were far more sensitive than a lot of the other ones. Rhaegal found that out very quickly when he was spending his time on Feller. “I dated a Virgo,” he finally put in, tone almost on the verge of thoughtfulness as his mind flickered back to the girl. “Super competitive and very emotional. Suiting.” A small hmph of laughter in his throat followed that, although it was neither filled with amusement or displeasure. Overly sensitive people didn’t cut it for him. His dry sense of humour and sarcastic pet names seemed to scare them all off. “Hope it’s not too cold for you here like it is for him –” he jabbed a finger in Leo’s direction – “because it doesn’t look like we’ll be finding spare coats anytime soon.” The typical smirk he wore, this one actually somewhat amused, settled back on his features as he tipped his head back up to face the front. Despite keeping his gaze forward, it was audibly evident that his next question was directly right towards Odette: "What's an Earth planet like, anyway? Anything like Feller?"

At this rate, he found himself envisioning what the other planets looked like. Bright red for Aries, misty purple for Virgo. He hated how interested he was in finding out about the other planets. It was not at all necessary for the main goal here, which was to get back home, and yet, his mind lingered on it. Seeing another Cancerian was relieving, yes, but maybe it was time for Rhaegal to suck it up and actually meet other people. Start living his life again, more or less.

[poppyxoxo]

~~Odette Jane Harlow~~

she/her, 24, Virgo, bisexual, location: crash crater, mentions: , tagging: Rhae

The wind buffeted Odette's hair and clothes against her, making her more uncomfortable the further they walked. She hated this land; it seemed so desolate and empty whereas in her own home the land was occupied by something as as the eye could see whether it be a body of water or a tree. Odette walked along, closing her eyes for a few steps as she sent out a silent prayer to protect her shoes against this unforgiving terrain. She was slowly starting to think that being seen wouldn't be such a bad idea as long as they came in peace and carried the others to safety. Her eyes narrowed as she forced her eyes to strain as she peered further in front of them. She swore she saw something but kept it to herself out of fear that she would unnecessarily startle the others. Her heart began to uncomfortably pick up its pace within her chest, and pains soon began to follow. The intense thudding in her head didn't help anything.

Her eyes lit up in amusement as the Cancer beside her mentioned dating one of her kind. "Well, I hope that your past experiences with Virgo didn't completely dirty our image. You kind of have to be carefully when picking and choosing amongst Virgos. You either find a really bright one or someone who is able to portray their emotions better than others" Odette replied. She hesitated for a moment before speaking again "Dating a Virgo definitely makes up for any emotional vacancies". She watched Rhaegal thoughtfully, wondering if this was the case for him. She could tell little just after meeting him, especially in a foreign land. She allowed herself to sink into silence once more as they progressed over more sand and gritty ground. She half cringed at the noise it made beneath her shoes. "What's your planet like? Are you very fond of it, or would you be eager to leave?" Virgo asked. She was curious over the emotional attachment that many had over their planets. She loved hers but she also loved the idea of being able to explore.

"Oh, I'm not cold. Well, the breeze is a bit fresh but I'll have to toughen up sooner or later" the Virgo women answered to the statement towards the "cold". "I've kind of come accustomed to it at this point".

[senna_]

──────── 𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐘𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐙

he/him;.26;.cancer;.demi;.located: outside crash crater;.mentions: tag;.tagging: odette

Rhaegal was soon beginning to come to the realization that walking in this stuff was far harder than he thought. Walking in general was a true nightmare. Truth be told, he hadn't quite fully realized that he had indeed been strolling along with his two legs until just now. Despite it being so tedious and displeasing, it almost felt natural. However, the second he really put his mind to the whole idea of it, he stumbled, as if his foot had gotten caught around something, despite there being nothing much thin, dusty grains of sand. He sniffed with annoyance, but caught up to the group quickly, even though in reality, he hadn't really lost rhythm and fallen that far behind. The trip hadn't been much more than a slight roll of the ankle, but goodness did it hurt. He wasn't used to this! Any injury that occurred usually took place somewhere from the upper half of his torso. He was going to be exhausted after this.

Although he still wasn't quite in the mood to stir up a well-rounded conversation, he was going to admit to himself that talking was helping him take his mind off of the more troublesome parts of this situation, such as the infuriating heat and cramps in his upper legs. "Nothing dirties a whole nation without good reason," he returned, tone back to more of a grumble or a puff than anything else, as he hiked up an incline. He didn't blame everyone for something that occurred by one person. Sure, he had a tendency to point fingers and grumble until he both processed and understood what happened, but that was typical. Rhaegal wasn't going to shut down an entire planet because of one girl.

Pain shot through his sore ankle again, and he pressed his lips together, determination pushing him forward. Did humans do this for fun? Walk? He was desperate to return to floating transportation now. This was far too uncomfortable for his liking, even despite the flow in his step. And he didn't even want to think about what would happen if they did run into someone else, even though that was kind of what they were hoping for already. It was too much too soon.

At her comment regarding lacking emotion, he shot her a look, and whether she was to take it as coldly or warning or otherwise was up to her. In all honesty, Rhae didn't even have a proper message behind it. Did she know he was a Cancer? He had mentioned it to Leo, but he couldn't remember if he had said anything to her. Maybe she was aware of the typical Cancer way of handling a break-up: not well in the slightest bit. Cancers didn't initiate break-ups, and when they were dumped, they were cold-hearted and far too petty for anyone's good. Rhaegal didn't cling the way Cancers typically did, though; he was no magnet. He did his own thing. His mother always joked and said Rhae had more Leo in him than he did Cancer, and maybe she was right. Emotions didn't quite touch him the way they did with the other Cancers. And Virgos, apparently.

He was quiet for a moment as she returned the question, letting himself graze over memories, fond and unappealing, of his homeland. Perhaps he was a bit homesick, even though he wasn't quite sure where exactly home was anymore. "Lots of vegetation," he returned after another few seconds of silence. "It's damp and very green. We're Mother Nature's homeland, for sure. She doesn't ease up on the moss and the forests. Cancers are nurturers, so we've got a lot of teachers and nurses and therapists. That kind of stuff. Still trying to decide where exactly I go." A blank look fell across his face for a moment before he eyed her. "And I'm assuming colder than Virgo, if the only thing bothering you is the wind."

[poppyxoxo]

~~Odette Jane Harlow~~

she/her, 24, Virgo, bisexual, location: crash crater, mentions: Leo, tagging: Rhae

Walking on this sort of ground was beginning to give her flashbacks to her struggling to walk on a sand dune back home. These memories stirred something within her, something similar to hopelessness and panic but she forced it down so much that it only lasted one second. Her muscles has begun to burn so bad that it confused Odette when she tried to determine whether the pain was from the unforgiving sun or from the strenuous walk. She lifted her hand to the spot on her eyebrow, gently laying it on the surface of her skin. It stopped the pounding for a few heartbeats before it started up again. She hissed in pain, withdrawing her hand. She had found the spot on her forehead that was open and currently gently trickling blood. She turned her attention to the pair beside her, watching Leo as he harmlessly chattered. Rhaegal didn't exactly look withdrawn, but she could definitely tell that he was in some sort of pain.

"That is true, for sure" Odette spoke, her green eyes focussing on Rhaegal's for a moment. There seemed to be more behind his eyes and it intrigued her but something told her that she wouldn't get through for some time. She supposed that wasn't necessarily good or bad. It just depends what angle you look at it. She let her mind wander for a few moments before she caught a look from Rhae but it was more questioning rather than anything else. She wasn't entirely sure about how Cancers acted but she had enough information to determine that she didn't want to imagine what that break up must have been like. Personally, she had only ever experienced one love but that was enough to turn her away from the idea of relationships for a very long time.

"I love the idea of this cool, green place. I'd like to visit there one day, walk in the forests. On Virgo, the temperature is very... up and down but it depends on where you go. The forests are cool, kind of refreshing in a way".