𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖞?

𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧. 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 . 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 . 𝘸𝘤. 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 . 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴 . 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 . 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 . 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 . 𝘥𝘰𝘤.

&&.    there’s   no   sort   of   disdain   toward   the   people   of   faction   three   that   mara   has.   they   understand   the   decision,   why   it   was   made   and   how   it   was   done.   perhaps   she   was   TOO   understanding,   but   that   didn’t   matter   -   mara   still   appreciated   faction   three,   they   were   still   good   people,   reliable.   “you   were   a   teacher   before…?”   they   drifted   off,   allowing   the   question   to   settle   in   for   itself.   mara   cleared   their   throat,   scooching   forward   in   the   wooden   chair.   ziggy’s   kind,   mara   appreciates   that,   which   is   why   she   smiles   as   she   fiddles   with   the   pen   in   their   hand.   but   soon,   the   smile   fades   and   mara   nods,   understanding.   “i   know   that,”   she   agrees   and   sigh   leaves   their   lips.   “everything   is   going   out   of   my   control,   and   i   suppose,   i   hate   that.   i’ve   never   had   power   before,   no   one   has.”

bringing up his prior life elicits a bright smile and small nod. ziggy’s love for teaching persists despite the ever constant cloud of imposter syndrome and despite any sign that he may ever be able to return to it again.  “ oh yeah! english actually, which is kinda funny when i think back to how little i liked english class back when i was in high-school. i always thought those classics were so boring. never gave it a second thought until college, and then — ”  his hands draw up to his head, fanning imaginary objects above his brain,  “ — it clicked! light bulbs! and you know, it took me quite some time, almost, what .... twenty-three years to figure it out?”  ziggy hesitates then, looking out over their plans before giving her shoulder a small pat,  “ no one expects you to get it over night and be perfect. if they do, they’ve gotta be an alien or an angel because only aliens and angels can expect perfection. ”   

﹡          theories   have   flown   around   since   the   very   first   night,   aliens,   and   the   government,   and   a   mass   abduction    —    a   top   secret   experiment,   maybe   they   all   died   and   this   was   their   punishment.   sinners   sent   to   hell   among   the   virtuous,   call   this   purgatory   instead   of   paradise   or   perdition.   eloise   looks   at   riley   and   scoffs   humorlessly   at   the   observation   of   the   smell.   the   fire   may   extinguish   and   the   flames   may   have   dwindled   into   nothing   but   coal,   but   it   is   not   gone.   yet.   she   inhales   deeply   anyway   before   letting   her   gaze   flicker   away   from   him.      “      a   dome?   do   you   suppose   that   means   we’ll   be   smelling   the   smoke   for   a   couple   of   more   months?      ”      her   arms   cross.      “    or,   do   you   think   there’s   some   sort   of   air   vent   up   there?      ”

their initial inclination is to retreat: lock away any and all further ideas and play into yet another joke. but this is eloise, and if the past three months of living here with her have shown him anything, it’s that given a little push and both of their minds start working in tandem. riley ebbs while eloise flows, and the process continues with each learning from and growing with the other in some sort of pseudo-symbiotic relationship.  “ i sure hope so. ”  their own eyes rise up into the sky, as if they might be able catch some subtle flaw in the petridish they’ve all found themselves in. test subjects. victims. FOOLS ( more likely than not ).  “ if this is really some dome without any kind of vents to the outside, it’s only a matter of time. ”  their tone comes out harsh as they continue to squint relentlessly into the sun. riley has never been afraid of the morbid or macabre, but they’re not ready to roll over and call it quits. not yet at least.  “ only way to find out is see how far and high this potential dome reaches. ”  a pause, as yet another film reference comes to mind.  “ ever seen the truman show? ”

“ah, yeah.” zane isn’t as dumb as he seems, but when it comes to matters of politics, he truly doesn’t have a clue. and the other is right: none of these silly factions will save them. it’s sheer politics. yet zane doesn’t know enough to comment on it, and instead flashes him a smile, in hopes of charming them into not making zane talk about faction politics. “i think… uh, i think finn is really nice. she’s doing their best.” a terribly naive answer, maybe, but the faction 3 co-leader really is wonderful to zane.

loyalty. if they weren’t so adverse to the idea of their former friend or anyone trying the failed idea of yet another faction without fixing the problems that led to the near ruin of the first two, riley might admire him, find his words endearing even.  “ a saccharine kinda sweet, isn’t she? ”  the corners of their lips turn upwards into a devilish grin with the slight twist of their words, but it’s as far as they’ll go with teasing her when she’s not there to defend herself. critiquing the entire faction leadership is one thing, but any personal feelings towards finn are to be left between the two of them.  

“ you’re all so hush hush over there in three. i feel like it’s only a matter of time before we start hearing about may queens being pronounced, and sweet lil finn flouncing about in dress of flowers. ”  their joke blooms and grows in their chest, but they force themself to hold a faux-serious look, not wanting to break before they reach their final punch line,  “ tell me, zane, do you feel held by them? ”  if the dramatics of their delivery don’t give away that this is all one large bit to them, the laughter that spills out surely does. not once does he consider the fact that maybe not everyone has seen the film or knows of it enough to get the punchline. ( if you asked him, the score alone does more than enough to launch it into iconic filmmaking ).

𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽:  hollow  falls  park  .

𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚂:  open  !

               (   *      ──     𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄  𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐒  𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇  𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐃  𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐄  from  the  duties  of  being  one  of  the  co  -  leaders  of  new  ham’s  third  faction  .  finnegan  contemplates  the  falls  in  silence  that  is  only  broken  when  they  hear  footsteps  behind  them  ,  gentle  voice  accompanied  by  birdsong  .  ❛  do  you  hear  that  see  see  see  sound  ?  they’re  …  ❜  a  pause  as  they  look  down  at  an  edition  of  birdwatcher’s  digest  they’ve  borrowed  ,  ❛  golden  -  crowned  kinglets  .  they’ve  got  the  coolest  little  yellow  and  red  mohawk  .  isn’t  that  adorable  ?  ❜

he doesn’t remember an autumn’s day this cold. making another attempt to look her straight on, ziggy shivers once more before haphazardly pulling his sweater’s sleeves further over his hands. with the sun beating down on them, it should be lovely weather for birdwatching with an old friend, but his nerves and the tension his muscles hold make him fall into a bought of subtle shivers once more.  “ they are quite cute aren’t they? ”  his eyes stay unnaturally focused and forced on the gold-crowned kinglet in question, as if one subtle slip might cause him to bear all of the grime buried beneath.  “ my moms always used to keep hummingbird feeders in the yard. don’t think i’ve seen any here. it’s a shame. ”  small talk. simple, emotionless small talk.

cocoa tasting good is certainly a sentiment that zane agrees with. before he can voice his agreement, however, the older man starts rambling. “uh… i mean. yeah. do you, uh… maybe we can find some hot cocoa? that could be our adventure for the day. living life on the fast lane.” it’s probably too much risk just for some hot cocoa, but the boy learned long ago that he couldn’t resist leaping into danger.

“ oh! ”  the excitement building inside breaches his features. his lips stretch into a broad grin, only hesitating slightly when he remembers exactly why he’s here. ziggy has a one track mind, always has, and with something as rewarding as hot chocolate during a late night shift, it only becomes more pronounced.  “ there’s gotta be some kind of break room in here with some kind of kettle, right? wouldn’t have to adventure out too far that way. i could even, you know, keep my eyes on things. multitasking. ”

❪  🍂   ❫      𝙾𝙿𝙴𝙽  𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁    :    anyone .

        𝚂𝚄𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶   𝙴𝚈𝙴𝚂   scanned   idly   over   the   isles   of   the   drug   store   ,     a   hint   of   boredom   being   casted   over   round   features .     being   one   of   the   guards   on   duty   for   the   drug   store   wasn’t   such   a   bad   thing   but   it   surely   wasn’t   something   that   kept   his   interests   much   of   the   time .   what   did   manage   to   give   him   a   bit   of   excitement   this   time   around   was   the   person   in   there   with   him .   they’ve   been   seen  a   couple   of   times   throughout   the   past   few   days   and   it   actually   annoyed   the   man   a   bit .   ❛    LISTEN   ,   i   don’t   know   what   the   hell   you   do   with   your   supplies   but   try   to   start   saving   your   shit   up   ,   will   ya   ?   you   aren’t   the   only   person   here .    ❜

the brashness of the other man is a bit jarring, but ziggy remains in good spirits. in ziggy’s mind, conflict should be avoided at all costs. it’s all so much better, so much lighter even to just apologize for whatever it is they’re accusing you of and move right along. this, however, catches him a bit off guard.  “ oh! but that’s less sustainable! ‘m sorry for not saying so earlier on. ”  ziggy pauses just long enough to ruffle through his jacket pocket for the single serving of allergy medicine he had grabbed.  “ see? just one of them. no need for hoarding, and it saves you from having supplies go bad or losing them. ”  it was something his mothers had always enforced, and, as always, something ziggy tried his best to mimic.  “ these seasonal allergies sure are bad though, wouldn’t you say? i wonder if this place has different pollen than the old university. ”

location: picnic area at west ham commons.

       fingers fumble with the current task at hand — sewing a lone button back onto her prized flannel shirt. admittedly, the shirt had seen better days but noelle clung to it like the fabric was imported silk, the item holding far too much sentimental value for her to toss it. her frustration builds as she tries to thread the needle, attention turning to the sun that was now directly in her line of sight. “ is it just me or are the days getting longer ? ” as each day transformed into the next, it seemed as though time seemed to drag on ( or maybe she was finally losing it ) . she laughs but it’s dry and bitter, shaking her head as she rolls the button between her fingers. “ you know, i rarely enjoy watching the sunset anymore … just means another long ass day is on its way. ”

riley watches quietly as the member from faction three tries her hand at sewing. they’ve never been patient nor delicate enough to do such, instead they tend to save their fingers for typing coding and producing, both skills that seem near useless now.  “ hm? ”  they’re caught off guard, eyes lazily rising to look up into the sky as well. an ache builds in their chest as they watch idly as the colors shift from pale yellows to deep, warm oranges and reds. soon, too, they know the blues and purples will come in, a signal of the dark that will soon cast over all of them. what a shame when they used to love the moon.  “ guess, so, but you know ... ”  they take just a moment longer before at last riley forces their emotions back and refocuses on noelle.  “ i personally love watching the sunrise, so maybe it’s just a matter of you needing to have a bit more fun. shake things up, like — ”  one moment longer, just enough time to conjure up something on a whim,  “ — if this were our last night here, no more annoying ass long days and sunsets, what’s the one thing you’d wanna do before getting thrown back into the real world? ”

she  was  taught  to  share.  it  was  the  polite  thing  to  do  though  growing  up  so  wealthy,  it  felt  like  a  facade.  her  parents  definitely  didn’t  share  their  wealth  so  was  the  whole  aspect  of  ‘sharing  is  caring’  just  a  show?  the  liquor  store  had  already  been  thoroughly  raided,  she  was  one  of  the  first  few,  smart  enough  to  hide  the  most  expensive  of  tequilas  in  the  rafters.  only  just  now  going  to  retrieve  it.  to  say  that  vanessa  had  changed  a  lot  was  a  massive  understatement.  a  fallen  angel.  once  an  uptight,  popular  girl  who  had  the  world  at  her  fingertips.  now  she  was  rebellious,  closed  off,  meaner.  why  be  fake  anymore?  what  was  the  point.  a  soft  sigh  escaped  from  her  lips  as  she  took  a  sip,  “you’re  lucky  i’m  in  a  good  mood  today.  i’ll  share.”

please assume plots! basically she was your stereotypical super popular girl, on the cheer squad, dated the jocks, probably homecoming queen and now she’s like the complete opposite. a total 180! 

fatigue hangs on his bones, making him feel worn down and foggy. riley is all too accustomed with advocating for himself, having done it nearly perfectly all their life, but that had always been in a world whose rules & laws they had grown comfortable navigating. this place — whatever it was — was completely new, so who was to say it wouldn’t be a good idea to sit down and have a drink or two, despite their current physical state.  " do i give off oliver twist vibes to you? ”  eyebrows hitch playfully as they reach out for the bottle.  “ thank you, kind madam. i promise to remember the kind favor, ”  riley adds on, in something that sounds like an attempt at a british accent, before lifting the bottle to their lips to take a sip.  “ ah, fuck, dude! you having problems sleeping too because much more of this, and i’ll be counting sheep and watching pigs fly across the sky. ”

location: mcdermott drugstore availability: any!

survival  now  took  on  a  different  meaning  than  it  had  the  earlier  part  of  her  life.  everything  had  always  been  about  survival,  where  they  were  going  to  eat,  sleep,  how  they  were  going  to  get  to  school,  how  she  was  going  to  pay  for  college,  even  her  escape  plan.  survival  now  was  still  in  the  same  vein  with  the  same  issues,  just  a  different  set  of  skills.  she  needed  to  take  a  step  back  and  reevaluate  the  means  of  which  she  was  given,  the  means  of  which  they  were  all  fighting  for.  autumn  had  braced  the  walk  to  mcdermott,  having  turned  over  her  own  bottle  of  ibuprofen  and  turning  up  empty  handed.  maybe  it  was  the  weather,  or  the  migraine  headache,  or  the  last  town  meeting  they  had  attended,  but  her  mood  was  sour,  and  she’s  certain  the  look  on  her  face  said  it  all.  she  found  the  medication  she  was  looking  for  easily,  but  apparently  wasn’t  the  only  one  in  need  of  their  limited  supply.  “wait  don’t  tell  me,”  she  feigns  a  pout,  “you  partied  too  hard  the  last  time  we  tapped  into  the  town’s  alcohol  supply  and  you’re  truly  paying  the  price?”  

lack of sleep combined with unbridled fear after the fire in faction 2′s territory left ziggy with less ability to keep things organized in his brain than usual. he had even made a checklist for himself: ‘clean & change bandages from the burn on your hand each night before bed, remember to keep drinking water throughout the day, and try your best to read a little something light, fluffy even, before bed to help you sleep.’ easy to follow ( in theory ), and yet he had already forgotten about the first thing on his list for two nights in a row.  “ hah. that obvious? ”  he replies, the hand in question dropping into the pocket of his jacket. out of sigh out of mind. he could do without the painkillers after all. clean bandages and antibacterial ointment should do the trick, and it somehow seemed better to be perceived as someone who had a little too much to drink than someone too tired and undone to remember about self-care.  “ it’s all you. i’m sure you have a less pathetic reason for needing it anyways, ”  there’s a small huff of distorted laughter accompanied by a half-hearted smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“ ah my sweet darcy. ”  riley’s eyebrows wiggle with devilish delight at the appearance of their friend near their spot on the shoreline of whitter lake.  “ to what do i owe the pleasure? i do presume their royal highness has very important matters to tend to at the esteemed panther valley castle? ”   mockery laces their tone, but it doesn’t last long. the sunglasses covering their eyes slip down the bridge of their nose, giving them the opportunity to give finn a real look over. condensation dissolves into concern as they add on,  “ let’s just hope you’re remembering to eat and sleep amidst all those very important leader duties you must have. ”