Rebels & Mutineers is set in modern day New Orleans, Louisiana. R&M is fueled by player's plots and group input.
Supernatural people have always had their place in society, hidden in plain sight or locked away for their own protection. New Orleans, a haven for the strange and mysterious and a magnet for the supernatural.
Established: Oct. 27th, 2018 Recently Updated Posts && Recently Updated Threads
05.11.19
As the community reels from the untimely death of Lucia Lovelle, life has to move on. Primrose readies for the annual Prom celebration! Keep your eye out for a event board and have fun!
02.27.19
It's not too late to vote for February's OTM winners! The winners for January, keep an eye out on your messages for your winner's graphics for your signature. Already voted? Make sure you check out the Mardi Gras event board! Party up, have a good time, and enjoy!
It had been nearly a week since Lucy had seen her new friend, Benjamin Townsend. A week since their late-night rooftop rendezvous where Ben had thrown himself to the orderlies so Lucy wouldn't be caught. Lucy was worried that he might’ve been thrown into solitary again. She hoped it was that she just kept missing him in her near-constant dream state in those passing days.
The wide-eyed woman didn’t heed Ben’s warning that night; she kept the little star charm instead of hiding it. Using some brightly colored yarn, she fashioned a necklace out of it, one long enough that she could easily tuck the little bone piece under her shirt. Lucy hadn’t removed it since.
Lunch in Monoeville was just as typical as it was in any other government installation. Bland, mass produced mush, that had little to no flavor. The only thing Lucy had to look forward to for lunch was spending time with Lily, and pudding cups. Luckily, Lucy’s giant doe eyes and innocent personality made the kitchen staff fall in love with her, and when no one was looking, they would often sneak her an extra pudding cup. This was one of those lucky days.
Lucy claimed her seat at one of the empty tables in the dining hall – she had made an effort to keep an empty seat with her should Ben ever show up. Not that it was a hard task; usually it was only herself and Lilith. For some strange reason, people didn’t want to sit with a wide-eyed, unseeing weirdo and a pink haired beauty who could summon the dead. Their loss, really.
Most of the other residents were now shuffling through the line. Lucy merely sat and watched, not missing the bright pink head amongst them. Her eyes wandered, also searching for the inked up boy who had spared her punishment that night a week ago.
Post by Lilith Grace Taylor on Nov 20, 2018 17:30:09 GMT
It had been another restless night for the reanimator. Her mind had been plagued by nightmares, of her creations turning on her at the most inopportune times. It was unsettling because it was a nightmare that she had several times before, always the same thing in different areas. She didn’t know if it was a sign of the times to come or if it was simply because she wasn’t as heavily sedated as she normally would have been. It was a wonder what good behavior would get her. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if it actually meant something or if it was just her mind playing tricks on her.
Lilith hummed softly as she made her way from the common area of Monroeville to the cafeteria where all of the freaks and spooks were gathered like cattle for the slaughter. Except the slaughter was a really terrible meal of mush that wasn’t really discernable. It wasn’t that bad, she supposed.
It was better than starving - which she felt like no stranger to. The amount of times that she had been sent to isolation without any food for a couple of days was no doubt higher than it should have been. It wasn’t that she was particularly obstinate , but Lily knew what was right and she wasn’t afraid to stand up for. That wasn’t something that was considered a value in Monroeville, though.
As she gathered her tray for lunch, her gaze immediately sought out where she knew Lucy would be. They always sat at the same place together. It was occasionally frustrating for Lily that other people didn’t want to be around them, that they didn’t understand. As she made her way to the table, she caught side of the skinwalker that she had befriended earlier and nodded her head towards where Lucy was seated, inviting him to join them when he had his own pile of mush to talk over.
Claiming her spot across from her doe-eyed friend, Lilith found herself taking note of the wandering eyes. ”Still no sign of him?” Lily didn’t know Benjamin very well, but she had seen him around rather often. They’d exchanged words from time to time, but it was nothing notable. However, when Lucy had confided in her that the man with the ability to manipulate bones had sacrificed himself so that she could get off of the rooftop unscathed, well… Suffice to say that made the pink-haired girl want to invite him to hang out with them.
Post by Benjamin Townsend on Nov 20, 2018 20:42:00 GMT
at most I'm sleeping all these demons away
To say that past week had been eventful would have been tantamount to saying the ocean is deep. True but only in the vaguest sense.
Since Benjamin had been dragged off of the roof he'd been embroiled in conflict with the powers that be in Monroeville. His first offense of the week had been dealt with rather humanely. Well, what passed for humane in the hospital. Ben caught an earful for contraband and being on the roof from some security personnel and got a nice bruise for refusing to give up his supplier. He got tossed in "the hole" for two days for his transgressions. The punishment fit the crime and Ben had little qualms with serving the sentence.
It helped that his mind was occupied by thoughts of big, blue eyes and pale skin.
Upon his release, he began the arduous task of not getting into trouble. He'd made it all of three days before he'd garnered the attention of one George Palmer and his goons. Apparently, the head of security had caught wind of the set of keys Ben had made and the two had shared a pleasant chat about consequences and actions. He had spent the next two days trying to get the discussion out of his head, throwing himself into his art.
He'd lost himself, forgetting the necessities of life as he feverishly created a monolith of bone. He hadn't left his room once in that period and it was only now, under the urging of his stomach and lack of materials, that he finally left. He'd tapped out his reserves of calcium and only nourishment would supply him with more. He drew little attention to himself as he slunk into the cafeteria and into the queue.
Purple and yellow bruises covered the bottoms of his arms, hardly hidden by his web of tattoos. He made little effort to hide them as he stood in the lunch line or his displeasure at the sight of the gruel. He watched in horror as the woman dispensing the food continued. Benjamin was one of the lucky few who received not double but triple rations to accommodate his unique metabolism. "Thanks, Gladys," he said, putting on his best shit-eating grin before departing to actually eat... Well.
As he strolled down the aisle, his mountain of food wobbling precariously, Benjamin spotted them. Sitting together, eyes scanning the line, Ben saw Lucia and Lilith. Something pulled at the corner of his lips and he diverted his course from the doorway to the table where they were sitting. He'd hardly been behaving for the last week but what harm could it possibly do to sit with them? Especially now that he was free from captivity and artistic fervor.
"So this is what it's like not eating lunch on the roof," Benjamin said, sliding into a spot beside Lucy. He grinned, displaying an assortment of mismatched fangs in his maw. That was another souvenir from his visit with Georgie-boy. Ben had accidentally caused a major shift and after a few days was still unable to change his teeth back to normal. He was fairly sick of the change and his tongue would likely not survive another accidental chomp. "Gotta say, I liked our first meeting spot a lot better but," Ben drew out the word, "I guess I could get used to it. Oh, also, I have not behaved in the slightest so I hope that won't be an issue because I've already put my tray down."
His gaze had shifted from Lucy to the girl before him. "Lili, I didn't know that you ate lunch with Lucy. I'm a little hurt that you never invited me to sit with you before." Ben, of course, was, joking. They'd spoken casually a few times before but were nowhere close to being on the level of friends. "Help me out here because I'm a little behind on my lunchroom hierarchy. Are we the cool table?"
Mason ran down the hallway of Monroeville, inning as quickly as possible. The roars of the orderlies filled the hallways, mixed with his own manic laughter as he slammed open the door and raced down the hallway. He knew that he could outrun any orderly in the place and his track record of two years was enough to prove that. Mason looked over his shoulder, trying to figure out how many of them were left and crashed into the cafeteria. Mason fell over himself, was swarmed by orderlies and picked up from the ground.
Caught.
He squirmed from their touch and gave them all a wide eyed look, "Okay, okay. I'm going to go eat, and we can call it a day, yeah?" He asked, holding his hands out. He was charming, and he had been there for so long, this was nearly a daily occurrence. The orderlies glared, and backed off, allowing Mason to go into the line to pick up his tray of the gruel. He went through a lot while at Monroeville, and even a lot before all of that. He was used to running from the police. Running for his life, and running to save his brothers. He was a lot, but he couldn't seem to keep himself out of trouble. Not like he was really trying all that hard.
He walked from the line, this was always the part that he hated the most. Trying to figure out where he was supposed to sit. Two years and he never really found his crew. He had some previously, some who ended up getting bounced from the facility and he never seemed to find the same luck.
Part of him knew that he was going to be serving a few life sentences in Monroeville. They caught him in the vault, his pockets and bags full of money. He took the blame for everything that his family did when he was arrested. No one trusted him in a traditional jail, so Monroeville was the next best thing.
Mason spotted a nearly empty table: a blonde with huge doe eyes, a bruised and tattooed hunk, and a pink haired beauty. Seemed like his kind of mix. Mason shook his dark hair out of his eyes and walked towards the table, hoping that they were fine with him there. There were some people who couldn't trust skinwalkers, they were seen as lower than human. A taboo ability that had no place in their world. He stood at the end of the table and looked over at them. They all seemed to know each other, and Mason felt out of place for the first time since he got to the hospital.
"Hi, mind if I join you all?" He asked, standing awkwardly. He had never gone to any traditional schooling, but he had to imagine this was something like was always described in the books he loved or the tv dramas that were always streaming in the recreation room at Monroeville. He shifted from one foot to the other, waiting to make sure it was okay with the table that he sat down and joined them.
Lucy was chewing on her lip and pushing her food around her plate when Lilith had showed up beside her. The two had been friends since Lili had come to Monroeville when she was fourteen – it was the hair that drew Lucy in. She was attracted to people that could be that outwardly bold – the meek little blonde didn’t have it in her to do anything like that. Lucy looked over to the pink haired goddess with a standard neutral expression. Lilith was one of her closest friends in Monroeville – Lucy trusted her with every secret, every fiber of her being. Naturally, she would tell the other woman of her spur of the moment, late night rendezvous with Monroeville escape artist Benjamin Townsend. “No, no sign of him yet.” The little one hummed. She really hoped she didn’t get Ben in too much trouble. Without her on the rooftop that night, he could’ve easily gotten away. Hell, he could’ve just upped the density in his bones and jumped right off the roof. Instead, he gave himself up so the blonde could escape, perfect reputation intact. “What if he got into serious trouble, Lili?”
Several minutes passed with Lili and Lucy eating together, alone and in silence. Food wasn’t actually being eaten, at least on Lucy’s part. She was just waiting the proper amount of time before she could open up her pudding cups without being berated for not eating enough. Lucy had about given up hope of seeing her new, inked friend when lo and behold he appeared right at her side. The blonde nearly jumped out of her skin when he plopped down in the seat next to her. “Jesus Christ!” She squeaked. After regulating her heartbeat she turned to Ben. He looked a little rougher than she remembered that night a week ago, but he was in one piece, if anything. She noted his peculiar looking teeth with a cocked eyebrow. “I-I don’t know that our first meeting spot was the best.” If there was one thing Luce was sure about, it was that she never wanted to come that close to being found by the orderlies in an off-limits area again. Even if it was nice to get a bit of fresh air.
Luce bit her lip, trying to subdue the smile that was spreading to her face. Of course he hadn’t behaved, she really wasn’t expecting it. Honestly, she thought it a wonder he had even made it out this early, if his previous stories were anything to go by. Her brain was wracking for some sort of quip for Ben; a small part of Lucy wanted to impress him, wanted to be as effortlessly cool as he was. She came up blank, and just nodded for him to keep his seat as a small smile played on her face. Apparently Lili and Ben somehow new each other before hand – which was news to her – Lucy blinked as she watched the exchange. Ben had been acting like they were old friends. She was going to ask him about it, when another newcomer popped up at their table as well.
Thankfully, his appearance wasn’t nearly as shocking as Ben popping in was. The stranger seemed awkward, which was entirely too relatable for Lucy’s little ol’ heart. “Y-yeah, sit with us.” She responded with speech just as graceless as his. The man looked familiar, but Luce couldn’t place his face. Perhaps they never had aligning schedules. Maybe he was a new patient? Lucy looked down to her mush, up to the orderlies patrolling the lunchroom like hawks, and then back down to her food. She could get away with eating one of the pudding cups for now, Lucy reasoned as she popped open the tab to her chocolate flavored treat.
“A-are you new here, uh…?” She stammered, not knowing his name. Hopefully she wouldn’t be hanging on for long. “I’m Lucy.”
Post by Lilith Grace Taylor on Nov 23, 2018 2:28:17 GMT
Having a friend like Lucy in a place like Monroeville was probably one of the few things that was keeping Lili from ending up in solitary confinement for doing something reckless. The blonde was much more mild than the pink-haired firecracker and that meant that Lili needed to look out for her. They looked out for each other more than anything else and every day that the girls shared their pudding cups, Lilith found herself reminded of just how fortunate she was. It didn’t matter that she was locked away in Monroeville, forced to take medication in order to subdue her powers - she had Lucy by her side, making her laugh in spite of the darkness that surrounded them at every turn. There was no one that Lili trusted more to be by her side in this hellhole.
She was curious as much as she was concerned over the new fascination with the inked man who had sacrificed himself to save Lucy. He was a loner, she knew that much. The fact that he had willingly given himself up to some kind of punishment because he may not have wanted her friend to get found out. That was the sort of person that she wanted to be around, the type of person that she might have benefitted from befriending in this hospital of horrors. Blue eyes as vibrant as the pink hair on her head turned back towards her friend, aware of the concern that had resonated in her voice. ”He’ll be okay, Luce. He’s tough.” And certainly Ben’s reputation was not exactly secret.
As the girls sat, Lili found herself pushing her food around on her plate more than actually eating it, though she did take a couple of bites here and there to make it seem like she was eating more than she was. There was just something about the day, about the nerves that rattled around inside her stomach that made less hungry than what she might have normally been. And then, just as the silence seemed to draw on for too long, the person that they were unknowingly waiting for arrived, plopping his tray down on the table beside Lucy. Lilith’s own gaze widened as he spoke, displaying the set of mismatched fangs that were more animal than human. ”It certainly provides a better view,” the pink-haired girl found herself agreeing. She had been on the rooftop a small handful of times, but much of her view came from the time she was permitted outside.
Tilting her head in Ben’s direction, she waved her spoon at him in a berating manner. ”You never asked where I ate lunch, Benji,” she admonished, the corner of her mouth tilting upward in a smirk. ”I don’t think cool is the term used. More like the outcasts. It’s usually just Luce and I.” Not that Lili was opposed to having more people come and join them, but that just didn’t seem to be the way things worked. They were weird. The unseeing girl and the one that played with dead things. No one particularly cared to be around them. Something told her they would feel that way even more if Ben was going to join them more than just today. Good.
Reaching out for her pudding cup, she peeled back the cover and shoved the spoon in to get a good portion before plopping the chocolate treat into her mouth - just in time for someone else to approach their table. Spoon still in her mouth, she turned to face him, her eyes immediately fixating on the sharpness of his jaw before drifting to his eyes. Removing the spoon from her mouth and swallowing the bite of pudding, she nodded her head. ”Yeah, sit.” Patting the spot next to her, she offered a warm smile that managed to shimmer in her eyes. ”What’s your name, cutie?”
Post by Benjamin Townsend on Nov 23, 2018 6:20:05 GMT
at most I'm sleeping all these demons away
"Well, I'm just gonna go ahead and lie to myself and say that it is. I'm not sure that my fragile ego could take a hit like that." Ben said before shoveling a healthy serving of mush into his gullet. As he devoured his triple serving of crap he caught sight of the shitstorm that entered the cafeteria. He gave a momentary pause as he watched the patient narrowly evade capture and then simply waltz away from the orderlies as if nothing had happened.
Whoever the runner was, Ben had to give them their due. He had never so skillfully dodged the orderlies and never had he been able to simply walk away from them. When Ben got caught it usually ended up with the scrub garbed attendants trying to force medicine down his throat, jab him with sedatives, or drag him to solitary confinement. The last was often their go-to punishment.
Ben had long ago learned a few tricks to keep from getting medicated. Bones where they tried their injections, fusing his teeth together, and flailing about like a maniac all proved useful strategies. Of course, they all served to make him look like a maniac and probably helped cultivate his horrid reputation in Monroeville.
This guy, though, he had some tact, some class in his endeavors. Something that Benjamin was sorely lacking in. He chose to not comment on the display, turning back to the ladies beside him.
It was odd sitting with so many people. Since the start of his sentence in Monroeville, he had built up walls to keep others at a distance. He had maintained that his stay was only temporary and that any day he'd be released. Making friends was admitting that he had resigned himself to his fate.
Benjamin likely would have dwelled on that thought if it wasn't for Lucy. The smile she wore on her face reminded him of their night on the roof and soothed any apprehension he might have felt. He leaned over and gave her a playful nudge. "Miss me while I was away?" Though their time together had been brief, only minutes, Ben had missed the company of Lucia.
Out of nowhere, the troublesome youth from earlier showed up beside their table asking for a place to sit. Benji looked around noting the excess chairs and gestured to an open spot as Lucy and Lili allowed him to grace them with his presence. Upon closer inspection, the sharp, chiseled features of the other man jogged Benjamin's memory. "Mason, right?" Ben asked between bites of mush. "I like how you wrangled those orderlies. I'm Benjamin or Ben or Benji or any fucking variation. Whatever floats your boat really."
Even Ben had to agree with Lili's comment. Mason was quite the looker and for some reason that sparked a moment of jealousy in the bone bender. It came completely out of nowhere, an odd prickling sensation in his gut. It was a completely foreign emotion that he wasn't sure how to interpret. He did find himself glancing out of the corner of his eye at Lucy, gauging her reaction.
"Who's Cheerios did you shit in to get a swarm of staff chasing you? Last time I had that many of them after me they caught me trying to pry open a window with a crowbar. Well, I guess crowbone would be the more appropriate term but that's a matter of semantics. "
The first one to speak up was the blonde woman with the giant doe eyes. Mason had seen her around a few times in his two years at Monroeville. The times when he did see her, he seemed to be wandering around aimlessly. She welcomed him to the table, and Mason was grateful. The others at the table chimed in, welcoming him to the table. He set his serving of gruel on a tray down and took a seat across from the pink haired beauty. He smirked at the pink haired woman, enjoying her calling him a cutie. "Right back at ya', darlin'." He said with a wink. He had grown up on the road, rarely getting to settle into anywhere long enough to get to know anyone. He would usually go out with his brother the night before a heist, so they would talk with people and have fun. Since being at Monroeville, he had a few flings, but nothing serious. He just didn't know how to be serious, and people came in and out of Monroeville so much, it was just too difficult to keep anything serious.
Mason took a bite of his food, looking over at the beauty with pink hair, "So, how long have y'all been here?" He asked, looking between the three of them. He knew Benjamin, obviously. Big fan of his work. When the orderlies weren't chasing him for petty thefts or mouthing off, he knew that he was going after Benjamin.
He smiled when Benjamin knew his name. It was like meeting his hero. His bonehead, delinquent, reckless, hero. "Yeah, I'm Mason." He felt like he had met a celebrity. "Nice to finally meet you, Benny Boy." He said with a wider grin. He had been admiring Benji's work from afar for so long, this was a great moment for him.
Mason looked between Benji and the blonde woman, curious what was going on there. He looked back over at the pink haired beauty, "And what's your name, gorgeous?" He was excited to get to know her. He was really excited to get to know all of them, and he really needed a group of friends. Wouldn't hurt to also have an alibi for some of his future escapades. Nothing going to be better than messing with some of the orderlies by snatching some faces. It was his signature move, and why bother messing with perfection?
He laughed when Benji asked him what he had done to warrant such a reaction. "Might have broken into Blackthorn's office." He didn't even know what he was looking for in there, but he was having fun snooping. Someone who ran a place like Monroeville was sure to have secrets, and Mason was curious about them, "Almost had them convinced, but I changed back and they did not take that too well."
Lucy rolled her giant blue eyes at Ben’s statement, a small smile playing on her lips. Lilith was right, they weren’t exactly the ‘popular’ people at Monroeville, though for two very different reasons. People were not exactly fond of Lili’s abilities to make actual meat puppets, and Lucy was just plain weird. She was totally fine with this, it just got a bit lonely sometimes. Today seemed to be quite the exception.
Butterflies erupted in Lucy’s stomach as the table started conversing. Genuine excitement lit up her eyes as Lili was flirting with the newcomer – Lucy did think they would look cute together, so much so that her face began turning a light pink. It almost felt like she shouldn’t have been watching, that what they were doing was personal on some level. Or maybe Lucy was just embarrassed by how openly they were flirting – she was not equipped to handle that kind of interaction. She admired the way this stranger made Lili’s eyes glimmer, though.
Though having new company was enjoyable, it didn’t do much for Lucy’s social anxiety. Every thought of something she ought to say was quickly written off as stupid, not appropriate for the current conversation, or would sound utterly ridiculous because she knew she couldn’t turn off her stuttering. Instead, she simply sat back, watched, and listened. The woman was certain her cheeks would be sore after this.
Before Lucy could respond to the boney elbow nudging her side, Ben’s comment rendered her red in the face. She weakly nudged him back, but hid her crinkle-nosed grin under the palm of her hand. “Y-yeah!” The blonde admitted, gracelessly, “I thought something b-bad had happened, y’know?” Ugh, he had to put her on the spot. Lucy felt like she was making a total idiot of herself, and it didn’t help that she had an audience this time. There was no doubt about it. She was going to eventually die of embarrassment.
Feebly trying to change the subject, Lucy turned the conversation to their newcomer. “Mason,” Lucy echoed after the man confirmed Ben’s question. It sounded like a good and proper Louisiana name, she determined. The two men were talking something about how Mason had wrangled some orderlies when he entered the lunchroom – where the hell had she been? - apparently brought on by ‘shifting’ and breaking into Director Blankthorn’s office. “You did what? And got away with it?” Giant doe eyes grew wider as she listened to the man’s tale. What terrible feelers did she put out into the world to attract such wild people here today? First Ben, who looks like he’d been through a meat grinder (that was a bit dramatic, Lucy would admit) and then Mason here who had the gall to go snooping in the Director’s office. No sir, Lucy’s heart couldn’t handle this stress, her white-blonde hair was going to turn all-white and fall out, she was sure of it. She finally turned away from Mason and Lili’s flirt fest to face Benjamin. She hadn’t noticed the glances he had been tossing her way.
“What happened to your teeth?” She asked, baring her own and clicking her jaw together a couple of times. It took all that she was to refrain from poking them – she would’ve sworn they were really great false-teeth if she hadn’t known what it was that Ben could do. ”It have anything to do with your bruises?”
Post by Lilith Grace Taylor on Nov 24, 2018 4:51:52 GMT
Having someone like Ben hanging around was certainly not going to be any good for the reputation that she and Lucy had built for themselves. They weren't particularly problematic patients at Monroeville, but the same could not be said for their inked, new companion. Not that Lili had thought he was anything actually dangerous or that she cared about what other people thought of them. It was obvious enough that they were deemed the freaks, the weird kids who didn’t need the companionship of the other people within the hospital. It had been disappointing at first, but as time went on, it became something that was acceptable and almost preferable. No one bothered with them because they didn’t cause a fuss. They kept their heads down and didn’t interfere with things. After spending the last few years at the hospital, Lilith supposed that it was about time that they tried something new and spun everything they knew on its head.
The pink-haired woman laughed softly at Ben’s comment. ”I would hate to damage your ego.” She found it already easy to speak to him, which had to have said something about his character. It wasn’t like she was comfortable talking with everyone who just plopped down at their table. Then again, there was the additional perk of the fact that he had helped Lucy. Something like that was a debt that could never be repaid, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to try and figure out how to show her appreciation. Lili would have gone insane if her best friend had been locked up in solitary and kept away from her. It was difficult enough surviving this place with a friend, she couldn’t imagine how terrible it would have been without her friend by her side.
As Mason returned her compliment, a faint pink color dusted over her cheeks, but instead of attempting to hide it, she simply offered him a smile as vibrant as her hair. Lilith was no stranger to flirting, and she had found herself doing it even after she had found herself in Monroeville. Not everyone took kindly to it, but that didn’t stop her from doing it. That was part of her personality that couldn’t be tamed, but it only seemed to have intensified as this new arrival had appeared at their table. She was never one to turn away someone who wanted to have a seat with them, especially because it wasn’t as though they were scrambling to try and fit people in. In fact, there was more room at their table than there seemed to be throughout the rest of the cafeteria and she was glad that she and Lucy were finally getting some company.
At the question put forth, Lili shifted in her seat. ”A few years, give or take some months. You?” Jabbing her spoon back into her pudding, she took another bite of the best thing to be served at the hospital on most days. It was the thing that got her through the day. She was fortunate enough that Lucy would share some of her extra pudding cup when the time came. Honestly, having a best friend really paid off. Granted Lili wasn’t solely using Lucy for her pudding cups, no. Lucy was someone that Lili adored and would have done anything for and that wasn’t something that could so easily be said about everyone else in this place.
As she caught what Ben had said about Mason, her eyes widened in surprise and she turned her gaze to him. Once more she was struck by his beauty and felt her heart thump inside her chest. ”I’m Lilith, but you can call me Lili or anything you want, really.” She echoed Benji’s sentiment regarding their given names. To be frank, as long as Mason kept talking, Lilith didn’t care what he said. Perhaps it was shallow, but that wasn’t how it was intended. She was interested in what he had to say and she probably would have eaten it up. Propping her chin up onto her hand, curious eyes sought out Mason’s. ”What would you do a thing like that for? You’re lucky you didn’t end up in solitary.” When she was finished speaking, her eyes flicked towards Lucy and Ben and she grinned, perhaps a little conspiratorially.
Post by Benjamin Townsend on Nov 25, 2018 22:17:25 GMT
at most I'm sleeping all these demons away
There it was. That cute stammer and blush that Ben had become all too familiar with on the roof a week ago. He was oblivious to the looks exchanged between Lili and Mason as he kept his eyes glued to the girl to his left. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at her concern for him. He was apprehensive to fill her in on the exact details surrounding their week-long separation. He was quite sure that Lucy would faint if she knew about his talk with Palmer. He gave a revealed just a snippet of his tale of torture.
"I just celebrated my first anniversary earlier this week. I got these nice bruises as a present. I'm hoping for something a little classier next year maybe some jewelry." Ben cracked, looking away from Lucy and towards the pudding cups that girls were sating their hunger on. He noted his lack of a dessert and thought to comment on it before Mason revealed the reason for his chase. "... Good sir, I'm gonna need a hell of a lot more details about this 'changing back' and how you managed to break into Director Blackthorne's office." Not once in his one year of captivity had Ben ever had the gall, the sheer nerve to break into the director's office. He was suddenly kicking himself for never trying and captivated by Mason's bravery.
"Bah, solitary isn't that bad. You just gotta keep yourself occupied and make sure that whatever landed you in there was worth it." Speaking of solitary, the dreaded question that Ben had been trying to avoid suddenly surfaced. Though, it reared its head in what might have been the cutest way possible. The first thought that passed through Ben's head at Lucy's clicking jaws was "I'm a piranha." He flashed his hideous grin and tapped one of the malformed teeth.
"Well, you see. I had a very long talk with Mr. Palmer and in a moment of bestial rage I crushed a stainless steel table and threatened to rip his throat out. Made these babies to ram the point home." Ben donned his usual overly cheery sarcastic tone, allowing the confession to hang in the air before laughing. "I'm fuckin' with you. I had an accident and I haven't exactly figured out how to change my teeth back. I tend to do weird shit to myself when I'm asleep. I did talk to Palmer though and ended up getting thrown in solitary for a few days.
"The Palmer thing was completely unrelated to getting dragged off of the roof. The solitary thing, that was directly related. Like I said though, it's not so bad as long as what you did was worth it and it was." Ben smirked, taking a bite of his mush. Ben was suddenly very aware of the dichotomy of the growing table. On one side they had, for the most part, rule-abiding patients who attempted to fly under the radar. On the other side, they had... Ben and Mason.
"Now that I say all of that out loud," Ben had never thought of himself as a "celebrity" but he was moderately well known for his shenanigans and escape attempts. Mason was cut from a different yet similar cloth. His antics were known to Ben and his display earlier was nothing too out of the ordinary. "I hope that Mason and I don't upset the delicate ecosystem you two have cultivated here." It was said as a joke but somewhere deep down Benjamin meant it.
"You know, us being us." Ben exchanged a sidelong glance with the other male who had recently filled in a spot at the once barren table.
Lilith was gorgeous and Mason was enjoying this banter that they had going back and forth.He wasn't sure how he had gotten this long without meeting her, but given his history, there was a good chance that he had just spent more time getting in trouble than actually looking around. His loss, but now he knew. Mason broke his gaze from Lilith to look at Lucy and Benjamin. This was supposed to be him getting to know everyone at the table, not just spending time drooling over a pink haired beauty. Mason had heard so much about Benjamin and knew that he was as much of a pain in the ass for the orderlies as he was. It was a privilege to be able to meet someone who had probably gotten as many ass kickings as he did.
"I mean can't just let these anniversaries slide. Otherwise where's the magic in the relationship?" He asked, enjoying hearing that Benji had the same mentality about this place that he had. Mason laughed when Benjamin seemed to be confused about exactly what he was able to do. Mason reached over the table and touched Lilith's hand, enjoying how soft and delicate her slender fingers were. With a exhale, his appearance changed into Lilith. Pink hair grazed his shoulders, even a hole on his nostril for a hoop. The only real difference was the sizable scar on his shoulder from where he was shot, but that was covered with his shirt. "I have some tricks up my sleeve." He said in Lilith's exact voice. "Just took his face and walked in. Security is surprisingly lax in a place like this." At least it was when he was able to look like the director of the place.
He shook his pink hair, changing himself back to his usual appearance. His pink hair changed back to his usual shaggy brown, his features changed back, and the last bits of the parts of him that looked like Lilith changed back. He always had a simple time changing back and forth, but the struggle came to holding the form. He had been trained by his parents from a young age, and taught how to use the skill for more evil than good. He could do a lot of things while he was holding a form, but it always had a fair share of risks. He could get stuck, he could change back without meaning to. He could disfigure and deform his beautiful face. There was a reason why he was in Monroeville, and it wasn't all just because of the bank robberies.
Being as impulsive as he was, he could fairly say that his various pranks and shenanigans were rarely worth it. Mason finally realized that Benji's teeth were jagged and pointed. The blonde woman next to Ben seemed concerned about it. The chemistry between the two of them was nice to see, and it made him feel great that he wasn't flirting with Benji's hook up or girlfriend in Lilith. Mason had his fair share of random nights while he was in Monroeville, and he was tired of breaking up things for other patients. He just wanted to be happy with someone and have that connect with another person. it was rare for him, and given his history on the road, he never really had it before coming to the hospital.
Mason took a spoonful of his pudding, enjoying the chocolate. It was a rare treat in a place like Monroeville. He snorted when Ben gave his tale of what happened to his teeth. He already knew that he was going to love spending time with anyone who was as dramatic as he was, and if that meant spending time eating lunches with Lilith, then he was going to hold onto this friendship for all that he could. "So you're just going to rock the whole jaws look for the foreseeable future?"
Mason looked over at Lilith and tried to think of how long he had been in the place, "Uhh... shit how long has it been?" He asked more to himself. "Let me think... probably two years ago? Yeah." He and his brothers robbed their last bank together in 2016, and that was the last heist he was able to pull with them. He was sure that they were picking up without him, but he missed it. The rush of being chased by Palmer and his goons couldn't touch the rush of having a gun in his face. "It's nice to meet you Lilith." The first wife of Adam who refused to submit to him. Mason was into it.
The skinwalker laughed and licked his spoon, finishing his pudding and leaving the chocolate stained plastic container on his tray. "So, I showed you guys mine. How about you show me yours." He teased, meaning his ability, but he was sure that they would take it any sort of way. "Why don't you start, Lilith? I would love to see yours."
It took Lucy a moment to remember how long it had been since she had come to Monroeville. She came up on her anniversary some months ago – if her math was right, this would be her fifth year in Monroeville. That sounded certainly more depressing that one or two, so Lucy kept quiet and just slurped on her pudding. She tried to ignore the two flirting across from her, but she couldn’t help but sneak the occasional peek with a smile. It had been awhile since Lili had been this vivacious, and it really made Lucy happy to see her friend lively again.
Luce giggled at Ben’s crack, despite her worry over his bruises. “I’ll make you a nice bracelet next year.” She teased, her hand subconsciously finding its way to her newest piece of jewelry. She spun the brightly colored yarn between her fingers, and noticed Ben eyeing hers and Lili’s pudding. He didn’t seem to have any. Without skipping a beat, Lucy slid her extra unopened cup over to the odd-toothed man and plopped her spoon into her own cup for another bite. She was listening to Mason’s tale on how he conquered the Director’s office, when he demonstrated his power by transforming into Lilith before their eyes. Her jaw dropped as she looked back and forth between Lili 1 and Lili 2. With no regards for personal space, because no Lovelle had that, Lucy reached out and pinched Mason-Lili’s cheek. “Magic!” She exclaimed, poking and pulling at Mason-Lili’s face more. He transformed back, it seemed like he was physically shaking it out of him, and Lucy sat back in her seat, still watching intently in case he did anything else spectacular.
Skinwalkers were something of an unmentionable in the world right now. Something about people being scared of some ‘monster’ being able to steal their faces with no personal regard. It confused Lucy, who saw that there were much bigger things to worry about that someone who could change their face. Even with it being a taboo ability, that wasn’t something to lock someone up in Monroeville for, was it? She wasn’t one to judge, her powers were exceptionally tame compared to others locked up in the hospital, but she couldn’t help but wonder. “Lili’s right, you should watch out. I don’t think Director Blackthorn will be too happy when he finds out you were in his office.” Her voice was soft, and still uneasy. If Ben could end up in solitary for just hanging out on the roof, she’d hate to see what would happen for literally breaking in to the big man’s office. She had the feeling some orderlies were going to be fired today.
“You got sent to solitary?” Lucy quickly spun back to face Ben. She huffed and crossed her arms at him. It should’ve been her, she could’ve, oh, maybe batted her eyelashes and said she was lost or something? They would’ve taken it easy on her, right? So she wasn’t the most devious person in Monroeville – a title both Ben and Mason seemed to be gunning for – but Lucy’s giant doe eyes have gotten her out of a few sticky situations.
Ben’s toothy, malformed grin lit a fire in Lucy’s face. Even with his shark teeth, Lucy found Ben to be quite endearing. Her blushing face quickly turned to one of horror as he recounted his tale with the head of the security, some Mr. Palmer. She looked at the bruises on his arms and back to the crooked teeth – she wouldn’t have put any of this past him. It took her a full minute to process his story, when Ben finally piped in with an ‘oh, ha ha, I’m kidding.’ Lucy, not thinking, swatted Ben’s arm for getting her worried all over again. She was about to start berating him - though how effective it would’ve been in her tiny, stuttering voice, she didn’t know – when one simple comment took the gusto right out of her lungs.
“- It's not so bad as long as what you did was worth it and it was.” He wasn’t talking about her. Nope. He definitely was not talking about saving her skin, not at all. He was talking about the – the joy he got from terrorizing orderlies, that’s it. "I'm going to die, and you'll all be the cause of it." She muttered under her breath.
Lucy turned back to her pudding – it was empty. A perfect opportunity for Lucy to try and lose her ever-reddening face presented itself when Mason asked about their powers. Though the innuendo was completely missed by Lucy. Both hers and Lili’s powers weren’t exactly readily available for ‘show and tell.’ Occasionally, Lucy could pull a read from another person, but there was no reliable way for her to conjure her visions. Dr. Devereaux said that it would come with time and practice, but Lucy had been trying that for five years and no such luck. Besides, she wasn’t particularly keen on vision-walking out of this conversation just yet. Eyes turned to the pink haired beauty, and Lucy put her hand over her friend’s, a sign of solidarity. She knew Lili wasn’t ashamed of her ability and Lucy thought it was the coolest, but not everyone thought of reanimation in the same manner. Lucy only hoped these two adored Lili as much as she did.
Post by Lilith Grace Taylor on Nov 27, 2018 20:32:36 GMT
New friends was actually something that Lilith had never imagined that she and Lucy would have here at Monroeville. It wasn’t that they themselves were unfriendly; in fact, she happened to think that they were two of the friendliest people in this whole place. But they were weird and that was something that often didn’t settle well with some patients. It was frustrating because they were all stuck in here and it made sense that they would at least try to get along and form friendships, but that wasn’t the same thought process that ran through the rest of the patients here. As disappointing as it was, she had made due. She didn’t need a wild group of friends when she had found a constant in the blonde at her side. From her first day at the hospital, Lucy had been there. Her presence was warm, like sunshine, and it was all she could do not to bask in it forever.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t how things worked around here. She was hoping that there were some other people that were filled with that same amount of radiance - maybe one of these new boys would be able to provide that. Mason certainly seemed like the type of person that she wouldn’t have minded basking in his presence. As the question came about his ability and reached out, touching her hand, Lili found herself letting out a breath that she hadn’t even known she was holding. His touch was electric and every single one of her nerve-endings seemed to light up - even as she found herself suddenly staring at a mirror image of herself. Ocean blue eyes widened in shock and fascination, her mouth gaping slightly. ”Wow,” came her breathless response. He lacked an ability like they did; instead, his entire life was an ability of sorts. He wasn’t the first skinwalker that she had met, but he was certainly the first that had ever taken her appearance in the display. "You're a skinwalker? That's awesome."
As he shook her hair off and allowed his features to return to normal, Lili found that her fascination remained. Still, she forced her gaze back to Benji as Lucy brought up his teeth. Jagged and sharp, certainly more animal than human. For a moment, she had taken his words to heart. Threatening Palmer was not the way to get any kind of freedom in this place. As he revealed that it was a joke, she felt herself filled with relief and frustration, which Lucy seemed to reciprocate as she swatted Ben’s arm. Grinning, satisfied with the display, she took another bite of her pudding. Even as Benji voiced his concerns, she waved her hand. ”I’m sure we can manage just fine with a different ecosystem. Besides, we can always try something new. Maybe you two could magically manage to behave suddenly.” Lili knew that wasn't going to happen, but she couldn't help but to jest about it.
It was clear that there were feelings going on here, between all of them. It wouldn’t do to disrupt that just because of the fear of what if. There was a lot of potential sitting at this table, a world of possibilities if they only dared to take the risk instead of being afraid. Their duo would become a quad and that was something that suited her just fine. She always wanted more friends and it seemed that this was finally going to be her opportunity to do just that. Friends. What a novel concept that was. She had been here for years and all she wanted was to feel like she belonged in a place that was full of misfits. Maybe she finally had a group of people that she could belong with. As long as Ben didn't continue to get the extra pudding cups that she and Lucy always shared.
As Mason turned to her and inquired about her ability, Lilith felt her heart stop for a second before it continued to beat rhythmically in her chest. This was the part where she usually lost any sort of potential friendships. While she loved her ability, found it to be part of who she was, there were so many people who felt otherwise, people that thought she was a freak. Suddenly she felt a hand over her own and her gaze shifted, looking towards the friend that had been with her from day one. From that day, their hands touching or embracing had been a sign of solidarity, a sign that they supported one another in spite of what everyone else might have thought. It was Lucy that gave Lili the courage to respond. Turning her gaze back to Mason, she smiled slightly. ”I can’t actually show you. But I… I can reanimate the dead.” It was a grim ability to most, but it was intriguing to her. Perhaps the best part was when people found how contradictory her ability was with her personality and the vibrancy of her hair.
Post by Benjamin Townsend on Nov 28, 2018 3:14:07 GMT
at most I'm sleeping all these demons away
"Oh, well I'm looking forward to it." Benjamin chimed at the promise taking the gelatinous treat. "Pudding works equally as well." He looked between the nutrient-rich pile on his plate and the dirtied spoon. The thought of contaminating it was appalling. He began to wipe off the white contaminant but paused at Mason's display.
"What. The. Shit?" Ben's horrid maw gapped as he watched the transformation come over Mason. Never in his life had he ever encountered the mysterious entities known as skinwalkers. The knowledge he had on them was mostly second hand and learned during his time in Monroeville. Faced with it he could only stare in utter amazement and consider all of it's uses. "And you stole Jasper's face? Oh man," Ben cackled as the gorgeous gent reverted to his former appearance. He could get into serious trouble with an ability like that or a friend with an ability like that.
Ben weakly tried to defend himself from Lucy's disciplinary swat. He could see the words from on the tip of her tongue and then swiftly get cut down by the embarrassment his words brought. "Doesn't seem like a bad way to go." he retorted, shifting his attention from the flushed blonde and toward the pinkette and mimic. The atmosphere around the four of them was something Ben wasn't accustomed to.
Simply being around the other three set the boy at ease. He usually felt the need to talk. To keep the conversation going under his control. He didn't feel that now. When his friends spoke he didn't feel the need to deliver a sarcastic barb or spin a tale. When addressed at times he simply gave a playful shrug and a nod. With his mouth shut, he began to notice certain things. He noticed how Lili kept looking at Mason and the tone the skinwalker took with her. He caught sight of the red yarn around Lucy's slender neck. He also realized that he hadn't responded with words in quite some time.
The mention of behaving came up and Ben raised a brow. "Yeah, I tried that last week. Didn't go so well. If I'm gonna get put in solitary and hang out with Palmer I'd rather do deserving of the punishment."
The inevitable question came. When one gathered a group of superpowered individuals it came out without question. He was fond of Mason's phrasing having used much the same in his encounters. He watched as Lili cautiously announced her twisted power, Lucy bolstering her courage with a simple touch. Ben had failed to realize how close the two were and felt touched by the display.
Ben had seen Lili's ability to make the dead dance and felt a true kinship with her. Death and bones? The two went together like two morbid peas in a pod. This kindship had never blossomed into full-blown friendship. Still, he could understand why she would be avoided. While she was unable to show her's, Ben could certainly show his.
"You probably already know what I can do," Ben added after Lili. The lad presented his right arm to the table and curled his fist backward. With little preamble, an eight-inch spur of bone erupted from the underside of his forearm. The jagged construct was an inch around at its base and a ghastly off-white color."I get awkward boners." He joked, using the razor-sharp point to open his pudding cup. Gingerly, he dipped the bone into the pudding and licked it from the spine.
"Not as cool as raising the dead but, I mean, I think it's pretty cool in a gut-wrenching 'oh my god, a body doesn't bend like that' kind of way." He shrugged, retracting his creation back into his body.
