The river

          to  be  cruel  and  uncaring  were  in  the  so  -  called  cards  of  bronson’s  life,  but  only  to  a  certain  extent.  manipulation  and  things  of  the  like  came  easily  to  him,  though  by  no  means  naturally  —  these  were  skills  and  values  bestowed  upon  him  in  his  early  years,  thanks  to  his  father.  and  he  took  the  brunt  of  that  knowledge  and  conditioning  so  his  younger  brother  never  had  to,  and  look  where  it’s  landed  him.  with  a  demeanor  one  may  call  stone  -  cold  until  he  can  will  himself  to  drop  such  facades.  a  rare  feat  the  more  time  passes,  but  still  doable,  and  for  that  he’s  grateful.  as  grateful  as  one  could  be,  anyway.  a  brow  quirks  as  he  watches  the  other  and  the  the  can  that  has  chosen  to  engage  in  it’s  own  adventure  —  much  like  those  commercials  from  childhood,  where  the  can  would  tumble  from  the  shelf  and  roll  out  the  store.  “  sure,  ”  he  speaks  through  a  breath  and  a  smile  at  his  lips,  taking  a  few  steps  forward  before  stopping  the  can  before  it  can  get  too  far.  bronson  picks  it  up,  holding  it  out  to  the  other.  “  i  wouldn’t  open  that  any  time  soon,  however.  there’d  be  a  whole  other  mess  on our  hands,  then.  ”  he  walks  a  moment  before  taking  a  seat,  one  leg  crossed  over  the  other  ;  before  he  folds  his  hands  in  his  lap,  bronson  gestures  to  the  seat  beside  him.  “  i’ve  cracked  a  rib  or  two  in  my  time.  there’s  definitely  nothing  enjoyable  about  such  injuries.  it’ll  really  fuck  with  your  entire  life  until  they  heal.  ”  after  a  moment  of  consideration,  bronson  finds  himself  holding  his  hand  out  to  the  other.  “  BRONSON  ST.  JOHN.  if  sitting  in  random  bouts  of  comfortable  silence  is  your  thing,  then  i’m  your  man.  ”

Xavier wasn’t always like this. He had never been a happy go lucky guy but once upon time there was an air of playfulness that would come with him and taking on the title of the glorious knight had made him noble and approachable. However a lot changed ever since Daniel’s demise, and Xavier couldn’t look at himself let alone anyone else without thinking he should have done better. It hardened him as a person and ever since he had keep everyone at arm’s length and pushed any positive traits he might have had once. But there was that saying that your true self never really goes away even when it’s hidden and Xavier’s hated to admit that sometimes there was a side him that looked for entertaintment still. Just like now. When the guy said it would make more of a mess if he opened the can Xavier was tempted to do just that. The hospital had been too gloom and surely two older adults being covered in soda foam would turn them into a bunch of laughing stocks. “I’m seconds away from doing that now just because you said that. You look like you could use some enjoyment. Both of us do.” He admitted and he looked at the sat beside him before sitting down. “I train people to fight so I shouldn’t have been this. Been awhile since the last time your old man here stepped into the ring though.” He said. Xavier turned to face him. Something about the guy seemed familiar but maybe the medication was making him confused just a little. “Xavier. Xavier Dixon. If sitting mostly in silence and listening to a grown man grunt awkwardly in frustration every few seconds is your thing then I’m yours.” He shook his hand. His grip was firm but not suffocating. 

[ December 31st, 2020, New Year’s Eve ; The Blackwell Party - before the chaos. ]

Growing up with two extravagant families, so to speak, Micah wasn’t precisely a stranger to formal celebrations — her perspective sprawled over the gray area, ruminiating that it could be quite dull at times but there was a fragment of her that adored the lavishness. The people here, Blackwells, admittedly had a magnificent taste when it came to decorations, as proven by her spouse’s rather distracted hues, but it was still a little barren in her opinion, lacking the bubblegum music she would desire to listen for giggles and sheer entertainment. Alas, she could adapt, deliquesce into her proper realm and smoothening her dress, although there was nothing about it that would cover the inked skin she had etched herself with. Everyone seemed quite apprehensive still, particularly after the enigmatic emergence from the brothers but the purple-haired attempted not to act cynical, and instead relish in the festivity as much as she could. She was already starting, sipping on a lightly alcoholic drink and already a giggle was bubbling in her throat. She spoke to the person next to her, head tilted to watch her surroundings. “Something about this feels so pretentious, but you can’t help but savor some parts of it — like some of the outfits, more than a few of them questionable.” A chuckle left her, shaking her head and subtly wishing she had her recorder with her now. “So. Have you got any plans for the big New Year’s countdown later? A kiss or more drinks?” 

Xavier didn’t really fit in. In the ocean of well dressed people and them laughing at the stupidest jokes he had ever heard the man stood out tall with his mouth sewn. He wasn’t sure what had dragged him here in the first place. He wasn’t here looking for a suitor but maybe he was just around trying to recall the good old times he would have drinking down his sorrows and cozying up to his late lover who was more sociable then he was but was just much as an anarchist in his soul. He missed the quips he would do when the riches would come down the stairs, his endless knowledge and dry jokes but Xavier tried to gulp another drink in order to help him forget. He was looming around the corner when someone spoke to him. He couldn’t exactly comment on what she said at first and instead just shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t the fashion type. He didn’t care if someone walked in bare and a part of him wished someone would just for the fun of it. “It’s Blackwells. Of course they’re pretentious.” For the sake of not intimidating the harmless looking girl he shook his head and let his expression soften just a bit. “More drinks. You think anyone would want to kiss this damn mouth?” He replied semi joking even though it fell flat. “What about you? Here with anyone?” He knew who she was and who she was with but he played dumb for now. 

          [  where  :  massachusetts  general  hospital.           when  :  new  years  day,  late  evening.           @salemstart​.  ]

          have  you  ever  heard  the  tale  of  the  scorpion  and  the  frog  ?  this  is  of  similar  vein.  that  is  to  say,  he  is  the  scorpion  of  this  tale,  and  many  others.  in  most  cases,  anyway.  he  will  say,  however,  that  kindness  is  not  a  sign  of  weakness  nor  vulnerability  (  because  in  truth,  kindness  could  be  one’s  strongest  attribute  )  ;  but  merely  a  side  of  himself  he  finds  far  rarer  than  usual  these  days.  with  that  being  said,  he  can’t  help  but  feel  a  twinge  of  guilt  as  he  roams  these  halls.  people  who  were  injured  (  and  didn’t  deserve  it,  he  must  admit  it,  but  every  war  has  its  share  of  casualties  )  and  those  who  were  worried  for  the  ones  they  care  most  about,  hidden  away  in  private  rooms  or  lurking  in  the  waiting  room.  he  finds  a  familiar  face  (  several,  actually,  some  who  walked  away  unscathed  or  with  minor  injuries,  and  some  lying  in  hospital  beds  of  their  own  )  and  that  twinge  of  guilt  hits  him  again.  with  as  much  thought  and  grace  as  he  can  muster,  with  a  certain  tightness  in  his  chest  he  struggles  to  bury  deep  within,  he  approaches  the  other.  “  are  you  alright  ?  ”  he  speaks  quietly,  accent  tilting  his  words  and  carrying  them  through  the  quiet  halls.  “  do  you  —  is  there  any  way  i  can  help,  with  anything  ?  even  if  it’s  a  comforting  presence  of  sorts.  ”

If there was one thing Xavier wished he could do now it would be channeling out his anger for the events that transpired. Long ago he had made an oath to himself he would no longer give a shit about the lives of these people but his heart no matter how many times he tried to convince himself had turned ice cold still cared. Caring was the least he wanted to do. Caring brought him to the demise of his past lover and regret culminating since he saw him breathing out his last few breaths. And yet now even injured, Xavier found himself looking around trying to make sure none that he knew was in agony. Or dying. He kept his head down as he continued walking around with a sling propping his arm as if he needed it in the first place. He didn’t, he kept telling himself but found that sentiment moot when he stood before a vending machine and his can of sad was rolling on the ground which he couldn’t pick up. Xavier stared at it in annoyance while grumbling under his breath the unfortunate situation he was in. He looked up when someone spoke to him and offered his help. He paused. He wanted to be stubborn but Xavier knew he would only look like a fool. “If you could..... Pick that soda for me. Cracked ribs fuck you off when you try to bend apparently.” He sighed. “Not sure if a comforting presence is exactly what I need. I suppose I could use some company but that’s about it.” He wanted to threaten him but what good could he do when he was like this. 

“Not exactly. I’ll be there at the party but don’t go expecting me to rub elbows much. If I’m not working at that time and I see something amiss I’ll reverse gear fast. just gonna be around for the damn hooch.”

[ december 13th ; turtle woods apartments ]

She’d never seen anything like it, not in person, anyway. Just days ago Bram had spoken to the “man of the house”, had set up the perfect time for her to go into his home and scope things out, their worry and emotion enough to escalate to the point of rushing. Bram hadn’t expected to see what she did, hadn’t expected there to be police officers waiting around outside, writing in notebooks and taking statements from neighbors. The sight was frightening, but the blonde needed to know what had happened between saying goodbye and arriving, and she needed to know immediately. There was a guilt that had settled over her when she began looking around, and as if on cue, that’s when the Blackwell brothers appeared. Seconds passed, feeling like minutes as they stared one another down, sending a permanent chill up her spine and making her turn and leave. An unexplainable event, but one that Bram wouldn’t shake. Not for a long time.

Now, she sat outside her apartment building, her laptop in her lap and books spread out around her. It was in her nature to be curious, to know everything there was to know, and the best place to start was with Alan and Frederick. She’d been so deep into her research that the approaching footsteps barely phased her, small fingers tapping against her keyboard and blue eyes darting up to meet the other’s gaze. “Hey,” she muttered, that cold chill still making her shake, but not visibly. “Have you ever seen something so beyond crazy, you’re not sure you should mention it to someone else?”

@salemstart​

Xavier had not gone out much ever since the spookfest thinking the town he had been trying to avoid for months now was back in the shithole again. Frankly he had always known this would happen sooner or later. Mysterious figures appearing and then things like murder getting under the rug. As someone who worked for one of the families he shouldn’t have let this faze him but he couldn’t help thinking back of what he had lost during the bigger war and he was anxuous to say at least that someone else lives would be put at stake. He was mostly referring to his pupils since he didn’t really care for others save for a couple of people he could count with one hand. Xavier was distant but it doesn’t mean these events have not bothered him in the slighest. Xavier was visiting a pupil’s parents in their apartment. They’d been talking about semi finals that would happen soon by the end of this year.

As he was waiting around outside for his Lyft to pick him up he overheard a girl talking about some craziness and he assumed it was linked to the latest hysterics. Xavier didn’t usually like talking to many people. He was guard as he was but he was also bored out of his mind so he figured a conversation wouldn’t hurt. “All the time.” Xavier said but didn’t explain more. As a guard for Lieseils he had seen things beyond comprehension and even gore right before his naked eye. “What did you see? I’ve been hearing a lot of strange stories lately.” He admitted acting like he doesn’t know what has been happening.

[ henderson hospital. ]

Seated in the waiting area now that her blonde spouse had separated from her side to tend to her injured friend, she had divagated her attention from the television to the aquarium in the corner of the room. Sighing, she lowered her chin to rest in her hands, watching the fish swim around and around in their bowl, and she didn’t turn her head when she heard someone nearing her side and taking a seat. Assuming they were going to be tuning into the news channel that had been looping the incident at town square and a subsequent rash of chaos that had broken out, she hummed melancholically and said softly, “Ain’t much to see except a load of bullshit, if you ask me.” Her fingers twisted in her pinks locks, tapping her index fingers against her temples and mimicking the gills of the fish swooping around in circles. Her son wasn’t enthused by the sea creatures, but she thought her twins would have smiled or gurgled ogling at the sight of their mother making faces. Leaning back in her chair, her chest glissaded with another deep exhale, smiling to herself watching the colorful fish. “Are you here to see someone too, or are the beds in the hospital filling up? It seems like half the town is here tonight.” Her thin fingers combing through her hair, she curled her fingers and toyed with her ring, looking over at her newfound company. “Time passes so slowly in these places. No fun, huh?”

Throughout the ordeal Xavier had been mostly silent thinking he might have known who was causing these weird stuff. However he couldn’t just point his fingers despite his position and knowing if he happened to be right then rat him out then they would kick his ass or make him quit the job possibly risking his other he had built with passion. Xavier looked around the hospital. He came here a lot to buy medication for himself and stress relievers to keep him steady though the place brought bad memories to him it didn’t sour him down as much as it used to. Daniel was gone and he wasn’t coming and that’s that. He was just here to get his things after the riot at the town square. He had managed to do his duty making sure everyone else was safe before he got here again. He was looking around while waiting for nurses to come back seeing some familiar faces but Xavier was good at keeping his emotions and poker face. He turned when someone spoke to him and the girl looked familiar enough. “Oh it’s you.” He was quite the face that was hard to dismiss especially after her visit to his gym it was just hard to find someone with a bright personality in a town so melow. “Just getting some things. Painkillers and a check up make sure everythings fine.” He said nodding. “Well.... It’s a hospital. It isn’t supposed to be sunshines and rainbows.” He replied a matter of factly. “Why do you think it was all bullshit?” He asked. Then he continued. “Are you here to see someone or get patched up yourself?” 

Alice wasn’t sure how long she’d been hiding behind the headstone–it could’ve been five minutes, it could’ve been an hour. Frankly, she was too terrified to try and figure it out. Suddenly, in a matter of seconds, she’d gone from loving horror films to actually being in one. She’d seen many films like this time and time again–they were slasher films full of scream queens and it looked this time around, she was playing the role of the hot blonde. Fuck. They always die. Everything had just happened so damn fast. First, Iris had fallen into the grave full of cold, wet dirt. At first, Alice had just thought her sister was hysterical because she’d fallen into a fucking grave but she quickly realized that it was far worse than that. Alice hadn’t had much time to read the message that was spray-painted across the corpse before a stranger had jumped out at the group and started screaming at them. Without thinking, they’d all scattered. Rule number one of a horror film: splitting up is never a good idea. The blonde hadn’t even turned around to see if the stranger was gaining on her. In her haste, she hadn’t watched where she was going and thud– She’d tripped over a fucking gravestone. You’re a fucking goner, thisisitthisisitthisisit. Not wanting to waste a minute, she immediately scurried around another headstone, hunched over, and waited. She tried her best to stifle her heavy breathing, listening for footsteps, her heart racing a million fucking miles a minute. It wasn’t until she’d taken a second to rest that the searing pain in her ankle set in. Wanting to be prepared for the night, she’d worn her white high-tops instead of black heels but not even her sensible shoes had been able to save her–her ankle was already swollen and she bit her lip so hard that she drew blood. At least she’d dealt with this sort of pain before–what now seemed like another lifetime ago, she remembered how Tristan had once broken her arm after a rather volatile argument. You can do this. You’re fine. She sat there–she couldn’t tell for how long but she sat there, waiting, listening, trying to decide if she should try to move–and if she even could. After a moment, she heard approaching footsteps crunching the crisp leaves and she held her breath–this was fucking it, she was done. Thankfully, when she looked up, her eyes met someone familiar, someone who, as far as she knew, wasn’t a homicidal maniac. “Jesus Christ, you almost gave me a fucking heart attack.”

Xavier couldn’t say he hadn’t expected something like this to happen especially when he was familiar with how the families operated and the darkness clouding their town although he wasn’t sure if Warhol or Lieseil had a hand in this. He was only around to visit his late lover and then finish the task so he could go home and have another bottle of booze. He wasn’t a peoples person and he didn’t expect himself to be one anytime soon.  However when shit hit the fan he knew he had to do something. He couldn’t careless about his team’s goals but he wasn’t just going to let them go around unsupervised as the oldest person there. It was common sense rather than his need to cooperate and he couldn’t let anyone get hurt under his watch. He walked to inspect the corpse one last time and made sure the attacker no longer hung around the place. It seemed like they were hiding but Xavier had no problems ushering them off he needed to. He was a good combatant and he could easily earn an upperhand though he preferred to not get his hands dirty if he could. He walked around the cemetery only to hear someone fall. He approached the sound and looked down to see one of his teammates... Alice wasn’t it? He cocked his head to the side before raising his hands to show he didn’t mean any harm. “I’m friendly.” He said. “You look like you hurt yourself pretty bad there. We should call someone to help. Is your phone working? Do you have anyone that could take your home?” He asked. “I would take you but I gotta be sure that piece of shit isn’t going anywhere.” 

Mickey didn’t have any children of his own, but sometimes his father would get in a little over his head and end up dating a woman with a kid or two. So, when he wated to impress her, he agreed to watch them for a few hours. That included Mickey somehow having to babysit and he didn’t like it but hey, it did pass the time. “Oh, I am visiting technically. Waiting for one of the classes to end to pick up a kid for his mom. Blake, I think that’s what she said. I honestly can’t remember. I might have to call her and ask her.”

Xavier nodded his head lazily. People came and went either to register their kids or themselves or they were just here to watch their progress. It was nothing new though whoever this young man was Xavier could tell he really wasn’t into it. Kind of a shame since he looked pretty well built and like he could take on people if he wanted to but it wasn’t Xavier’s place to judge. He had learned his lesson that sometimes observation needed to just be that. He needed to keep his mouth shut unless someone managed to slip through his high defenses. “I know Blake. Energetic kid. Wants to learn a lot at once. He’s taking a break right now with his friends. You want me to call him here?” He suggested. “Classes are over in an hour. So you might want to check back later. You can stay here in the meantime though if you want.” 

She tailed after the kind gentleman toward the locker rooms of the fitness center, ignoring the musk of sweat and body odor that permeated the halls and the individuals clambering out of their showers. Anabelle didn’t have a wandering eye and knew how to respect others’ privacy at training centers, the few times she had held gym subscriptions. Heather was the gym rat between the two of them, which she supposed she could understand given the blonde’s history with violence. Over time, her own need to embellish her skills had dwindled to a lackadaisical musing in the daytime, perfectly content to focus on her parenting. She had learned them for fun and not necessarily for survival, although it helped in a pinch. Brushing her hair behind her ears, she waited patiently for him to locate the one that matched up with the number on the lightly used key and smiled when he pointed it out to her. “Yay,” she enthused, clapping her hands together and moving toward the locker, chuckling softly, “Yes, I can do it. There’s no pot of gold in here and I imagine it may just be clothes. It took me a while to gather up the energy to do so, I suppose.” Could anyone blame her? He had been stolen from her far too soon. Yes, the raven-haired was ecstatic with her life but she did not perceive herself as wholly accepting the departure of her husband. It never stopped hurting. Her sorrows were less palpable than they once were and tolerable on eves her mind was at peace. Sliding the key into the lock and turning it, she turned her head, inquiring curiously, “Are you a hotshot here or something? Everyone’s acting like you drive the cattle.” The southern tinge in her voice highlighted, she grinned brightly at the stoic male. She’d developed a knack, over the years, for trying to sprinkle light into the days of others if she could. 

Xavier watched her and he couldn’t help smiling a bit. He had a soft spot for the people who looked bright like that remembering how his early days where he wasn’t so stumped over by the heaviness of life. He was too consumed by what he did now watching over people here and then working for the people who used to be his enemies for the sake of what.... Greed and money might be the best way to describe the feeling but he was just finding some time to kill while hoping he could gain intel if he could. See he wasn’t the same knight everyone prided but it didn’t mean chivalry had died within him. He walked her over to where her locker was and then when he studied it he recognized who it belonged to. His smile faded a bit as he remembered what happened. He didn’t know the details but he knew that the owner used to be a patron here. He wasn’t close with the adults around here at all finding them to just be a bunch of people who gave him income but he had heard chips and whispers and he treated patrons with respect. “I see. I remember him. He was a quiet guy wasn’t he.” He said. He didn’t have good memories with faces and names but some stood out to him. When she asked if he was a shot there he just shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t hold up his reputation high but he was good at his job that much was obvious. “I mean. You could say that. I own the place and so far no one has managed gain an upperhand wrestling me down. Okay well. There’s two. Him.” He pointed to the locker casually. “And then the other is....... She was a kid. She doesn’t come around here anymore. Shame.” Xavier said continuing to watch her. “You find all you were looking for?” 

maisy was a big coupon clipper. it gave her things to do during the day. she felt bad hanging around cyrek’s place all day, so during the day sometimes she’d pop into the library and go through the newspaper looking for coupons. if she found anything cyrek or evren could use she’d usually bring them the coupons. last week however, she’d found one she could really use. it was for a free starter lesson at dixon’s fist fury training centre for self defence. living on the streets made it difficult to stay safe at times. people had tried to rob her before to get the dew things she’d had so in order to protect herself and her possessions she was going to go to the free session. maybe if she liked it enough, she could put it on her list of things to buy once she’d gotten a job. when she entered the studio, she looked around. it looked cool. she was excited to get to learn about how to defend herself and how to fight. she usually carried a knife or pepper spray with her, but maybe she could trade those in for her fists. maisy looked over when she heard the man speaking to her. “i’m here for the free session.”, she said, reaching into her small bear shaped purse and pulling out the coupon. “are you gonna teach me to beat people up?”, she asked, looking at the kids sparring. 

The person who walked in was so small in comparison to him that he thought it was just another kid lost. But upon closer inspection he realized it was a face he didn’t know and when she started speaking he was reminded by that stupid free coupon stuff his employees had come up to promote the place. He couldn’t even understand why they even needed to promoto when this was supposed to be a lowkey thing but Xavier was too tired to argue. As long as he could train people guess he could just suck it up. He towered over when he approached the girl and frowned when she said she was here to learn how to beat people up. Oh how he hated calling it that. The purpose of this training center was to defend people from others beating them up and not the other way around. He was trying to protect kids not teach them how chaff each other. He sighed and shook his head. “No. But I’m here to teach you how to defend yourself.” He said. She looked like she could get flown by the wind so he wasn’t sure where to begin. It doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be open to trying though. It was what he was here for. “What do you know about self defense? Other than beat people up. Which we don’t do here.” He said. “And..... Where did you find that coupon again?”