G E M I N I

Justice always came prepared, but Solo knew who she was. They were cut from similar cloths, so he knew that once Justice got her hands on somebody, there was no turning back. So when Solo go between them, it was a relief. She hadn’t come here to fight, and there were plenty other bars around town. “I’m not tryna fight, Solo, so you better let that bitch know I’m not the one, cuz these hands are equal opportunity,” Justice said calmly, her accent thickening as she began to let the streets show in her body language and in her tone. 

Her words must’ve triggered the girl, because she did the stupidest thing imaginable–she stepped from behind Solo and swung. It was like everything was going in slow motion, all she had to do was move her head back and the girl’s fist whistled past her face. After narrowing her eyes at Solo (she’d end up cursing him out before the night was over), she turned to the girl and her first darted out to pop her right in the mouth. It probably wasn’t the best idea for anybody to ever try Justice like that– she drew blood on the first hit.

Playing ref was one thing, but getting caught in the crossfires of two angry women was not what Solo was willing to do. As soon as he saw the other woman swing at Justice, he took a long step backwards, hands up in defeat. It was on. For a moment he considered putting his new powers to use and calming them down, but then he remembered that would have required him to make physical contact, which was easier said than done. Fuck that, he thought. Part of him wanted to break it up, but there was another small voice in his brain that wanted to see how this would play out. As calm as he was, he quietly lived for drama. As long as it was not his own. He wondered if this situation could be considered his own, since he was accompanying Justice. 

sum-yama

[ PARANOIA ROUND ONE ] @dxne-aries

After hearing Solo’s question she paused, thinking on it for just a few seconds before loudly proclaiming. “It’s gotta be Dane.”

    Sum was a bit of a mystery to him, as he knows her around campus—through chit-chatting from others, yet never really went up and spoke. So naturally his curiosity over his own paranoia took over, “I have to admit, it’s early in the game but I’ll give.” he smiled shoot his drink. 

@solobyduality

Sum’s reply sent Solo rolling with laughter. It takes a moment for him to collect himself enough to reveal his question without giggling. “Dane, mate, you’ve got some explaining to do. Sum here thinks that you would have the craziest fetish out of all of us here.”

WAITING

barfight thread - @justicenotpeace

close quarters - @eltoromagico

don’t bite my lips or bat my eyes - @notkellyrowland

of foxes and henhouses - @nolafoxcroft

paranoia answer - @artisticfade @eltoromagico

paranoia answer - @nolafoxcroft

paranoia reply (???) - @veraharper

WRITING

canon info: powers

PLOTTING

---

MESSAGING

People could be so fuckin’ aggravating. Probably why Justice got into trouble so often. This one was fair though. Somebody had started hitting on her. It wasn’t as though she was entertaining the person but their significant other, well, she’d come out of the bathroom livid. All bark and not nearly enough bite for Justice’s taste. And then she put her finger in Justice’s face– just a psa, that’s never a good idea. She stood slowly, immediately wrapping the trusty band around her wrist, around her braids. “Get your hand out of my face,” she said calmly. It was difficult to tell what would happen when she got like this. As of right now? She was ready, hands balled at her sides as the girl reached out for her. On god, if she touched her– @solobyduality

One minute Solo was nursing a terrible overpriced drink, and the next he found himself looking across the bar to find Justice in a quarrel with another woman. “Bollocks,” he said beneath his breath and handed his drink to a girl--who, despite hovering near him for most of the night, had gone largely unnoticed by Solo until this moment--and made a B-line to his mate. He was accustomed to this type of behavior with Justice--leave her alone for two minutes and more than likely you’ll come back to her with some poor girl’s ponytail wrapped in her fist. It wasn’t her fault she was so testy and people, more often than not, underestimated her. 

Solo wedged himself between the two ladies, facing Justice. He knew better than to try to constrain her at this moment, but the least he could do was try to talk her out of causing a scene. Who knows... maybe the group would need to come back to that bar during their trip. “Oi, come on,” he said. “S’not worth it, Justice. Let’s just go.” 

Vera thought for a moment about how she could lighten up the situation. It was obvious that she had probably had a little bit too much to drink as she held her hand over her head, “Lightbulb! I know just what secret to tell you.” She leaned in and held up her hand to keep the rest of the group from hearing as she whispered to Solo, “The best secret I have is that putting a couple of crushed up peppermints in hot cocoa makes it ten times better.” She sat back in her seat and held a finger up to him, “But, you can’t tell anybody. It’s our little secret.”

Solo corrected his posture as she whispered to him, unsure of what she was about to say. His lips formed a smile as she revealed her secret to him--her sweet, charismatic nature was not lost on him, but much appreciated. This was why he adored her so, because she had a way of calming him like no other. Even with his new powers. Solo grabbed Vera’s finger as she gestured playfully and said, “Your secret is safe with me.” 

“Oh, do I?” She asked, wondering what about her appearance seemed so secretive. Her whiskey-hazy mind wandered to that quote from Mean Girls, her hair is so big, it’s full of secrets. “I might have one or two. What kind of secrets are you lookin’ for? I might just tell you one.”

“Iiiii... don’t know.” Solo chuckled, as he was beginning to feel a bit nervous. To save himself from buckling, Solo didn’t dare look to the rest of the circle to see if anyone was watching them. “You’re just very private and quiet. At least to me you are.” 

After spending 90% of the game completely focused on other things, Vera’s name had come up twice in a span of twenty minutes. Although she was certain that Solo wouldn’t mention her if it was something bad, she was still nervous as she reached for her shot glass, quickly tipping it back and swallowing with a cough. “Definitely Vera, what now?” 

“You look like the type of person who has a lot of secrets,” Solo said as he took a sip of his drink—an attempt to level the playing field. “So? Is the assumption correct?”

Imogen’s voice played in his ear like thoughts that have rolled around in his brainspace multiple times before this trip. Solo asked himself questions about his friends often, but he’d never been prompted to act on them until now. His attention zeroed in on @veraharper. “Vera.” He smiled. “Definitely Vera.” 

@solobyduality

by this point, sam has had 3 shots straight, on an empty stomach in a room filled with everyone he’d rather didn’t see him drunk, but when jude leans over and asks his question, sam just bursts into a fit of giggles, using his hands to cover his face. “oh my god, um, shit, ummmm,” he pauses, forcing himself to focus on the answer, starts biting his fingernail and staring, wide-eyed, around the table. he takes a breath. “solo, my main man, i’m sorry. if i gotta be in pain, you gotta be in pain,” he cracks up laughing but then covers his mouth real quick. “oh shit, was i not supposed to say anything about it?”

He’d been perfectly content sitting within the circle and absorbing the action going on around him: laughing as others did, oooing and awwing in unison, learning of the different dynamics he had never noticed before as they popped before his wide eyes. Truth be told, he did not expect for his name to be called. Solo fancied himself something of a shadow, an observer, certainly not a participant until he was summoned into the game via Sam’s voice. His friend’s mirth was contagious. “Oh lord,” he laughed. “Suppose I’d better find out then.”

     Solo hides behind his red cup. Dark eyes scan the faces of his peers, studying them deeply. This isn’t the time to be diplomatic, nor is it the point of the game. “Kelly,” he says with certainty.