parracosms

[parracosms]

Blue eyes instantly scrutinized the figure before her, slowly making their way from handsomely mussed black hair to the blues and blacks of the familiar Nightwing uniform. It was amazing how much he had changed. She didn't think of the little eight-year-old girl watching the aerialist acts with dreamy eyes every time she looked in the mirror, and had therefore barely noticed her own growth but...this wasn't the nine-year-old boy who stood right there beside her declaring his own dreams of continuing in his parents' footsteps. It was only now that she began to wonder if too much time had passed between them, fully eroding the once-strong connection they shared.

"Somehow, I didn't expect Nightwing himself to just open up his own front door," she says in an accent that speaks loudly of their past. "I would have thought Titans Tower would have...I dunno, a...a butler or a bellhop or...security. Lucky for you I'm not a supervillian, huh? ....Or am I?"

Closed starter for @all-the-muses!

-----

Alys stops just before the threshold, her heart thudding in her chest as she takes in the sight of the Titan's Tower. If anyone had asked her even a week ago if she ever thought she would stand at its base, she would have rolled her eyes. Of course not! What did she have to do with a bunch of people in suits playing at judge, jury, and executioner? Even despite her strange gift, she was just a girl. She was a performer who had lost her stage. She was a barista at her small dead-end job that barely paid for rent and groceries. She wasn't a superhero.

But then, seven days ago, someone killed her parents. Six days ago, she summoned the disc that held the security footage. Four days ago, she saw him on the streets and chased him down, a scarf around her face to hide her identity. She lost him, but not before she got a taste for what she could do. Three days ago, she researched all those men in suits. Batman. Wonder Woman. Robin.

Robin, who was featured in video perfectly executing the Flying Grayson Quadruple Flip. Robin, who utilized a nickname she hadn't heard in so long. Robin, who looked vaguely familiar under that mask.

Three days ago, she found out that Bruce Wayne lived in Gotham, where Robin seemed to haunt until recently. Three days ago, she found out that Robin disappeared around the same time that Dick Grayson rented an apartment in Jump City and started a new job with their police department. Two days ago, she began her trip overseas. Today, she stood here.

Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell.

[parracosms]

Closed starter for @all-the-muses!

-----

Alys stops just before the threshold, her heart thudding in her chest as she takes in the sight of the Titan's Tower. If anyone had asked her even a week ago if she ever thought she would stand at its base, she would have rolled her eyes. Of course not! What did she have to do with a bunch of people in suits playing at judge, jury, and executioner? Even despite her strange gift, she was just a girl. She was a performer who had lost her stage. She was a barista at her small dead-end job that barely paid for rent and groceries. She wasn't a superhero.

But then, seven days ago, someone killed her parents. Six days ago, she summoned the disc that held the security footage. Four days ago, she saw him on the streets and chased him down, a scarf around her face to hide her identity. She lost him, but not before she got a taste for what she could do. Three days ago, she researched all those men in suits. Batman. Wonder Woman. Robin.

Robin, who was featured in video perfectly executing the Flying Grayson Quadruple Flip. Robin, who utilized a nickname she hadn't heard in so long. Robin, who looked vaguely familiar under that mask.

Three days ago, she found out that Bruce Wayne lived in Gotham, where Robin seemed to haunt until recently. Three days ago, she found out that Robin disappeared around the same time that Dick Grayson rented an apartment in Jump City and started a new job with their police department. Two days ago, she began her trip overseas. Today, she stood here.

Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell.

[parracosms]

Closed starter for @words-of-privacy!

———

For a long moment - she can't even be sure how long - Amelie just stands and stares, eyes catching in the deep brown of his, as wide and terrified as she feels. You see a lot of strange things on a farm. It was a fact as simple as the one that denoted the sky as blue, but never had Amelie Boucher encountered a man in her barn, hay tangled in his hair from who knows how many hours sleeping with the sheep. Or rather, sleeping with the sheep watching him. For whatever reason, they refused to go near him, crowding into the corner where their water trough sat. Only the smallest of the lambs had dared venture close though it came running to Amelie's feet, little tail wagging, as soon as she had pulled the barn doors open. But that actually wasn't strange. The little lamb, affectionately dubbed Mon Chou was a twin, a runt, and lacking in any fear at all.

She had half a mind to follow the suggestion of the sheep and make her way out of the barn and into the safety of her own house, leaving this man to his devices, but no. This was her property. She wasn't going to run. She had defended it against her mother and she would defend it against this man in turn.

Steeling her expression, she fisted her hands on her hips and peered down at him, summoning all of the ferocity that had made her grandmother such a name in this small town. All the ferocity that ran in her veins too, tampered down by twenty years of "Mind your manners, Amelie," "Hush now, Amelie, that's not polite," and "You are a lady, Amelie, and ladies do not fight." Her mother wasn't here now. Her mother was an ocean away, nearly forgotten save for the occasional phone call to request something of her - also generally ignored.

"You know you're trespassing, right?" she says in a voice that - while pleasantly fierce - was also decidedly not French, but not American either. Like Amelie, it was something in between. "I could shoot you for this and no one would say a word."

[parracosms]

Mason’s eyes fix on his meal, taking in the details that would normally make it quite appetizing, but he finds he isn’t hungry. Fear had settled into the pit of his stomach where hunger might have panged otherwise, stealing his appetite.

Reaping Day. Reaping Day. Reaping Day.

It was all he could think about. This day has been stressful enough the last eight years, Mason terrified even as young as twelve years old that the Games would take him from his sister, terrified of what his absence would mean for her, but this year was even worse. This year, Rose’s name was in that bowl too. Just once, but once was enough.

When Rose walks into the room, Mason briefly lifts his gaze, forcing a bite into his mouth despite the way he almost gags when it touches his tongue. He notes the blanket around her arm and the sleeplessness in her gaze. She was as scared as he was, but with them both skillfully hiding it, one might not know at first glance. He could tell, though, and he wondered if she could see his fear as clearly as he saw hers. His jaw clenches, forcing his expression into practiced neutrality.

"Good," he mutters. "Eat up. We're leaving at ten."

Closed starter for: @words-of-privacy

———

Mason wakes to silence.

It is an unusual sensation, a calm tranquility he finds horribly unnerving. On any other morning, he would have awoken to something. On good days, it might have been to the sound of his father bustling about as he gathered his work things, or to the sound of Rose’s footsteps in the next room over as she readied herself for school. On bad days, it was often the sharp, raised tones of his father’s voice. On the worst days, it was Rose’s voice, tearful and breaking on her pleas as she attempted to placate his violent rage.

But today was the day of the annual reaping ceremony. His father would not be expected at work, which meant he was probably off with his buddies drinking themselves half to death and placing bets on which kids got picked to fight in the Games and whether or not they stood a chance at winning. It was made even more sickening by the fact that they all had kids with their names in the drawing.

He didn’t wake to an alarm because their was no school and Rose must have slept peacefully enough last night, or perhaps not at all, because he did not wake to her shaking him awake well before the sun had risen. There was just stillness and silence and the thin tendrils of light reaching through his worn curtains.

Mason sits up, stretching his arms over his head with a low grunt that sounds too loud in the quiet morning. Twenty minutes later, a meager breakfast is set out on the table and he stands before Rose’s door. He knocks twice.

“Breakfast.”

[parracosms]

"To freedom," Audrey repeats, placing her hand in his as cold night air washes over them. She breathes in deeply, reveling in the familiar scents of trees and dirt and sweet blooming wildflowers. If she had counted the days correctly, it should be early spring - chilly enough to be uncomfortable but not truly dangerous.

Stepping forward onto the concrete path, she pulls Tae's small frame from the doorway and into the open air, a wide grin spreading across her lips. Audrey doesn't dare speak yet, even though she wants to. She'll have to tell him the stories later, show him the flowers and their colorful petals collecting dew, point out the moths circling the lights that line the roadways, and maybe even catch a drowsy toad or a stray cat for him to hold.

It wouldn't take them long to get back to her house - or, at least, the drive had seemed short - but she would make the most of it, filling him in on everything he had missed living so long in that horrid building.

Continued from x; @all-the-muses-private

[parracosms]

Cold horror works its way down Ji-An’s spine as she reads the words scrolling across the screen in starkly contrasted black and white. Her vision blurs around them and even minutes from now, she won’t remember what the newscaster did or even looked like. Just those words. So simple. So devastating.

Breaths come quick and ragged through parted lips as adrenaline floods her veins, muscles locking into place. Her chest tightens, making each breath seem nearly impossible. She almost misses Do-Yun’s signs, the first a flutter of motion in her peripheral but slowly, her head turns, gaze zeroing in on his hands the way it had the words.

What are we going to do?

The question felt so heavy on her shoulders. What were they going to do? What could they do? This was never supposed to pass. She had been completely confident it wouldn’t; so confident, Ji-An had not thought past its decline at all.

Her lips seal shut as the cogs in her brain begin to find again, the fog in her mind clearing. First, what were their options. They could stay here and wait to die, of course, but no. She refused. She would not be a lamb waiting for slaughter. They could fight back but two against the entire South Korean army? No. No, that wouldn’t work either.

They could leave. They could run. No other country had adopted this practice. Not yet. Maybe they never would. It would be hard, but they could do it.

“We can’t stay,” she signs back, “and we can’t fight. We have to run. That’s the only way.”

Perfect Imperfections

starter for @withinkandquill

[parracosms]

Audrey nods, thin lips sealing shut as she turns her attention to the single door separating them from the rest of the hall. She pries it open, peeking around the corner to catch a hint of a purplish aura as the figure rounds the far corner, but it disappears before she can even bring it fully into focus. Either way, they were going in the opposite direction. By the time their guard noticed they were missing, they would be long gone.

Waving Tae forward, Audrey ducks from the room and pads silently down the hallway. She wasn’t exactly dressed for an escape, barefoot and in the standard issue pajamas, but that didn’t matter either. Her clothes would be waiting for her when she got home along with her own bed, her shelf of her favorite books, and her beloved stuffed bunny. There would be stuff for Tae, too, of course. He could borrow whatever she had until they could get him his own stuff but as soon as she told her parents what was really going on here, they wouldn’t mind keeping Tae too. They would surely welcome them both with open arms. Surely.

Continued from x; @all-the-muses-private

[parracosms]

"I know how to use it," Audrey hurriedly assures him, pocketing the phone. The screen stays black even as she turns it, which is slightly concerning, but she doesn't dare to try turning it on within these walls for fear it will illicit some small chime as alert the guards to their contraband. "I'll show you when we get out. You're gonna like what it can do; just wait."

Continued from x; @all-the-muses-private

[parracosms]

Audrey’s brown eyes light with curiosity and anticipation, her steps hurried as she closes the space left between them to peer at the newly revealed objects. A key card and a phone. Her heart thunders in her chest. They’re getting out of here!

“That was you?” she laughs. “You didn’t even tell me!”

She lifts both objects from his outstretched palms, looking them over as if concerned they might be some trick.

“Between me and the cameras, you and the guards, and these…this plan is practically foolproof, Tae.”

Continued from x; @all-the-muses-private

[parracosms]

Closed starter for: @words-of-privacy

———

Mason wakes to silence.

It is an unusual sensation, a calm tranquility he finds horribly unnerving. On any other morning, he would have awoken to something. On good days, it might have been to the sound of his father bustling about as he gathered his work things, or to the sound of Rose’s footsteps in the next room over as she readied herself for school. On bad days, it was often the sharp, raised tones of his father’s voice. On the worst days, it was Rose’s voice, tearful and breaking on her pleas as she attempted to placate his violent rage.

But today was the day of the annual reaping ceremony. His father would not be expected at work, which meant he was probably off with his buddies drinking themselves half to death and placing bets on which kids got picked to fight in the Games and whether or not they stood a chance at winning. It was made even more sickening by the fact that they all had kids with their names in the drawing.

He didn’t wake to an alarm because their was no school and Rose must have slept peacefully enough last night, or perhaps not at all, because he did not wake to her shaking him awake well before the sun had risen. There was just stillness and silence and the thin tendrils of light reaching through his worn curtains.

Mason sits up, stretching his arms over his head with a low grunt that sounds too loud in the quiet morning. Twenty minutes later, a meager breakfast is set out on the table and he stands before Rose’s door. He knocks twice.

“Breakfast.”

[parracosms]

“I can control them as long as I want,” Audrey answers, “but if I hold them one way more than a second or two, they’ll definitely notice. I can’t turn them off or anything either. I just move them. I know the pattern though. I think I can get us out.”

Continued from x; @all-the-muses-private

[parracosms]

Audrey had learned a long time ago to trust Tae and his dreams, so she doesn’t doubt him. She just doubts their ability to escape. They were just kids and there were so many things standing in their way. Though, she supposes she gets around the halls easily enough. Maybe the front gate won’t be that much different.

“Okay,” she says with a few brisk nods. “Okay. We’ll go.”

Continued from x; @all-the-muses-private

[parracosms]

Audrey cast a sideways look at Tae, but she couldn’t help the way her lips curved into a small, amused smile.

“Why don’t we let me do the talking?”

@all-the-muses-private @words-of-privacy @xxunknown-storiesxx

Bloodlines

Starter for @pages-and-words @withinkandquill and @xxunknown-storiesxx

[parracosms]

A deal with death…

Someone back from the dead���

Someone important…

It doesn’t make sense until she sees the little dark curl in Dustfinger’s palm, contrasting brightly against the white fabric. It doesn’t register until she lifts it into her own fingers, her thumb brushing across the soft strands of it.

Someone important…

Rosanna…

But it can’t be. It simply can’t be. Roxane had traveled all across the country, even into Argenta, searching for anything - anything - that could bring her daughter back to her. She had almost run her family dry of what little coin they had for the winter procuring spells and charms that would at least let her see Rosanna in her dreams. Nothing worked. They all just took her money and broke her heart. There was no reaching her youngest daughter. How could Orpheus of all people manage it? How did he even know about her?

Dark eyes shift from the lock of hair in her fingers to her husband. It almost surprised her to see the same recognition in his eyes. He hadn’t known her past the wispy beginnings of these curls but how could he not reach the same conclusion nonetheless. She was his daughter too.

After a moment, her gaze lifts towards Katerina too, movements slow and hazy as if in a dream.

“What does he want for her?”

Above all the questions, this was the important, the first to be openly considered. If this was true, he certainly wasn’t doing it as a favor. A price would need to be paid. The only question was what that price was and what she would have to do to pay it.

( @words-of-privacy )

Continued from x; @words-of-privacy

[parracosms]

Roxane, so fearless in the face of the soldier, visibly pales at the mention of Orpheus’ name. Orpheus, who had brought beautiful but strange things to life just to suffer. Orpheus, who had taken advantage of her daughter and treated her so poorly. Orpheus, whose name had been something they dreaded to speak for so long. They had hoped he was dead, or at least long gone. She imagined he had fled through the mountains in the North, a perilous path no one would travel twice. It seemed he had gone south to Argenta again.

Her gaze flickers to Dustfinger, the soldier, and back to Katerina again.

“What sort of message would he send to us?” she asks. Her voice sounds braver than she feels.

Continued from x; @words-of-privacy

[parracosms]

Audrey blinks rapidly at the sudden appearance of her friend, his firm grasp on his shoulder, and the onslaught of a swirling colorful aura awash in so many warring emotions. She sees fear most of all - pitch black like the shadows where monsters hide. Fake monsters, anyway. They both knew real monsters walked amongst everyone else, just as awash in bright sunlight, almost indistinguishable.

“What?” she gasps. “Why? How?”

@all-the-muses-private

Continued from x; @all-the-muses-private

[parracosms]

Continued from x; @all-the-muses-private