haematiic

[haematiic]

Having a group of people penned in without real explanations was the start of something, though Erika wouldn't like to be around to see where it's headed. "In a sense, yeah." The idea of tunnels and shelters was a good one, a classic outcome of an apocalyptic event used in fiction. "I'm sorry but, I think if any of that were ready, we would already be there. It's a miracle the barriers we do have are up at all with how quickly everything happened." When thinking back, she's almost embarrassed by how long it took for her to realize something was going on; it was right in front of her face, too. "Maybe they'll open again soon when they realize it's more difficult to keep them closed."

Arriving in this safe zone might have been a mistake. Atlas chewed on their lower lip anxiously as the new rules of the zone were read out; as if this was some sort of school full of children and not a town where they'd all happened to be living now. Was this actually happening? They couldn't leave? They couldn't do whatever the fuck they wanted after a certain hour of the night? Laws that regulated society were one thing, but...this?

"What?" They asked when the woman nearby spoke up, their eyes shifting first in her direction, then around towards whomever it was she was speaking of. But then she was scolding them for looking, and Atlas snapped back to focus straight ahead, trying to act casual - and maybe failing at it. What did casual look like? Atlas's arms folded across their chest, clearing their throat. "Right, sure...Uhm. But you think this is just...like, the beginning, then? Like, what - we'll eventually be stuck walking the halls inside a building and be banned from the roads entirely? I dunno if I can handle that idea..." Or, honestly, this one, but that wasn't as much up for debate...

[haematiic]

"Just across the Potomac, over in Arlington." Everywhere she wanted to go was in a five mile radius and she could walk herself home by the end of the day, blockades and bodies aside. "It's only about a mile further than our house. I'm really hoping he stopped there." She can hear the edge of uncertainty when Sett describes their situation; they might not get home at all. "Thank you for offering. Assume the same from me, ok?" Even if Erika ended up not able to help directly, the least she could do is share information. "That's cool though, doing professional photography. What was it for?"

people had their reasons of wanting to leave the safe zone, and like the most of them, erika's was something that cannot be stopped. "how far is the school from the safe zone?" they couldn't help but delve into it more, wondering how much is it that the blonde has planned out. "i came here for work, a photoshoot...but that's—yeah, all of the craziness went down before i was even able to leave the country." they explain, holding themself back, not wanting to overshare. "and...now i'm here." they now clear their throat. "but...if you ever need help with anything...i'll keep my ears and eyes open. i do hear some things sometimes."

[haematiic]

"That's good." It was always a relief for Erika to hear someone say they can handle themselves. "You'll need to now more than ever- in here, out there, it's all the same." Not too many people had the ability to read the signs of trouble on the horizon and even less were able to do anything about it. "Oh, yeah," she pauses, holding back a mention of her law enforcement career; that kind of detail was too valuable to be spread in public. "I hit the gym pretty regularly, or maybe I should say I used to. I'll be alright."

Amara tilts her head, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. "I should be," she replies, "I'm pretty good at telling which way the wind is blowing."

She was good at her job and is she still bitter that she was laid off just because she was the newest at the Washington Branch? Yes, yes she is. She'd worked over a decade at that company and they let her go quick as a wink as if her loyalty and hard work meant nothing.

Shaking the thoughts away, it won't do her any good now, she refocuses on the woman in front of her. "What about you, will you be fine?"

[haematiic]

Send me a symbol and I will write a headcanon about…  For multimuse blogs, please specify!

𝓕 : My muse’s handwriting. (Is it good, bad, difficult to decipher, do they prefer writing by hand or with the help of some form of machine, e.t.c.) 

✈ : My muse and  traveling. (If they do it frequently and why, if they never left their home town, e.t.c.)

✿ : My muse and nature. (If they are an ‘outdoorsy type’, like the sound of bird’s singing, if they have never set foot in a forest, e.t.c.) 

☼ : My muse’s first memory. (Where it was, who was with them, how this memory makes them feel, e.t.c.) 

☙ : My muse’s favourite food. (Bonus: A memory, be it good or bad, associated with said food.)

♬ : My muse and music. (What type of music they like listening to and in what context, what music they would never listen to, e.t.c.)

↺ : My muse and the past. (Do they live in the past and struggle to let go of past grievances, or move on more easily, is there anything in their past they want to forget, e.t.c.) 

☾ : My muse and sleep. (How much they sleep, how much they wish to sleep, if there is something that never fails to put them to sleep, e.t.c.) 

✧ : My muse and art. (If they have an artistic side or not and why, favourite artist if they have one, e.t.c.) 

❃ : My muse and social media. (If the muse is/would be on social media and why/why not, their general opinion on it, e.t.c.) 

✉  : My muse and others. (If they social and outgoing or more introverted, and why. If they prefer communicating with others face to face or in written form, e.t.c.). 

▶ : My muse and level of education. (If the muse has some form of education, what education they perhaps wish they had, e.t.c.). 

◐ : My muse and animals. (If they like animals and treat them well, do not care for them at all, e.t.c.). 

❒ : My muse and gifts. (If they are good/bad at finding gifts, good/bad at receiving gifts, good/bad at wrapping gifts, e.t.c.) 

☘ : My muse’s relation with their family. (If they speak with each other and how much, if they are close or estranged, e.t.c.). 

[haematiic]

❇ life philosophy headcanons.

Send a symbol, receive an answer. For multimuses, specify muse:

♚ — Does your muse believe in objective right and wrong? Why do they hold this view? ♔ — Does your muse believe people are innately good or innately bad? Why do they believe this? ♞ — What does your muse believe happens after death? Do they believe in an afterlife and why/why not? If they do, what do they imagine this afterlife to be? ♘ — Do they believe humanity/their species, as a whole, to be moving in the ‘right’ direction or the ‘wrong’ one? Why do they believe this? ♖ — Do people, in your muse’s opinion, ever really change? Do they believe themselves to be capable of changing? ♟ — Does your muse believe in free will? Do they believe that people are mostly free? ♛ — Does your muse believe in luck? What about fate? ♙ — How hypocritical is your muse? If they can be hypocritical, do they realise this about themselves? How do they reconcile with it? ♕ — What does leading a ‘good’ life mean to your muse? Are they satisfied with the choices they make? ♝ — Is your muse concerned about being remembered after they die? If so, do they have anything specific notions about what they want to be remembered for? ♡  — How would your muse define love? Do they believe in soulmates? Do they believe this definition of love is achievable?

[haematiic]

Plan, wait, watch. It was all the same advice that Erika herself had shared with others. "Mhm- right," she agrees, nodding along absentmindedly before stopping short. A lot of people have asked, but it doesn't get any easier to think of. "It's fine," her stance shifts, and she swallows hard before continuing, "Yeah, my son. He was already at school and didn't make it here in time. I was at home and it's a lot closer." She did have some hope he would be alright with his friends; they were getting ready for baseball season. "What about you? Are you a local, or were you visiting?"

"oh, right." time is not on their side at this point, waiting it out until the heat is off would've been the best plan, yet given their situation, that is already off the table. "just...reserve some time to prepare, erika. whatever's gonna get you to keep going and defend yourself." curiosity gets the best of sett, and with a hushed voice, they ask. "who's waiting for you outside...all of this?" they say, hoping that they're not stepping on her toes. "you don't have to tell me, i'm just...wondering."

[haematiic]

Mysterious illness with massive casualties aside, this was just a little too strange for Erika to wholeheartedly accept. She couldn't tell who was asking her to trust them. "National Guard or the Reserve, maybe..." she thinks aloud, trying to remember if she had seen any kind of insignias. At best, they were a private group with a federal contract and she would rather not think of the worst. "Regardless, just make sure you're not caught up in the sparks. Would you be ok, if that happens?"

Chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully, Amara lets her eyes slide over the guards and the people of the safe zone that are milling around. They're a powder keg, she realizes. One wrong move and they'll explode.

"I think maybe they're National Guard," Amara says thoughtfully. "They're not police like you said and I think they're the ones that get called in for things that happen within the states."

Glancing around covertly one more time, she lowers her voice and shares her thoughts, "We're a powder keg just waiting to go off."

[haematiic]

In the safe zone, someone (NPC) accuses Erika of stealing from them, causing a scene and drawing the attention of anyone nearby.

"Where is it, bitch? I know you fucking took it!"

Her patience was running thin under the barrage of accusation. Erika knows she shouldn't engage in this argument any further, but she had been firm with her innocence and this person was beyond reasoning now. There was a difference between being upset and coming unhinged. They stepped closer and one of her hands came up, forcing a distance to be kept between them. Her voice is loud and clear when she shouts again. "I told you, I don't have your shit!"

"You're a fucking liar. My bag was right there and now it's not! I saw you walking away with it!"

"Then where is it?!" The volume jumps again with her response. "Since you were watching so goddamned close, what did I do with it?" Her free arm sweeps around dramatically, as if inviting them to look around for it. "I clearly don't have it on me, so show me where I put it!"

There's barely a second before they push forward again, prompting Erika to step back and suppress an instinct to reach for her gun. Someone watching must have seen her hand brush at her waist because a voice came from the left, "That's enough, you two! Back off, let's go!"

A faceless body steps into her view, breaking the line of sight and leading the other person away. "Oh, fuck off!" Their voice is muffled as Erika watches them struggle against being forced to walk away. "If I can't find my shit, I'm coming after you!"

She takes a long look at their face before turning to leave; it's not the first time she's been threatened. It was the shift from angry to desperate that made people unpredictable and fear can override anyone's sensibility. She could only hope they realize their mistake and leave this incident in the past. Having someone with that kind of attitude can spread like an illness- soon, everyone's pissed off at everyone else and too busy fighting each other.

And she really needs this place to hold it together just a little longer.

[haematiic]

She nods, agreeing with an amused huff. "Yeah, no joke." Someone in the crowd had said it best- we're not children. Whoever it was that made the decision to close everyone in was making a panicked choice, like a parent's attempt to discipline their rebellious teen. Force is met with force and people have already begun to push back, even if just with words so far. "I'm sure they think it's their best option. Whatever plans they had before have probably gone out the window now." Hers sure as hell have, or at least delayed for a little while. "So you're gonna be hanging around? Not that there's anything else to do..."

Richard couldn't understand why someone would want to leave, to face whatever awaited them behind the safety of the zone they were in and head to the unknown, where the most likely outcome was to die. The businessman was someone realistic, practical in his views that wasn't easily swayed by the could be's. To him it was a death wish many were so eager to face.

He had been ignoring those foolish enough to believe they could last a day out without any training, without any protection other than their positive thoughts and no braincells. Richard hummed in agreement not realizing they were thinking of different people when talking about the stress, in his eyes, the ones distrusting were the civillians wanting a way out. "This will just blow them in their face." Richard said as he looked in the direction where a group was with a soldier not so far from them. Leaving wasn't the great option they all thought to be. He frowned at her words, why would anyone care if he was staring? They were the ones talking about leaving as if it was something smart to do, he believed they wouldn't even notice his judging stare.

[haematiic]

"We're allowed to be stressed, not them." Those in command needed to be confident in their position, otherwise no one else will be. The announcement of a curfew and lock down lasted less than a minute before it was challenged; it wouldn't be long before it's broken entirely. "Just do what you can for now. Make plans for yourself, help others. The end of the world doesn't have to mean the end of life."

"Huh?" Rory turned, looking first at Erika and then at the guard she was talking about. no, don't look at them. "Oh." She realized, suddenly, why not. it seemed like her brain was finally keyed into the conversation. She looked over at Erika, moving just a bit closer and trying her best to seem normal. suddenly, she forgot entirely what normal meant in this context.

"But this is the safe zone. Even if we're stressed...it's the end of the world. what else are we going to do?"

[haematiic]

She shakes her head, making a noise of discontent. "No plan." Yet. Circumstances were changing faster than she could keep up. There weren't enough supplies for everyone to stay, but they weren't exactly making considerable progress outside for anyone to leave either. "I was thinking I would be able to wait it out, but I don't think there's time for that anymore. Finding a way out of here would have to be first."

sett had a lot of questions, and struggling to find answers with all of this...whatever it is that's going on as the need to seek refuge from the tragedy going on around them came first, as everybody else did, they would assume. despite that, there's some people who are looking to step outside of the safe zone they're all in, and they had their reasons. some people just cannot be contained in a space that offers safety, and that would only intensify with the fact that they're getting the gates closed off.

"it's getting harder and harder for them to keep this place contained it seems." they took a quick look at the people by the gates, though quickly stopping themself at erika's warning. "i don't think sealing off the gates is a good idea, it is getting tense..." they continue, keeping their eyes on the blonde. "what are you planning to do?"

[haematiic]

Her own eyes go downward, brushing over everyone else standing around rather than to those on the fence. "Not really, no," she sighs. Before the quiet set-up started a couple weeks ago, Erika had gone years without being involved in patrols. The feeling of discontent in the air never changed, though. If just one person pushes against them too hard, everything escalates. "I guess what I mean is, no one knows what to do next including them. And they don't exactly look like local police either."

Amara aborts her turn to look at the guards and stays looking at the woman in front of her. She feels so out of her depth; give her a board room or regular meeting in the work place and she can see the way the wind blows as quick as a wink, but let the world go to hell and it's like she's forgotten everything she's ever learned.

"Are you sure?" she asks lowly, but not lowly enough to look like she's conspiring. Just a casual chat between strangers.

[haematiic]

in the safe zone open starter

A curfew was reasonable- Erika wouldn't want people to be wandering around at night either. However, closing off the gates entirely was unacceptable. Keeping everyone contained wasn't going to last as a permanent solution and adding more restrictions only put stress on the people inside. She needed to find a way out before that happened; or if her son was refused entry, or if the front was overrun, or any other goddamned reason she felt like leaving.

"These guys are stressed. They'll start being suspicious of everyone soon." she keeps her tone light and casual, not wanting to catch a guard's ear. It shouldn't be strange for a couple of people to be chatting together, but this place could head toward a riot, fast. "No, no, don't look at them. Just keep talking to me like normal."

[haematiic]

erika aranda, was it? welcome to the safe zone. it says here you’re a 45 year-old police detective? just verifying. according to the others, you’re both generous and temperamental. but, that key-ring? keep it to yourself. guard it. things will blow over soon and you can go back to collecting science fiction novels. ( katheryn winnick, cisfemale, she/her )

FULL NAME: erika dawn bradshaw aranda. GOES BY: eri or rikki, maybe. AGE: forty-five. BIRTHDAY: august 13 1980. PLACE OF BIRTH: baltimore, md. GENDER: cisfemale. PRONOUNS: she / her. SEXUALITY: heterosexual. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single/divorced.

OCCUPATION: police detective, arlington pd. RESIDENCE: a 2bd/1.5ba condo, arlington va. FAMILY: vicente aranda, ex-husband; one male child, aged 16; one older brother, see wc. 

ZODIAC: leo sun, virgo moon. MBTI: enfj. ALIGNMENT: neutral good. ELEMENT: fire. TRAITS: determined, generous, creative ; stubborn, prideful, temperamental. LOVE LANGUAGE: acts of service, gifts. AESTHETIC: an oversized flannel under her leather jacket, the concealed pistol fired with surprising accuracy, bruised arms and scraped hands keeping busy. PARALLELS: claire redfield (resident evil); rachel green (friends);

BIOGRAPHY:

while she came from a military family, erika had always expressed a preference for staying 'domestic' and chose an alternate route of law enforcement after high school. she quickly excelled through the academy and was hired by a local precinct shortly after graduating.

eventually, she landed her promotion to detective and moved to arlington. after a few years, it became apparent that a certain nightclub was a frequent crime scene and there were many times she had to question vic as a witness. she probably shouldn't have fallen for him as hard as she did, but it was undeniable after they started dating and she got pregnant. everything felt like the right choice when they got married and started living as a family.

it didn't last long, as erika quickly felt overwhelmed and underappreciated while vic was gone, then irritated and disappointed when he returned. in her frustration, she wasn't able to communicate and without the time needed to fix their problems, the marriage dissolved in their hands.

being divorced and co-parenting isn't her ideal situation, but it's what works best. their son is now a junior in high school and has grown to a responsible smart-ass with enough sense to recognize trouble from a mile away. which is why, when erika had suddenly started overtime and making comments about being pulled off cases to escort motorcades of humvees and black-out vans, he would not have been surprised to hear the emergency orders for evacuation. she has faith he'll make it.

BREAKOUT DAY: when the emails started detailing massive operations of security across dc, erika stayed home but her son had already left for school. the lead-up to evacuation had been exhausting, but not without it's insights. something crazy was happening that wasn't being talked about. she was hastily gathering documents and packing bags of essentials in between fielding frantic texts when the emergency order came.

she lingered around, hoping to catch vic before she left, but she agreed to meet their son in the safe zone and didn't want to miss him there either. in the hours between the order and nightfall, the messages slowed to a silence until a final text before her phone died: traficc detour , safe w friends, be there tmw

IN SAFE ZONE: she hasn't found her son yet. the soldiers- if is what they are- haven't been helpful and she isn't exactly going out of her way to help them either. erika's keeping her head down, eyes open, and mouth shut. with luck, she'll do what she wants without any trouble.

IDEAS FOR PLOTS AND CONNECTIONS:

since arriving - she does have a bit of a bleeding heart with a strong sense of fairness, but not above doing what's necessary to survive. her son was mixed up in the evacuation and hasn't been able to make contact with her since everything started; finding him is her first priority.

from work - other cops, first responders, or frequent visitors to the backseat of her cruiser. they would know her as officer or detective aranda. city officials or reporters, maybe?

from home - neighbors or familiar faces from 'around town' that she'll recognize. maybe they were the kid's babysitter or they went to the same gym?

from vic & the kid - people who know them as a family, either as (kid)'s mom or as vic's ex-wife. other parents from school events or sport teams, people that might know vic separately and haven't met her, her kid's friend's parents, etc.

other family members - i haven't thought this one out very much, but maybe a chris/claire redfield sibling duo? cousins would be ok too