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Post by Lady Moose on Jan 3, 2014 22:10:44 GMT -5
STORYSome people say that there is a red string that binds all those who are destined to cross paths and that this string is called fate. Those people have often not experienced such unfortunate events, however. Two alleged criminals, a man and a woman, were charged with the same crime: killing the high king of their nation. It is unknown by law officials which of the two did it or if they were in cahoots, but they are the two suspects and have a quite a case built against them. If they had ever been arrested, a speedy case would have been made against them. The only problem was that neither committed the crime. Both were framed to be sure that at least one would take the fall and leave the real perpetrator to roam free. Luckily, both managed to evade the law and avoid capture. But the war isn't over. No. They must track down the actual culprit and prove that he killed the high king whilst also avoiding officers of the law. It is not an easy task. But, fortunately, the red string of fate connects them. But maybe that's not such a good thing. Either way, they're in for an adventure alright.DETAILSGenre: steampunk Setting: varied Main Characters: Deryn Hanway and Connor Plume
CHARACTERSUsername: Lady Moose Name: Deryn Hanway Age: 21 Appearance/Clothing: Deryn has fiery read hair that is relatively long and often worn in a braid, but can also be pulled up into a bun to avoid hindrance in battle. Her eyes are a light honey brown and her skin is fair. The woman stands at approximately 5'3" and wears a black bowler hat with goggles resting on the brim, a white button-up blouse with a black vet overtop that are (unfortunately) tattered so the stomach is not covered. She also wears blue pants, a utility belt, and knee-high lace-up boots that are brown. Weapons: The young woman stole a gun from her father, but is unsure of how to use it correctly. History: She was born to a family of working people that lived modest lives. When her father was killed for protesting the taxes imposed by the king, the family was devastated. She was framed using this event as motive. Other: N/A
Username: Dussie Name: Connor Plume Age: 23 Appearance/Clothing: Connor has lengthy black hair that comes down to his jawline and in the back is pulled to a short ponytail, but in the front frames his face. He has blue eyes and is about 5'9". He wears a flat cap and white button-down complete with a black vest. He wears boots that rise mid-calf and black pants tucked into them. Weapons: He carries a knife. History: Connor was an airship-man on a government owned craft. The crew mutinied but he had no part. When he was framed for the murder, this was given as evidence against him. Other: N/ATHEME POEMOh! On the run! For... For...Murder!Treason!They killed the high king (of something)!And... And...They're criminals!And...They don't really know what they're doing...And...They were actually framed! They're normal people!And...They have to learn how to fight and be awesome because they're just normal people!Because...They need to prove that they didn't do it!And...This was totally not inspired by Dishonored.By Dussie
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Post by Lady Moose on Jan 3, 2014 23:21:22 GMT -5
Oh... Oh, God! What had she done? She was certain she'd not killed anyone, let alone the king. Deryn Hanway was just a simple girl from a long line of servants, fishermen, maids, and such. She wouldn't even know how to kill someone even if she wanted to. When they came to her house announcing her arrest, she bolted. Grabbed her father's old gun and left in her tattered cleaning clothes. Out in the street at dusk, she was cold, her stomach exposed. What she would give for a blanket! She wandered, careful to avoid the city guards, in silence, shivering and struggling to stop her teeth from chattering. Her boots clacked against the ground, but people would scarcely hear it over the sound of steam escaping in shrill bursts from the factories and the rats squeaking as they scurried around the dirtied city. What do I do now? I can't go back now! Agatha and Maxwell probably hate me now, poor things. I was their role model, their older sister with a duty to show them right from wrong. And here I am, on the streets in the cold, shivering and indecent. I don't even know how to use this blasted thing! Holding her father's gun in her right hand, she regarded it with a quaking shudder going through her. I could never shoot true in this state... Following the sound of the factories, she wandered until she could close enough to feel the heat of the steam. Relishing the long-awaited warmth, she sat on the ground and closed her eyes, considering just letting herself die there. It wouldn't be so bad, right? But what if she died of starvation? No... Putting the barrel of the gun in her mouth with a quivering hand, she tightened her finger around the trigger only a little. Pulling it out suddenly, she shook her head and rubbed her face. No... I don't have the courage to end it just yet. Not when I still have a little chance. A tiny, tiny chance that I could clear my name. Walking into a store, she waved her gun around, took a blanket, and left. I can do what I want. There's no higher crime than treason, so a little armed robbery is nothing. Besides, it's just one blanket. Wrapping the square sheet over her shoulders and around her, she felt the piercing wind let up a bit because it couldn't penetrate her shield of weaved wool. As she walked and thought, she didn't see the man she bumped into before colliding with him. "Oh. I'm sorry, sir..." Keeping her head down so he wouldn't recognize her from the posters, she saw one on the ground behind him fluttering in the wind. Scurrying to pick it up, she realized that the two pictures were of her and him. Looking at him and then down at the poster and back again, she chuckled. "Of all the people to bump into... I'm not sure about you, but I know I didn't kill any king...," she mumbled, mostly to herself.
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Post by Dussie on Jan 4, 2014 11:33:04 GMT -5
((Damnit Moose. Now I feel like I have to match that post...))
Connor couldn't believe what he was caught in. But no one really would, would they? Being told that he had killed the king. He was in the 'harbor' so to speak, looking to register with a new airship. He needed work but he didn't have that much experience when his crew had mutinied. Eventually he was let in by the captain of a small vessel, that he was wanted. Wanted! Luckily the captain wasn't looking to cash in on the bounty. A bounty! On him!? For killing the king! That wasn't good. That wasn't good at all. He ran as fast as he could away from the harbor. They would search for him there. He knew it. He didn't stop running until he found himself in an alley, a dead end. He turned around to see a man with the king's crest emblazoned on his chest. The man held a gun outwards and walked forward, pinning Connor to the wall. His heart raced, his palms sweat, a lump formed in his stomach. He didn't have a chance. This was the end. But the man sneezed. In that split moment the gun was moved from Connor's head and he managed to grab at it and didn't hesitate to fire. The weapon jumped but the bullet found it's mark. Horrified, he dropped the gun and ran out the alley. He had to blend in. He needed to hide. He pulled his cap down lower to cover a bit of his face while he looked down when suddenly a woman bumped into him. He turned to see her and saw the poster she picked up. God's tears. She was on it, too. "I've never even been to the palace." He said, in response. For a fleeting moment he felt comfortable. Someone else that was stuck, just like him. But the feeling didn't last long, the situation was dire.
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Post by Lady Moose on Jan 4, 2014 13:28:59 GMT -5
(Consider it payback for all the times I've felt the same.)
"I haven't either. I'm not even sure where it is, exactly." Her voice was soft a full to the brim of ruefulness. What... What did I do to deserve this...? Closing her eyes, she wiped tears out of them and took a deep breath. "Right now, we don't really have time to catch up. All I know is that we are innocent and the only way to clear our names is to work together to find the real criminal." Deryn was not a stupid girl by any means and possessed a fair share of logic skills, but her most useful skill in that situation could possibly be the fact that she was small and had experience sneaking around. If the pair could utilize each of their skills well, it was minutely possible that they could succeed. Any course of action to save themselves would be a long shot, but teaming up increased their chances by her reasoning. Taking his arm partially for warmth and partially for the security of knowing that she'd feel if he moved or stopped following, Deryn looked up at him. "Don't ask questions. We have to find someplace safe. An abandoned factory or a cave or something. And fast. When we're there, it'll be safe to talk." Taking a pause to breathe, she tried to think of a good place. Fruitless, she looked up at Connor again. "Do you have any ideas?"
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Post by Dussie on Jan 5, 2014 0:20:16 GMT -5
Connor began to walk, falling seamlessly in step with this woman. This woman whom he'd just met yet she was the only person he knew that he could count a friend. "I have one. Yeah. My mother owned an apartment. The building has been shut down since then but it's still around. It's only a few blocks from here, I think. Should be on the next right." He said.
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Post by Lady Moose on Jan 5, 2014 9:18:12 GMT -5
"Alright. We'll go there then." Looking around shiftily, the girl noticed a fair number of people who, luckily, didn't seem to recognize them. Still, she felt pressured by their presence and shrunk down into her blanket, hoping it made her seem more like a homeless squatter than a... They honestly think I committed treason and killed the king in cold blood. Only because of what my father did. If anything, his buddies would have conspired to kill him, but not me. How would I even get there? And why would I kill him? Just because of my father? But he'd still be dead, what good can revenge do? It can't bring anyone back to life. While she thought, they arrived at the building and she lead the way inside it. "Homey, huh?" she joked, separating from him. "We should probably go up a few floors so if anyone ever comes in while we're here, we'll have time to get away. And we should also carry everything we own with us. If we leave things here, other people could find it and take it. So we'll need to find backpacks or something soon." Starting to go upstairs, she started musing again, but more to herself, even though Connor would be able to hear her. "We shouldn't make a fire, because then we run the risk of someone seeing us, though we also run the risk of freezing if we don't make a fire. But I have this blanket, and if we sleep next to each other, the warmth of our bodies should be enough to last the night... But should we both sleep at the same time or take turns being awake? If we do shifts, we'll be more tired and sluggish tomorrow, but probably safer. Unless one of us is a light sleeper, then it should be okay..."
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Post by Dussie on Jan 5, 2014 16:52:02 GMT -5
((I found a song that captured this so well: He Has Escaped!Connor followed her up a few flights before he motioned down the hall. He ignored her ramblings for the most part. "These were the nice apartments. As with most nice things they have a bunch of locks and aren't trash, so let's check this floor out." He strolled cautiously through the hallway and found a room with a door and one that was a decent quality. He pulled out his knife and stepped in slowly. There would probably be squatters in the building but that didn't mean there had to be other squatters in their chosen apartment. He didn't find anyone and the apartment was fairly bare, just a mattress and a chair. "This work for you?" He asked as he closed the blinds. "Because for now, I do." He didn't know how to be a fugitive. He didn't know how to scrap for food. All he knew is now he had to shave by and not die. At least he wasn't alone.
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Post by Lady Moose on Jan 5, 2014 18:17:18 GMT -5
When Connor spoke, she stopped mumbling to herself and listened. Instead of speaking to reply, she just nodded simply and entered the apartment he chose. "It looks fine to me. I've certainly had worse places to sleep when the money was not coming in so steadily." Walking around the room, she wrapped the blanket around herself more to insulate warmth, a precious resource. "We probably won't eat tonight, but tomorrow morning we can look for some food. Maybe we could persuade a shopkeeper to give us some food for charity. I only have a little money and I don't think we should squander it with things that we could persuade people to give to us for free." Pausing again, she could tell by the fact that the room was relatively dark with the blinds closed even though there were little holes in between them it was dusk. "What's your name, by the way? I'm Deryn Hanway. Thought we should know each other's names, because we're going to have to sleep next to each other to keep warm, or we'll both end up dead or sick."
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Post by Dussie on Jan 5, 2014 18:42:03 GMT -5
"I'm Connor. Connor Plume. It's nice to meet you, Deryn. Well, nice is relative, I suppose." He said as she sat on the chair, leaving their solitary mattress for her. "Under other circumstances I imagine we could have met a little more... Organically." They didn't have so much of a choice, did they? "I have a little cash on me from my last job, but it won't last so long." He never thought he'd be a charity case. He always thought he'd be moderately successful and get his own airship. Work as a privateer. Maybe haul cargo. He sat there and thought a moment. "We're really in some deep shit, huh?" Framed for murdering the king. Jeez. Kinda intense. He's shot a man today, too. It wasn't the first time. He'd been in fights before. Sailing the sky blue was dangerous sometimes. This was the first time he knew he'd killed one, though. "We should at least get a little sleep though, huh? We'll sort things out in the morning. With clear heads. I don't know about you but I'm kind of spinning."
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Post by Lady Moose on Jan 6, 2014 17:07:18 GMT -5
"Nice to meet you too, Connor," she replied with a playful smile as he went on. "I agree. Like I said, we'll have to sleep next to each other so we can keep warm. Besides, I only have one blanket. It's imperative that we both remain alive for as long as possible." Laying down on the bed, she adjusted the blanket so half was over her body and half was over the empty mattress beside her for Conner to use. Kicking off her boots, the woman closed her eyes and began to let herself fall asleep, which wasn't difficult when one considered the hectic nature of the day. "You coming?" she questioned groggily when she still felt the space beside her, even though she wasn't awake to hear the answer. ~ When the sun that flickered in through the blinds finally woke her, Deryn pushed herself up and stumbled to the window, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Throwing open the blinds, she sighed and rubbed her temples. Second day as a fugitive and she was already tired of it. What a promising start! Going back over to where she put her boots, she put them back on and also reequipped her utility belt and put on her hat. There. All dressed. Sitting on the ground next to where Connor slept, she tried to rouse him by shaking him a bit. Not a ton, but hopefully enough to wake him, because she didn't want to wait around like sitting ducks for the police to find them.
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