#armastart

[idlehvnds]

open starter — A quiet hum fills the air, barely perceptible over the sounds of traffic and nearby footfalls. Leonardo stands at the edge of an empty lot, cleared of debris and brush as its prepared for construction. "So if the clearance here is 2 and a half metres, and we set the ramp at 10 degrees, will that leave enough room for..." Leo mutters to himself, backing up a few steps. He tilts his head to adjust his view of the flickering image of a large pair of doors. "But if we grade the floor a little lower, then..."

He inspects the hologram a moment before an idea strikes, "Or, we can just raise the..." hands pat at his pockets, "Where's my notebook." He swivels on the spot, only to make sudden and direct eye contact with someone nearby, "Dios! Sorry - I didn't see you standing there."

[freshcir]

"Why is it that my child enjoys doing the most inappropriate things at the worst times?" he mused to no one in particular, "I mean it's obvious he gets it from my side but I was hoping there was a fighting chance he'd get more of his mother's side"

[wcrldend]

Odette walked on light feet through the tunnels of the Underground away from the Crucible. She might return but the steam, as per usual, overwhelmed her, sweat beading on her forehead before turning to rivulets down her face. One hand reached out to touch upon a soft surface as her gait wavered, the syndicate's little mutant buckling due to a bit of steam. She'd enjoyed the fights, coming to the ring regularly to watch a few bouts from her hidden perch near the back. She'd watch silently, gaze heavy on what she found to be a beautiful sport. For some reason, however, the dense crowds, the stifling heat, seemed to be affecting her more than usual so she'd taken leave. A steadying breath warded away the tunnel vision and Odette looked up to find that what she had thought was a surface was actually a somebody. She immediately stepped back, dropping her arm. "Thanks."

[all-cf-me]

starter for @ofruinations (vic)

"There he is, man of the hour." It feels just as fucking good as Seth thought it would to see Victor Acosta come in through the Lady's double doors. With every head that swivels to catch a glimpse he gets another shot of adrenaline right to the chest, punch after punch until he's already high on ego. "C'mon in, rockstar. God, aren't you a drink of cold fuckin' water, huh? Gorgeous. So what do you think, crowd's a bit thicker than the last time you were here, right?"

[diegooooreyes]

...l o a d i n g

where: helmouth when: 0200 hours (approx. 2:00 am) who: open

God, Sol City was fucking nasty after dark - in the best way possible, of course.

Diego watched from his spot at the bar as the throng of bodies on the dance floor undulated and swayed to the time of the glitchy house beat that floated through the club from a hundred different strategically placed speakers, permeating the air in a way that felt almost physical. Alive. Normies and mutants alike were pressed together from ankle to armpit, swapping spit, grinding, moaning, laughing, taking shots and bumping lines.

To him, it was art. A symphony. An orchestra of hot, sweaty people behaving exactly like hot, sweaty people fucking should. He grinned, tossing back the last dregs of the drink he had been nursing, and nudged the body perched on the stool next to his.

"Why aren't you out there?" He jerked his head back towards the dance floor. "You been sittin' in the same spot all night, man. Not exactly getting your money's worth, you know?"

Diego stood, taking a long moment to stretch out the kinks in his spine. Turning back, he added, "Come dance. Got an hour til 'lights up' - more than enough time to make some poor fucking decisions."

[empathogens]

open starter !

The sky was painted in deep strokes of indigo and amber as the sun dipped below the jagged horizon. Lyric leaned lightly against the rooftop railing, her gaze turned upward. The faint hum of the city buzzing beneath them, a dull reminder of the ever-present danger beyond its borders. But here, for just a moment, it felt far away. “ Do you ever think the sky envies the ocean ? ” she mused softly, breaking the silence as footsteps approached behind here. “ The ocean holds so many secrets — deep, endless, untouchable. But the sky . . . it just lays everything bare, exposed for the whole world to see. ” Her lips curved into a faint smile as she tilted her head to glance at the other. “ I think I’d rather be the ocean. Quiet, mysterious . . . but powerful. ” She paused, a faint giggle escaping her lips. “ But maybe that’s just me. What about you ? Sky or ocean ? ”

[animusvenenatus]

open starter // caspar blix

"Damn it," he mumbles, checking for a pulse. Caspar experiences a flicker of guilt each time he takes a life, but it's unavoidable; he craves violence and turmoil as intensely as pregnant women crave pickles with peanut butter. He hears footsteps behind him and stands up straight. The alley now feels colder and more threatening than it did a few seconds ago. "Must've been a mugging or some shit," he lies, glancing at the corpse. "I just found him like this."

[bejcweled]

open / dakota hale.

''Look..I hear so many things being a bartender so I'm sure nothing surprises me anymore.'' Dakota laughed brushing some hair away from her face. ''What is it you want to say? Lay it on me.'' She was currently at the bar but was off for the night so she had a drink in hand. ''If it helps too I don't judge. ''

[bitchtakes]

                            “ you'd think after spending so much time underground, people would be more . . . bubbly? or smiley? i don't know . . . but for sure not so darn aggressive about everything. a customer told me to shove our pharmacy policies where the sun doesn't shine. and all because they were trying to fill a fake prescription, like, what has happened to pleasantries? ”

[brcwled]

⸻ wade leaned against a battered tram sign in the city square, holding a sandwich wrapped in a very questionable foil. eyeing it with suspicion, he gave it a sniff before grimacing, "y'know, i've eaten some bad stuff before, but this? this is personal. like, i think the bread insulted my mother."

you could practically hear the lightbulb flick on above his head, and soon he was holding it out towards the poor unfortunate soul that happened to be standing a little too close. "you got an iron stomach? or better yet, a death wish? got a delicacy here i'd trade for... i dunno, literally anything edible. i'm talkin' scrap ration crumbs, expired candy, maybe even a story worth hearin'."

he smirked, shaking the sandwich for effect. "come ahhhnnnnn, don't make me beg. it's unbecomin' of a guy like me!"

[thecipherr]

l o a d i n g . . .

where: the underground when: 01900 hours (approx 7 pm) who: open

He's been biding his time for hours, now, but has yet to find an opportunity to slip away to The Crucible using the interconnected subterranean tunnel system down here. Everyone is just so... close. For someone so used to flying under the radar, being crammed down here with the entire city is daunting.

Sighing, he relaxes further into the shadows, eyeing the people around him as they mill about, laughing and conversing.

"Can I help you?" He asks, mild hostility coloring his tone, as a vaguely familiar form gets a little too close for comfort.

[floramioris]

who: open where: tunnels, wherever they have food when: noon

she wasn't exactly thrilled to be trapped in the underground tunnels, but it wasn't the worst place to be. they could all be on the surface like one of the hundreds of house plants that were currently probably dying in her apartment. lara wondered when exactly the novelty of living underground would start to wear off. she was glad that her father was alright, though he seemed less than thrilled that he'd have to spend an entire month underground. annoyingly, lara had a pocket full of wildflower seeds and no dirt. she could still make them grow, but they wouldn't be permanent. there was only so much she could do to make the people around her smile just a little bit more at the predicament. "oh, well. none of this looks... i bet it won't be that bad." she looked at the food and sighed, knowing that even her optimism couldn't make this situation better.

[freshcir]

If it wasn't obvious by the light green skin or the dark green hair, Azalea was not even close to being human. And it was something she had come to terms with, especially knowing that she was once considered a weapon that had become a failure. But she, herself, strived to prove that she wasn't some sort of failed experiment but a sentient being who wanted to do better in this world. So, seeing a wilted flower, she knelt down and gently poked it - watching with a smile as it slowly came back to life. "There you go," she hummed before hearing a noise and looking up, "I can explain"

[k-618]

Conquest ; open 📍 Sol City ; The Bearded Lady

It had all started out with a drunken challenge—a military jerkoff by the looks of it, betting the other they could beat her in an arm-wrestling match. In the back of her mind she had hoped that whole holding a Sergeant over the boiling river incident would’ve been forgotten by now but it seemed like she had unofficially made enemies with every single testosterone-fueled idiot in the area.

So much for a chill night at the bar.

“And that’s another round of fries from you, soldier.” The familiar Cheshire grin spreads across her face, mockingly pointing at the loser who had dutifully ordered another round of fries as promised. Kei had consumed about two drinks and a basket of fries at this point. About to be two. The night was still young but god was she done with these… choice gentlemen.

She had already beaten all three at arm-wrestling by this point and they lingered around still, itching for another go. With the buzz she had going on it was getting harder and harder to not wipe the floor with these clowns to get some peace.

[all-cf-me]

closed starter for @samson-hart

"Jesus, you got enough shit, Dick?" Seth's voice is a bit strained as he sidles in through the door with a large box in his arms, only making it a few steps inside before setting the thing on the floor: he makes a big show of it, puts his hands on his lower back and stretches out with a groan til something in him cracks. It isn't even that heavy, but he's not going to give up the opportunity for sympathy points, especially after helping Richard move all day. "I'm gonna need one hell of a massage after all this manual labor... hope you got some lotion in one of these fuckin' boxes."

[diegooooreyes]

l o a d i n g . . .

where: underground when: 2100 hours (approx. 9:00 pm) who: @buriedwithit (ezra)

It hadn't even been an entire day yet, and Diego was already ready to climb the fucking walls. Being down here, cut off from the outside, no privacy, no fucking entertainment - it was messing with him. How he was supposed to make it an entire month was beyond him.

"I hope you come bearing distractions, man. I'm going fucking crazy."