no this is the opposite of what i wanted [OPEN]

[theguideless]

Date & Time: 7/5-7/10, typically in the late-late hours
Location: All over
Characters: Martin and many! YOU??
Summary: What a concept RUNNING INTO PEOPLE IN AN URBAN AREA.
Warnings: Martin is a gigantic sinkhole of misery and more misery it might make you want to throw your computer but please COME AT ME BRO




Hiding was a lot easier before the mission came along. It seemed the city was waking up, slowly but surely, to embrace the evening a little more than it did before. Lights from windows gave the streets a dim glow, played tricks with the shadows Martin's eyes were trained to follow and focus on. It was weird and unpleasant. Better for the people, maybe. But that wasn't any of his business. It never was.

He never did the right thing, whether he tried or not. Or maybe he did, but he was just unable to follow through. Either way, things would get worse, someone would get hurt...die...

He'd been training, best he could. Then that mission happened. Then, in that jungle...

It's all my fault.

If he walked fast enough, it would fall to the back of his mind, right? Or ran...

His shape flickered off walls in those glowing squares. Now and then, he saw the beams of lights of a late, late (or early) bus, and he'd skirt away like a frightened cockroach. There were quieter, empty places. Places to hide. And he'd find them, if he kept moving.

Comments

closed to ico, 7/5

[theguideless]

The vacant school lot didn't feel as vacant anymore. Once, all Martin had to do was skirt around a pair of fence poles to find himself inside, battered and neglected as it was. But however the changes happened, they remembered this lot, and gave those posts fresher chain-link.

Not truly a problem, though; just a bit of climbing and a heavy landing on the other side. Still, it left him with a greater sense of unwelcome, made his stay less of the respite he wanted.

He could still see stars there, though. That's what he'd wanted. Foreign stars, the sight of which he didn't deserve and he knew it, but...

[hornedomen]

There were fewer vehicles out at this time so Ico felt safer wandering around at this hour. Besides, he could not sleep well with Thane nearby. The night air kept his head clear and he heard the sword encouraging him in these uncertain times. Not deterred by a simple fence, he effortlessly climbed over. Maybe there was a bench he could rest on for a while.

A louder, heavier landing alarmed Ico. He wondered if he was in trouble but whoever it was looked too young to be authority.

“Excuse me, who’s there?” Ico called out but he was not going to wait in the dark. He came over for a closer look.

[theguideless]

Unwelcome, indeed.

Martin startled, his foot scraping the concrete as he drew it back from his forward step. Quickly, he whirled around, eyes darting around to lock on to the source of the sound, finding it...in front of him, rather than behind. And advancing.

He leaned away, his heel pressing against the base of the fence. His arm stiffened, fingers uncurling out of the impulsive fist.

"Nobody," he replied, voice wavering and unwilling. "I'm leaving. I'll go." And he was already going, turning to climb back up the way he came.

[hornedomen]

“Don’t go, please.” He hesitated and stopped moving toward him.

“Don’t be afraid, you’re not in trouble. I snuck in, too. Why are you here?” Was there a demon living near him, too? What else could have him so scared?

closed to anora, 7/9

[theguideless]

He didn't stay in the apartment much at all if he could help it. It would've been nice — the bed was really soft — but it risked having to speak to the two he shared space with. Having to explain himself, or simply say hello...He'd rather not.

But he needed to eat sometime, and buying things was even worse. Difficult, too, for someone who wandered in the dark. The apartment really was the best choice: Alistair had welcomed him to his share before, so the guilt was less.

The habit had become waiting at the door, listening for a good half hour for the sounds of stirring, before even daring to slink inside, rifle through a cupboard, and quickly leave before detection. The same was to happen that night.

THMPH.

"Owh..." He bent low to get his head out of the cabinet, rubbing at the spot he'd bumped it, his other hand still clinging to the small assortment of things he'd grabbed for.

[selfloyalty]

It had taken Anora a few days upon her return to Exsilium to realize their flat was one person short. Suffice to say she was...concerned? It wasn't as though she spent much time with the boy, the two of them sort of had an understanding about how much space should be kept between them, but nevertheless he was young, and to be gone for a span of few days was...troublesome.

It wasn't something to fret over just yet, of course.

She had finally settled down for bed, and had in fact in half-asleep when a noise came from somewhere inside the house. Sitting up, she slid out of bed and didn't even bother with a bathrobe this time (it was too warm for one, and her chemise was...enough).

In all honesty, she had expected it to be Alistair rummaging about in the kitchen, but instead when she turned on the light she instead saw...

"Martin?"

[theguideless]

"Ah—!"

He flinched, shading his eyes from the light, grimacing behind his hand. His initial surprise quickly gave way to dread at being caught. Precisely not what he had wanted...

One of the wrapped snacks dropped out of his arm with a very unceremonious plop.

"Umhh..." He ducked his head, squinting down at it as his eyes worked to readjust. "Yes. Sorry."

[selfloyalty]

"You have been...gone."

Her eyes followed the fallen snack before snapping back up to look Martin straight in the eye. The odd thing was, she didn't look entirely angry. Annoyed, yes. But mad?

No. Not quite.

She crossed her arms, not making any motion to approach him, and instead she remained standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

"From the looks of it, it is safe to assume that you were planning on leaving after this short visit. Find everything okay?" That last bit was laced with sarcasm, and there was a raise of an eyebrow accompanying it.

closed to katniss, 7/6

[theguideless]

Martin was sure he never remembered that enormous, glass-paned building before. But even if he did, it wasn't going to matter one way or the other, was it? Wondering about it seemed just about as futile as anything else.

It seemed it was secluded in the dark hours, though, which made it a fair thing to find; all it took was a little wheedling and poking about the perimeter to find the right-sized hole to shimmy through without too much fuss. Inside...

Inside was strange. Overgrown bushes and scattered, twisted trees and broken, stony paths...it seemed to Martin a forest in the wrong place: Nature belonged outside, not in.

And, for a moment, another twinge of guilt in memory. It was certainly nothing like the forests he and the others had been lost in for so long, but even so. He wound up thinking about it again. About how it was almost nice, at first, learning things. Getting to know people. It seemed almost good.

Then I killed him.

Got him killed, rather, but the wording didn't change what it meant to Martin. He could hide all he wanted from the people who reached out to him, but he couldn't hide from what he'd done. Goodness knows he was trying to.

His decision to leave came a little too late, what with the dawn creeping over distant buildings and glinting on metal framework above. He despaired for a moment, but quickly resigned himself to stay. He was tired, and he wasn't going to find any place nearly as quiet now that the world was waking up.

He found a thick trunk to curl up against, tucking himself up as best he could in the dirt, to try and sleep without thinking too much.

And, because he was trying to not think, made him think all the more.

[effective]

It looked like an arena.

That was the first thought that came to Katniss' mind as she stared at the gardens, bow in hand. She felt sick, dizzy, just looking at it - but maybe that was because she'd spent too much time outside that day, wandering around. She couldn't remember too much of what she'd been doing, just that she'd drifted from place to place, expecting at any moment to be recognised. They don't know the girl on fire and they don't need her. Or maybe they did, but it couldn't be her. The Mockingjay was all burnt out; she couldn't spark anything, now.

The girl gave her head a shake, as if to clear the cluttering thoughts from it. She'd been getting better, back in Twelve, but it had been a while since she'd been around so many people, and she was exhausted. The smart thing to do right now would be to go back to the apartment, but the gardens were calling to her, and Katniss' survival instincts were long since skewed. She prowled around the perimeter until she found a suitable hole and pulled her body through it, taking more care with her bow than herself. Once she was through, she drew an arrow from the quiver at her back, holding it carefully between two fingers as she stepped silently through the growth.

It didn't take her long to find a suitable target. Setting the arrow to the string, she was about to loose it when a sound caught her attention; she whipped around, training her arrow at a lump at the base of a nearby tree. A person-shaped lump. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot you." Somewhere in the back of her mind is the whisper of a promise she made to herself that gives her a reason, but here in this arena, she can't quite remember what it is.

[theguideless]

He'd only shifted a little, half-awake and uncomfortable in his spot. A poor camper, he'd let himself drift off enough to make that sudden outburst terrifying.

With a violent start, he shot up from where he'd slumped over, palms digging into the dirt and wide eyes wildly searching and locking onto the girl and her bow. Where he faltered in detection, he made up for with an immediate awareness of his position, the weapon, the danger.

Awareness didn't translate into effective response, however. He did little and less but gape, arms and back stiffened in place.

[effective]

The sudden movement on the part of whoever was on the ground made her fingers twitch, but that promise she'd made to herself months ago keeps Katniss from loosing it. She was a killer, but that didn't mean she had to keep doing it.

She narrowed her eyes, trying to see in the dim light. "You're not even going to try and come up with one?" She didn't lower the arrow, unsure if it was safe or not. "Who are you?"

asl;fask here I am??

[sacrificar]

It was common for Halibel to be awake into the late hours of the night. Sometimes she would just forgo sleep altogether. It was a sharp difference than the environment she had previously found herself in. No power-hungry hollows to be mindful of, and none of the senseless fighting that seemed to plague Hueco Mundo. Though a different darkness was prevalent, which was the reason she and so many others had been brought there.

She did not enjoy the idea of being forcefully involved in this fight. Separated from her comrades because of the humans' helplessness.

Halibel continued walking through the city streets, pondering a course of action that would take her back to where she belonged. But also making notes of any locations of interest. If she was to remain there, then she would familiarize herself with the city as much as she could. However, she stopped in her tracks after noticing that she was no longer alone.

SLAMS INTO

[theguideless]

The awareness was twofold, with Martin scuffing a step to stop, body freezing up as he saw the figure defined in a streetlight's glow. He did not stay still for long, however; it did no good to stand and gawk. He tried to regain his step, darting down the nearest alley and into the dark, his heart in his throat, stomach knotted with dread.

It really wasn't taking much, was it? All that guilt, shame, and embarrassment compounding to make him an anxious wreck. Just the sight of another made him nauseous, regardless if there was potential at all to even have to exchange words.

I can't. No more. Please, just...just let me not do anything wrong anymore.

OH OKAY

[sacrificar]

They were moving away now, which meant that they too must've acknowledged her presence, but wished to remain distant from her. Could there be a reason for such behavior? Was it due to fear, or some other factor? "I know you're out there." She stated, her voice carried far by the silence of the night.

Halibel resumed walking. Slowly and calmly, remaining vigilant for any sudden movement.

"Why are you hiding?

[theguideless]

Martin pressed himself against the alley's wall, facing the direction the stranger walked. Doing so, being passed by...he would be less likely to be seen, yes? He thought so. Running was noisy, and he didn't know the right ways to go down there. Worse, as she said: she knew he was there.

To the question, he gave no reply aloud, simply swallowing and biting on the inside of his lip for silence. That was boring enough for many, wasn't it? It could be enough to dissuade this one, he hoped.

Inside, feeling heavy and sick, something made the knots in his stomach warmer and more dreadful. The notion he was wrong — again, wrong — fluttered into thought, contradicting everything he was determined to do.

What was right, then? He didn't know.

heeeeere i aaaaaam

[undeadarmies]

In general, Chloe would have never ventured out into the dark with a good reason, but both the events that led her up to being recaptured by the Edison Group and the mission back in time had stiffened her spine up a little more. Besides, she knew exactly what it was that went bump in the night now, and she also knew that she had some control over it.

Still, she supposed that she never would have left her apartment at night here if she hadn't noticed that things were brighter outside than they used to be. Then again, anything was brighter than the jungles of Brazil.

The mission...

After it had happened, she'd try to get into contact with Robin with no success. There had been several more attempts, but she wasn't sure how much she could push before she went too far. She was going to try again, away from the apartment in case what she did was raise something that didn't need to be raised. Her fingers wrapped around her mother's amulet. What she would need is a quiet, open space where she could take it off and try again.

Maybe she could reach Liz that way too, or her mother.

With a sigh, Chloe looked back up as she glanced around. It was more out of paranoia than anything else, and she was honestly not expecting anyone to be there. Or at least, she hoped nobody would be. "Hello?"

Let it be the dead. Explaining herself to a person would be a little awkward.

bats eyelashes at

[theguideless]

Someone's...here?

Martin's head was swimming then. He felt...thick. Like he was breathing and living in air thicker gravy. With his lance propped against the alley wall, he'd been sitting for...how long? He was supposed to be counting the seconds each time, trying to make them longer, keep his weapon more than dust for as long as he could stand it.

Shaken out of his blind daze left him little with which to stand, and that enormous, bone-and-iron weapon became nothing but a sudden shower of dust, some of which scattered out in gasps in streetlight nearby. Martin exhaled, sagging, and immediately straightening up with another inhale.

Hello? He frowned. Had he...made that up? A friendly voice...He leaned forward, peering through the dark opposite that open light and worked to trace out the shape of the body not far away.

flexes~~

[undeadarmies]

No, this was a bad idea, Chloe suddenly decided. She should have stayed in the apartment and forgotten all about these ideas of summoning. It was stupid anyway. She pressed her lips together for a moment, taking a deep breath.

Her eyes narrowed when something that looked like dust came out of the nearby alleyway, and she took a step forward despite herself. Without needing to be prompted, she started turning this into a script.

Our protagonist continues to walk towards the source of her suspicions, heart racing. She's sure there is someone here.

Camera pans to the light then to the dark alley.

No, that sounded too cliche, she thought as she moved closer. It wouldn't inspire thrill; it'd just make people bored if they were watching a movie of this. Running would be worse, probably. Either way, Chloe was doomed to be one of those dumb girls in slasher movies.

all these subject headers are like that line out of the poltergeist: they're heeeeeeere

[justification]

Mami is hardly unused to walking around at night. While a Witch could (and would) appear at any time, Mami could only spare the time to hunt them at dusk or when the city had become fully shrouded in darkness. Even magical girls had to attend school, after all - appearances had to be kept up, or their lives would only get even more troublesome. In Mami's case, it was even more of a precarious situation; her parents were dead and she lived alone, an existence that was solitary and lonely because it had to be. Because otherwise she couldn't be half as effective at what she did, at dealing with the burden she had taken upon herself as both a duty and a way to atone.

She walks the streets with a measured and unhurried stride, eyes narrowed as they adjust to the gloom. Her Soul Gem is pinned up in her hair as always, giving off a bright golden glow that's free of even the smallest taint. Although Mami all but bristles with magical energy, she holds back from conjuring any ribbons. With any luck, this stroll won't lead her into any situations that would require them.

forget poltergeist THIS IS LIKE MINI-CHRISTMAS swims in tags

[theguideless]

She is just in time to hear it, maybe even catch glimpse. The odd, pressurized sound of something heavy moving and impacting very quickly.

PWOOMFCH

Martin's ungainly weapon launched him up and up, enough to scramble for the iron bars framing the building's nearest window. His feet quickly kicked and scraped to get footing to secure himself in place and ensure himself he wasn't about to just fall back the height he'd just flown. He grimaced, trying to tilt himself enough to see where the next best hand- and footholds were, inching himself to a better angle before hopping up, slowly climbing up the remains of the building's height, pulling himself up on the roof.

He rolled onto his back, exhaling, trying to shake off the bit of excitement the act caused, and finding his skin crawling anew. It could've just been because of his weapon, or...some misfire of Darkov instincts, that feeling. For all he knew, he was all muddled up from so many missteps.

But his body was surprisingly on point; it knew there was magic around.

swim free little martin, swim free

[justification]

Of course she heard that. Her senses are keen, sensitive to both the familiar - the crunch of shoes against the street, the rush of wind whistling by - and the not, like whatever that pressurized boom had been. Mami's quick to go rigid all over with tension, to become poised to act on an instant's notice.

"Who's there?"

Her voice is clear, stern, but not hostile. Ribbons burst into existence in a flash of light, gold like her hair, like those eyes that narrow almost to slits as they glare in the direction that the sound had come from. They hover beside her, twisting idly in midair.

Scooting on in here, woo!

[last_man_standing]

The sun was setting and the streets were slowly getting dark. With a small flick of his wrist, Vitali "grabbed" the waning ambient light from the sun and set it to following behind him as a sort of pseudo star; the warm light illuminating the street around him in a small bubble.

He kept walking. He had been wandering the city for a while. Partially to get acquainted with this strange new world he'd been shoved into and also to avoid the fiasco that was the Initiative. At least, in his opinion it was. Their fight wasn't his and so, he'd left.

The night was young and he'd go wherever his feet took him. It had worked well enough for him so far.

AWW YISS

[theguideless]

Finding safe, dark places to hide from the day was difficult in a city — even one still in its decline like Exsilium. Martin was trained for more...secluded landscapes, in places where humans actively feared people like him. It wasn't translating very well here. No...People here didn't know they ought to just leave him alone.

Even though people are winding up dead because of me.

There was no escaping that; he wasn't sleeping well at all. Guilty consciences didn't encourage restful days – or nights. With the light fading, Martin stirred, knowing he had to pick up the search once more for better places. Emptier places.

People wouldn't appreciate strangers sneaking into their cellars or attics very much, he knew.

He'd hopped down from the height, rubbing his eyes and taking slow, meandering steps as he worked to better wake himself up. He lingered just before the alley opened up to the street, shooting dubious, wary looks this way and that. Even when people were supposed to be asleep, there were more moving about in the dark...It didn't seem natural to Martin.

And speaking of unnatural.

He squinted, his attention drawn to a distant-but-oncoming glow. That...that wasn't one of the lights on the poles...

[last_man_standing]

Vitali's progress was slow and he liked it that way. There wasn't anywhere he really needed to be and exploring was best done in a leisurely manner. All the better to see the small things. The things easily missed.

Most of the city's inhabitants had already gone home for the night and Vitali didn't expect to see anyone else. Nothing else moved except for himself and the shadows cast by his light.

Except for whatever was lurking in the alley up ahead.

All he'd seen was the movement and the smallest hint of a shape. Whatever it was was small. A child or an animal maybe. Curious, Vitali picked up his pace a bit and headed towards the alley.