#but oh my gOD this was fun!! and the favorite/least favorite thing abt the desert svdhdvsndbs!!! that was fun to write

[synchlora]

OH and i wanna know what ur ghouls fave part of the desert is? least fave thing about it? if he’s cityborn, why/when/how did he leave?

OOOO hell yeah this is fun!!

ghoul's favorite part of the desert is probably just how incredibly different it is. xe can drive for miles without the land seeming to change but what she loves are the tiny little things that you can notice in all of that sameness.

the changes in what types of plants are scattered about the sand, the difference in the kinds of rocks that make up the cliffs around him, the subtle transition from open sands to more scrub-filled plains. they absolutely adore how incredibly different parts of the desert can be despite how easy it is to miss. xe loves the little details of it all.

---

his least favorite thing is probably how empty it can be sometimes. she hates being alone and whenever they're on solo missions, the desert always seems like it's such a vast space to get lost in. the others have picked up on this, so xe don't have to go on many solo trips. but those first nights all alone under the stars that felt far too open? those were the worst days.

---

ghoul was born in the city, in the more run-down portion, to a single mother and with one older sibling, raven. before they were old enough to even remember her, xir mother was replaced by a droid. ghoul had been taught by his sibling to always be herself, so xe was. but that didn't work so well under a droid parent. and one day, things escalated to the point that raven, now more well-versed in droid tech after working odd jobs to get any money they could manage, ended up shutting down the droid. permanently.

so they had to flee.

they lived in the old underground system, making a family with a small group of juvie halls. for several years, they simply lived life, took odd repair jobs, and tried their best to get by. but when word of the rebellion in the desert began to spread- word of a war beginning- raven became restless. the group of juvie halls they called family began to start a plan to escape the city and make it out to the desert.

the condition of the slums was only getting worse with the analog war beginning, and they knew the consequences of capture would certainly be far more dire in a time of war. so they attempted escape.

it was a simple plan: the seven of them (including ghoul and raven) would head down to the most local, least-guarded gate and escape while another pair of juvie halls distracted the dracs guarding it. it was so simple, there was no way it could go wrong.

but it did.

while the dracs were distracted, an unexpected patrol vehicle came screeching down the road just as the seven were attempting escape. hot beams of light sliced through the group and ghoul fell backwards, his hand slipping from xir sibling's. she watched as three of her family escaped and three were killed. in all of this action- the lights, the flashing, the screams- the exterminator within the vehicle stepped out and approached ghoul. he laughed at them as they screamed and wept before ordering the dracs at his side to put xem in the back of the patrol vehicle.

and then everything was fine.

ghoul- or rather angel (there's no need for such vile names being someone who is so pure of character)- was living in a bright, shiny white building owned by BLi. she was content and life was going well, better than he'd ever done living with his old "family." BLi was their family now. Korse had been ever so grateful to take him in when his sibling and "family" had abandoned xem. led them astray and then left him for the punishment when they didn't want her anymore.

and they believed it.

xe was a perfect little scarecrow apprentice, working hard and at the top of his class in every way. when she turned 16, she couldn't have been more excited to begin to do actual shadowing of exterminators out in the desert.

and she did well. he took down 'joys like it was sport, every outting they were brought along on ended up successful. every person they mindlessly slaughtered, just another tally mark on xir chart.

until one run, one that was just like all the others, took a turn he did not expect.

they were headed to a zone gas station to fuel up and, hopefully, to find some killjoys to chase. and they did. it was a familiar tactic to angel, go to a station, more than likely find some unfortunate rebels in need of a fuel-up, and then scare the life out of them before taking it with a swift shot to the head.

the chase was on, two 'joys riding on one bike with Korse driving BLi's vehicle hot on their tail. angel took a few pot shots out the window, though few landed true. eventually, Korse managed a shot out the window that landed square in the spine of the killjoy riding on the back of the bike. they jerked harshly to the side before slumping off the bike and crashing into the fast-moving ground below.

another tally mark.

the teal-haired 'joy driving the bike looked back and screamed after their companion, and though the sound of their voice didn't carry over the loud thrum of engines, it was clear their face was contorted into a look of fierce grief. angel took the opportunity of this rebel's distraction to her own advantage, firing several shots at the vehicle in front of him and eventually managing to take out their front tire.

the teal-haired 'joy went careening over the front of the bike as they lost control, slamming hard into the road in front of them. Korse hit the brakes, stopping the car perfectly along the roadside before striding out and over to the fallen 'joy. they weren't dead, surprisingly enough, and he sauntered over to them with a hearty chuckle before hauling them to their feet.

Korse probably said something after that, probably launched off into one of his monologues, as he had always liked to hear his own voice. but angel had tuned him out. she was busy staring into the eyes of the 'joy dangling from Korse's grip, the rebel who was screaming in agony and spitting in the exterminator's face through tears and blood that streaked their face.

a face that angel- ghoul- recognized.

it was raven, xir sibling, just a little bit older and in a hell of a lot worse shape than when he'd last seen them. last looked into those eyes, last heard them sing her to sleep, last heard them curse BLi and vow to "fuck them over like they've fucked us over." and it all clicked.

BLi wasn't her family, what was xe doing here? they stole them from him and now xe was out here doing their dirty work? defending this disgusting corporation that had destroyed every aspect of his life over and over again?

and now they had to destroy even more, more than they could bear to.

they pulled the trigger.

another tally mark.

~~~

xe didn't talk the whole way back to batt city, which in and of itself wasn't all that unusual. but Korse seemed oblivious enough to not notice the tears that threatened to wash over his cheeks, the scream that felt like it would wrench its way out of their throat, the deep red marks that were left where her nails dug into skin.

she didn't talk the rest of the afternoon. taking dinner early, heading back up to the barracks, hiding their gun underneath the bed.

he had a plan.

it wasn't pretty. it wasn't well-executed. it wasn't even heroic. it was just rageful.

ghoul escaped battery city in a hail of laser fire, screaming at the top of xir lungs until it hurt to breathe as they stole the nearest motorbike and shot anyone in her way.

they didn't expect to survive.

she didn't expect to be alone in the desert, blood from both his own wounds and witch knows how many dracs soaked into every inch of their solid white uniform. but here they were, stuck out in the cold, bike out of gas, and all alone under the stars, shaking with rage and terror and anguish.

they don't like being alone.