all that glitters...

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 - well, raider just… isn’t. she sits cross legged, oblivious look on her face. lip tilted upward, as big eyes land on marigold. “y’know, meetin’ you - i can see why all the girls ‘round the island can’t shut up about mr. midas.” nose crinkles, as the corner of her lip raises a bit more. shyly. (she couldn’t before, for not so obvious reasons)

@goldntouchs·    /  /    gets a thang

“marigold ~ !”

jules’ voice is rather sing song as she skipped through the hallways of the agency. there had been an idea, something that would make both her father and the woman that she was looking for less easy to track ( stupid golden touch. ) sliding to a stop in front of her office, jules gave a friendly smile towards the woman and moved to sit on one of the chairs “i have a task for you ~” the girl held out of of the pistols from her pocket and grinned “i need you to hold this.”

there’s a pause, and jules grinned again “i’ve been working on something to stop weapons being affected by yours and dad’s golden touch, so – y’know, IO can’t track you, but — i need you to test it out for me.” 

@goldntouchs

𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖔𝖑𝖉    𝖜𝖆𝖘    𝖇𝖚𝖘𝖞    𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍                        something    that    non    other    than    midas    had    tasked    her    with,    looking    to    help    the    cause    of    which    they    all    seem    to    share    under    this    roof,    but    jules    ?    she    always    makes    time    for    jules.    funny    cause    she    was    going    to    stand,    but    the    young    girl    makes    herself    comfortable.    marigold    easily    stops    everything    that    she    was    doing,    leaning    back    in    her    chair,    a    brow    raising    at    just    being    handed    a    weapon.    ‘    have    you    now    ?    ‘    marigold    leans    forward,    fingers    wrapping    around    the    grip,    a    moment    barely    passes    &    she    finds    gold    licking    up    the    grip,    over    the    slide    all    the    way    down    the    barrel    &    sights    of    the    gun.    something    marigold    is    sure    jules    has    seen    a    handful    of    times.    

𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧. a good man. it’s hard to believe something, when so many people tell you the  o p p o s i t e. an imposing force, with a tommy gun at the hip. unloading rounds at foes whom simply wish to defend themselves. those he’s trying to save, who simply wish to see him on his knees. to raid his agency. (it is he who knows what lies underneath them. who knows the truth). - who’s ethics presented a moral dilemma, which sent him to this godforsaken place. though he cannot call upon morals to excuse his years of servitude to the imagined order. is that a glint of disappointment in her similar gaze? in her golden eye? or is it simply confusion. it is as if keeping her eye contact is the hardest thing in the world. harder than pushing back the storm… than building the airtight suit… than being a father.. narrowed brows - could they be twitching beneath the strain? eyes stripped of all emotion but uncertainty. so clearly trying to be hidden behind strength, like he has been successfully doing for so, so long. though those eyes could only shoulder so much of the burden. emotion spilling from their one true cage, as the other has been locked tight long ago, with the blinding white light. finally, he breaks. orbs flickering away from her. down & up - but remaining to the side. lips in an unintentional frown. thick, gilded fingers twitching at his side. teeth pressed, & accentuating cheekbones that could surely cut the tension.

“i promise you, i wasn’t always.” he speaks. yet, perhaps that isn’t as true as it may seem to his biased mind. he looks back up, to her. “& it’s a strange irony  - that this dirty, mortal mediocrity i speak of, exists mostly outside of this loop.” the man he was outside of fatherhood.

𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘    𝖔𝖓    𝖙𝖍𝖊    𝖎𝖘𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖉,                        brainwashed    as    they    were.    thinking    that    the    agency    was    the    real    enemy    when    in    truth,    the    imagined    order    (    such    an    ugly    organization    if    you    ask    her    )    was    the    one    who    was    the    real    enemy.    such    a    shame    that    those    who    are    dropped    onto    the    island,    aren’t    aware    of    that.    storming    onto    the    agency    as    they    do,    forcing    the    hands    of    the    agents    (    along    with    their    respectful    posts    )    &    midas    alike    to    protect    what    is    rightfully    theirs.

but    that    isn’t    what    is    bothering    him    right    now,    or    well,    not    that                𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦.                    but    that    is    a    conversation    for    another    day.    despite    everything    that    he    is    trying    to    do    to    maybe    convince    her    that    he    isn’t    who    she    thinks    he    is,    &    in    truth,    he’s    not    doing    much    or    a    great    job    at    it,    but    marigold    thinks    that    it    doesn’t    matter    what    it    is    that    he    says    at    this    point.    from    the    moment    she’s    met    him,    she’s    seen    him    do    nothing    but    good    things.    

‘    &    now    you’re    inside    the    loop.    ‘    from    what    she    knows,    that    distinction    is    very    important.    ‘    which    means    what    was    doesn’t    matter    anymore.    it’s    what    we’re    fighting    for,    for    all    of    that    to    matter.    but    as    of    now    ?    it    doesn’t    matter.    ‘    

𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, as renegade raider has noticed. her closed lipped smile & goofy face deceiving, to most. not expecting her to be as knowing, or as fierce as she can be. whether it’s in battle, or in planning. passion behind everything she does. she even wears it now - dog tags hanging from her neck, with brunette hair obscured by her hat & goggles. standing with bright eyes, before the agency member. at least not one of those goofy henchmen, walking around - faceless as any io guard. if they weren’t careful, they might have given off the wrong impression. deep as they are bright, eyes continue to look over the woman. “ah, i knew y’couldn’t be.” she waves it off. almost bashful.

“the io ain’t so fashionable.” gestures over her shoes, she laughs. looks back over at her friends, watching marigold greet them. “don’t mind me, i’m just teasin’ -” she begins, quick to stick out a hand for the raven haired woman to shake. excitedly, as always. though as she listens, her smile fades, just a bit - but only because her mind is buzzing like a cricket, building with anticipation of what she could tell them about their mission. eyes sparking a million tiny fires in chocolate pools. “oh we’re doin’ just fine - but we ain’t got all that fancy tech like y’do up at the agency.” her lips & brows scrunch, a bit, though face pulls back into it’s resting smile. “but, little birdies tell me - we all want th’same thing.” she nods. leaning in closer. “so we’d love t’help ya’!” she smiles wider. “or, ‘least i do.” she continues. “we were just afraid mr. midas wouldn’t take too kindly to our storming the agency n’ all - so we just kept outta your way.”

𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌    𝖕𝖊𝖔𝖕𝖑𝖊    𝖜𝖆𝖘    𝖓𝖔𝖙                            in    marigold’s    vocabulary.    well,    at    least    not    anymore.    in    truth,    she    underestimated    tina    some    &    look    where    it    got    her.    she’s    still    grappling    with    herself    to                        be    kind                        &    admit    that    she    is    a    decent    agent.    but    that    was    for    another    time,    another    place.    right    now,    she    was    forming    an    alliance.    one    to    immediately    reach    out    &    take    the    other’s    hand    in    a    shake.    ‘    your    friends    seem    to    be    quite    busy.    i’m    sure    they    will    be    for    a    second.    let’s    get    out    of    the    sun,    take    a    seat    &    just    talk.    ‘    leading    the    other    woman    over    to    some    shade    ‘    mr.    midas    doesn’t    take    kindly    to    much,    but    i’m    sure    i    could    sway    him,    ‘    chin    turning    downwards    with    a    bit    of    a    smile.    ‘    i    think    he    would    listen    to    me.    this    is    of    course,    if    we    really    do    want    the    same    thing.    ‘    

𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬, as his head lies limp between his shoulders. black ink of his tattoos shining purple, whilst they glow in the darkness of the ruins. contrasting with the white wisps of parted hair, alongside a black suit dusted dark. violet. velvet. kept docile, where his voice once rumbled from the basement which housed his device. thundering of the tommy gun unloading into those who attempted to steal it from his cold, unfeeling fingers. yet they weren’t unfeeling. albeit cold. for all intents & purposes, he is midas. an almost mirror image of his counterpart, save for shadow where gold once was. the whiteness of his hair, & the glowing of his eyes. though, his eyes were two of a kind. unburdened by partial blindness. a prime indicator that he is not who he believed himself to be. not midas, at all. in fact, he is a fake. a mirage for the io, & midas’ benefit. a mere toy, built by jules to take the place of the man who had to run away from his failures. a plan which involved ensuring that nobody looked. but what sympathy does one genius possess, for a clone made sentient? & better yet, for one he’s never met. programmed to believe it’s real, with vivid memories & emotions implanted. years & love dedicated to a woman & his daughter - hopes & dreams & trauma. frailty and strength. the experience of crushing death… all for the sake of selling appearances? he had no idea. thinks he’s the billionaire, with the formerly golden touch. reanimated & possessed by revenge. he who the island fears once more… until he is taken down. stood over by long legs in black stockings. a thin woman whom he recognizes, without even looking up to view her sharp cheeks & stern, golden eye. marigold. brows pinch, as he blinks to life with a groan. arms pulling at harsh chains that wind about his wrists & up to his chest. pulling him against metal, & what keeps him stationary. his teeth, not unlike his double, are grinding already. sharp cheekbones accentuated, as he looks up. confused. though, in truth he’s been confused since the beginning. since he came back. searching endlessly for what doesn’t exist, anymore. such confusion is evident in his eyes, as his chin raises to regard her. clinking of links chiming in the dark. “marigold..” he questions. “why?” he wonders. “what is the meaning of this?” head shifts, as eyes flicker to his binds. he wants to ask why she’s so cold, to him. he’s been busy, in the past. fleeting time. but, shouldn’t she be happy? nevertheless, he knew he wasn’t favoured by alter or ego any longer.. but his friends would remain loyal, surely. but despite the vulnerability & flicker of desperation in his two eyes, he tries to push through it. “where are my agents? surely i must have some loyalty left after what was done to me.”

@goldntouchs    /  /    asked for shadow midas.

𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗    𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊    𝖙𝖍𝖊    𝖉𝖔𝖔𝖒𝖘𝖉𝖆𝖞                        device    failed,    thanks    to    the    imagined    order,    midas    had    seemingly    disappeared    from    the    island,    leaving    nothing    in    his    wake,    allowing    everyone    to    think    with    the    great    flood    that    he    was    swallowed    whole    and    met    an    untimely    demise    for    someone    who    possessed    intelligence    such    as    his    &    in    the    end,    wanted    to    only    help    the    residents    of    the    island.    only    what    jules    had    not    anticipated    was    for    the    clone    she    made    of    her    father    to    go    rogue    like    his.    coming    back    &    tormenting    the    island    residents.    he    had    to    have    been    captured    &    contained.    for    even    if    the    agency    was    no    more,    midas’    memory    did    not    need    to    be    tarnished    like    this.    

she    stands    over    her    lover’s    counterpart,    purple    wisps    dancing    all    around    him,    luckily    having    come    to                            𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭                            just    as    he    wakes.    ‘    we    couldn’t    have    you    haunting    the    grounds    of    the    ruins,    not    like    this    at    least.    ‘    voice    level,    despite    the    anger    in    his.    in    truth,    when    midas    was    around,    things    were,    well    this    sounds    cliche    &    she    hates    herself    for    it,    but    things    were    easier.    just    because    she    was    so    in    tune    with    him    that    she    would    know    what    he    would    want,    how    it    was    to    be    done.    now,    she’s    lost    that    in    a    way.    ‘    i    don’t    know    where    the    agents    are.    ‘    still    unsure    of    how    to                            𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤                        the    news    that    the    agency    was    no    more.    

𝖆𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗    𝖑𝖔𝖓𝖌    𝖉𝖆𝖞𝖘    𝖔𝖋                        running    around,    there    is    nothing    like    having    the    quiet    of    the    night    to    herself.    the                        𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧                        being    exactly    what    it    was    that    she    needed.    tonight    though,    tonight    marigold    was    far    from    alone.    she    spreads    across    golden    sheets,    awaiting    for    the    man    she    was    to    spend    it    with,    running    water    coming    from    the    shower    head    faintly    filling    the    room.    this    is    when    she    gets    up,    walks    around.    she    doesn’t    want    him    thinking    that    she    was    waiting    for    him    with    baited    breath.                        𝐨𝐡    𝐧𝐨.                        the    outside    already    regards    him    very    highly,    &    while    she    does    as    well,    she    is    not    keen    on    showing    it    this    moment.    

“𝐲’𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, but i ain’t never seen ya’ before.” raider comments. smiling. nose scrunching a bit, & creasing paint across it. “y’seem t’be one a’ the folks who can hold on t’ their memories, too.” she taps on her head, over top of her hat. brows narrow suspiciously, as she tilts her head. though she’s still smiling, a bit. “y’ain’t imagined order, are ya’?” she chuckles, asks, as if shes sure. “oh, - i know! y’must be from over at the authority!” she smiles, openly - tapping her nose, once. though her friends look a little suspicious as they stalk around, moving weapons around their make-shift camp. she pays them no mind. hands on her hips. “m’friends call me raider.” she appreciates all that the agency is doing. it seems as though they’re trying to help everyone, but getting rid of the storm. if they accomplish this, maybe she can finally go home. having laid eyes on her universe was enough to want to stay on the island to help those who’re still stuck - for those who have no idea who they even are, past a half of an hour. & she’s still not sure if she can trust the seven… wherever they are, anyway. “don’t worry about ‘em.” she cocks her head towards bandolette, magnus, & bonehead. “they ain’t gonna bite ya’.” she smiles wider, & shrugs.

@goldntouchs·    /  /    from renegade gay-der

𝖘𝖍𝖊    𝖘𝖊𝖊𝖒𝖘    𝖊𝖝𝖈𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖇𝖑𝖊.    𝖗𝖊𝖋𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌                        really    if    you    were    to    ask    marigold.    not    that    people    at    the    authority    weren’t                            𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑦                    but    it    seemed    to    be,    well,                            𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭.                        almost    hard    to    walk    on    the    hills    of    the    island    in    her    heels    &    skirt,    but    after    doing    it    so    long,    she    seems    to    make    it    loo    almost    natural.    ‘    definitely    not    imagined    order.    ‘    at    least    she    can    put    that    to    rest    for    her,    quickly    looking    over    to    the    folks    she    had    pointed    out,    kindly    smiling    at    them    with    a    nod    to    prove    she    wasn’t    here    to    cause    them    any    harm.