[ summer bishil | she/her ] Another face is seeking safety in New Orleans. Make sure to welcome NELL BURHAN to the home of the resilient. Rumor has it that they are an 35 year old PSYCHIC, who is one of the SURVIVORS but we’ll keep that a secret. They are said to be QUIXOTIC, but that’s all a façade to cover up their OPTIMISTIC nature. We’ve heard that they can be found listening to MADE YOU LOOK by MEGHAN TRAINOR, which sums them up pretty well. Let’s hope that they can find a way to survive this harsh new world.
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄:
𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄: eleanor burhan
𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄: nell, baby girl (by Darius only)
𝐀𝐆𝐄: thirty five
𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: tbd.
𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍: tbd.
𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄: new orleans
𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: ethical hacker/tech support at New Orleans Police Department
𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓: neutral good
𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓: tbd.
𝐀𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂: 90's and early 00's tunes, bright colors, crowded desk, catchphrases, nails always done, costs nothing to be kind
𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: n/a
𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘:
Nell discovered her psychic abilities at a relatively early age after realizing she could make people do what she wanted. It made her pull back from the world, wanting honesty out of people. Until she could control her powers, she'd never know what was yes and what was no.
In that time, she dove into the world of computers, finding the language of a computer spoke to her in a way that language of humans did. They made the same sense. She made her living behind a screen not always legally, until she was recruited under an ethical hacker initiative.
With the rise of the OEA, Nell knew she'd be part of the resistance, finding anything and everything technology could possibly provide would be beneficial. She is determined to be a pain in the OEA's ass, one they never know about. Their secrets will be hers to share.
Joining the NOLA police department, she likes to think she keeps Darius's life interesting. They are a team, a pair, a packaged deal. She's helping him cleanse the department, removing the corruption so everyone can trust them again. And she does it all with a smile on her face.
That's what people need now: a little bit of sunshine.
𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍'𝐒:
⭒ You can find her singing to herself at her desk most days
⭒ She talks to her (and any) computers like they're people
⭒ Darius slander is not allowed in her presence.
⭒ more tbd.
𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒:
PARENTS: tbd.
RELATIONSHIPS: darius jackson (boss/best friend/person), more tbd
SIBLINGS: tbd.
EXTENDED FAMILY: tbd.
WANTED: tbd.
"I work," she grunted, as she held the OEA member as tight as her 5'3" body could muster, "at the police...department. Messed with the wrong girl today." Her self-defense classes were coming in handy, and she would never hear the end of it if Darius found out he was right to insist five thousand times she take those.
Finally she had the right amount of pressure to knock him out as her new friend approached. ❛ that was a close call, wasn’t it? ❜
"Tougher than I look," she assured through labored breath, even as her lip wobbled a little. "I'm fine."
It had been a week, maybe, and TJ was already sick of this mall security gig, so he was trying to rectify that. He placed the fresh coffee on Nell's desk as if it were a bribe of sorts.
"Hey, so, you know how the boss put me on mall security. Is there any way you can get him to change his mind?" He got straight to the point rather than dancing around it like he did with said boss. "He never told me what I did wrong exactly, so, if you could give me any hints of what it was that pissed him off…"
And there was a brief pause as he decided to add another layer to it. "Also, can you convince him to let me help out, Sofia? Her desk keeps piling up, and the mall doesn't need me, anyway. There really is nothing going on there - see the incident reports." With a shrug. "If you do me this favor, I'll owe you big time."
Taking a moment to take the offered coffee and pour it into her own mug shaped like a Dalmatian, ears coming out the sides included, she listened to his appeal. He was not the first to come to her asking for her assistance in Darius 'seeing reason'. She used to wonder why they always came to her, but she wondered less now.
"I can always change his mind," she quipped, not even attempting to lie about it. Everyone had their skills, and she knew what hers were. "Run through your conversation with me. Did you take responsibility? You bought a monkey for a higher-ranking member of the OEA, so if you tried to play dumb, you don't need a hint."
Shaking her head, she assured him, "I don't need favors, but Darius doesn't need more headaches. Sofia needs the help, I agree, but I'm not going to help you if you're going to aggravate him. So your turn, what are you going to do to not aggravate?"
The gala, the influx of new OEA backup, TJ, Darius was having to call on every technique he'd ever learned to control that temper, and Nell could see it. The wear and tear of a life so unfair it made her want to cry most days. Having hope when these were their circumstances was harder than it looked, but she always found some. He had a lot to do with that.
After a particularly rough day, his mood was worse than normal. She knew that because he didn't want her around, so naturally she stayed put.
❛ what if i hurt you? ❜
"What if the sky turned green?" She retorted, "sorry, are we not listing impossible things?" Nell could bear a lot, heard and saw the most terrible of things, but she would not listen to that. Never.
Walking over, she leaned against his desk as she slid her hand in his, "you could never hurt me."
Bejo watched the person intently. He wasn't sure if he was being pettied or if someone that actually cared. The last person who stopped him to patch him up kindly was his mother. There was a look of sadness.
"I'm sorry." He said looking away. There was a hesitation before he decided to talk. "In the military if you get injured you suck it up. Their words kinda still hold weight." He said honestly. "My ibu-" His throat failing him. "My mother was the only one to care of myself but I fucked up." He admitted. "But now I get so pissed off the week of the full moon." There was a sad laugh spreading his chest, he winced feeling something. "I sound fucking insane don't I?"
Her head shook gently, she assured, "no apologies necessary." She didn't believe in people having to be tough just for the sake of toughness. "I still meant what I said, no one should tell you you're not allowed to feel pain." She let him speak to distract him as she plucked the tiny shards of glass out of his palm, "your mom sounds lovely. There's nothing quite like a mother's touch, in my opinion."
A smile crept on her lips as he mentioned how angry he got around the moon, as it sounded so familiar, offering softly, "I know someone like that. Greatest man I've ever known but has his moments of a toddler needing a nap around this time. So no, afraid that doesn't sound insane to me."
He had been sifting through files all day, crease lines on his forehead evidence of such when his attention was drawn to the light tapping against his office door frame. The sight of Nell was happily welcomed, a smile tugging across his lips as he shut the file he was currently going through and tossed it on to his desk and settled back into his chair as she spoke. "What could possibly be weirder than the monkey purchase," Darius questioned before she continued and a soft chuckle eased from his lips. Amusement was plastered across his features, like it often was when in her presence, nodding along as she rattled off her thoughts. "I mean is we're betting on my well-used gym membership then the odds must be in our favor," he laughed. "If the spin is ours, what do we do then? Any ideas in that brilliant head of yours?"
The radio silence could mean a lot of things, but her mind would always be pointed toward the positive, toward the hopeful, until proven otherwise. The monkey purchase had made her day, and she had the receipt printed and pinned to her cork board at her desk. "Something that doesn't bring reinforcements," she suggested, as her mind sifted through ideas, "so we probably want them to think this all went well, lower the reported OEA death toll. But to confirm my suspicions, I should probably take one of the officers and explore the fire-damaged building. See if they left anything behind? If we can establish our own communication with the higher ups, even when we turn these tides, we can keep feeding them success here. They won't know the war is turning on them until it's at their door."
No matter how desperately he fought to suppress the thoughts, the events of the gala continued to replay in his mind. All he could see was the fear in Jordyn’s eyes, hear the waver in her voice as she begged for their father to spare her. As she accepted her own brother's heinous role in the OEA ‘I know what you have to do – I won't blame you. I'll forgive you." The look on Aliyah’s face as she registered the betrayal, the wild expression in Briggs’ eye as he realised it had all been for nothing. The continuous reminder made his skin crawl and his bones ache.
Asher had never believed it when someone said that they felt a physical weight lift from their shoulders. He disagreed that any words, or sentiment could have that effect – or at least, he had until Nell offered him her belief. His eyes were slow to close, a crease forming against his brow as his fingers tightened around hers.
“I can’t defeat him – it doesn’t matter what I do, I can’t –” Asher’s jaw tightened, his head shaking as his eyes eventually reopened, bloodshot and tearstained as he found Nell’s gaze “how do you –” narrowing his gaze, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know how Nell knew his name. “I don't know where to go from here, I don't know what i'm supposed to do."
His thoughts were so loud, like an open book despite the way his body language would try to insist he was closed off. The images caused her own heart to ache, even as she wondered if she should push them out or if he wanted someone to see them as though desperate for someone to understand.
For all she'd witnessed in the minds of others, some true horrors, she was all the more determined to hold onto hope. As strange as that may seem. Her fingers gripped tighter as she shook her head, "and werewolves don't exist, dragons are extinct, and magic is just an illusion. Can't? There are no can'ts. Just because it seems impossible doesn't mean it is."
Her smile was warm as she shrugged, offering simply, "I know everything. Told you nothing's impossible." Now the next question was the hard one, what did any of them do now? "Not to sound like a Disney movie, but you do the next right thing. Every choice we make, no matter the ones already made in our past, we get to choose the right thing. We never lose our ability to choose right, and that gives me hope. But do you have somewhere to go? That's not OEA-owned? Because I have an extra bedroom. I think a warm shower and a good meal would do wonders for you."
Bejo looked at the other's hand before reluctantly laying the injured hand on top of hers before sitting down. There was a couple of shards of glass and the profuse bleeding continued. The hunter looked at her.
"I can deal with the pain. It's nothing new for me." He said. Bejo couldn't imagine going back to the oea headquarters complaining about a wound. He had a reputation to keep up.He could just walk home and do it instead.
She was not a nurse, but Darius had a habit of getting himself into many a tussle. With her free hand, she hoisted her bag onto the bench and dug through it as he spoke. She already knew talking this man into a hospital for stitches wouldn't work, but if she couldn't stop the bleeding, he'd have to get over it. She drew the line at sewing up skin...which is why she was not a nurse.
"I didn't say you couldn't deal with it," she countered softly, "just because you can doesn't mean you should." Her heart ached for him, for everyone's new normal. Pulling out her first aid kit, she grabbed some tweezers first to remove the glass. "I'm a good listener, if you want to talk about it?"
Benji had woke up with his new 'gift' in overdrive. It was so early when he woke, and no matter what he took, the voices wouldn't leave. The thoughts were so intrusive. He wasn't able to think of things he needed to. He hoped a run would be enough to clear his head and keep him sane. His calls to his brother were going unanswered so he hoped the brisk air would calm him. As he reached the french quarter, he slowed, bringing his hands to his face, rubbing it. He sat himself down to the ground, sitting below a tree, head in his knees. As he heard another crushing grass beneath their feet, he answered without looking up. "Sorry, I'm not really very good company at the minute..." he admitted.
When there was this much suffering, Nell found it near impossible to stay out of thoughts. They were practically radiating off of everybody in desperate waves. She had to drown them out for her own well-being before she attempted some mass hallucination to make everyone feel happy and peaceful. She didn't need to read the other's thoughts to know he was one of those in pain, his body language spoke volumes. "All the more reason you should have some," Nell countered as she took a seat anyway. "We don't have to talk if you don't want to, but no one should be alone like this."
Asher hadn’t realised just how desperate he had been for comfort until Nell had reached for his hand. From the moment that she did and he had taken it, it was like a weight had been lifted; even if only small, it was a lifted weight nevertheless.
He sat in silence for a little while, the sound of her tone was soothing, but the effect of her presence on him was somehow so much more than just that. He began to feel calmer, his mind clearer -- eventually able to take slow breaths as his heart rate began to ease into a regular rhythm.
And then a shaky sighed carried between them, Asher biting the inside of his cheeks to stave off the quiver in his chin. “I never wanted any of this." He could feel the words threatening him, almost compelled to voice his thoughts out loud. " I always blamed my dad, the cause – but I never stopped, you know? I never stood against him. Never stopped my sister. I just – ” his gaze dropped, shaking his head as he held onto her hand a little tighter. “I stayed silent. I always stay silent.”
Despite spending more time with computers than human beings, Nell had a great deal of practice in comforting and calming. She had her bond with a certain untriggered werewolf to thank for that (and her psychic abilities, maybe), but as Asher took her hand, she found it to be a rather handy skill that maybe they both needed right now.
She once feared the sway she had on people, but now she embraced it and the way it could help. Isn't that what they needed right now? Help, unity? The OEA sought to divide, and their success would only be in their ability to do that. The next words would be his, and if they sat in silence until the sun rose, Nell had no where else to be. Serve and protect, it was more than an oath for the officers anymore, they all had to take it. That's how they win, that's how hope doesn't die.
"I believe you," she offered, not sure if anyone told him that. She was trying not to pry into his mind without asking. "Our families of origin have so much power over us, to choose to go against them takes tremendous strength--strength I know you don't feel like you have right now. But you do. You stood for the right thing tonight. You're not silent anymore, Asher Simmons."
Still sporting his bloodstained tux, Asher hadn't yet returned to his apartment after his betrayal at the gala. He'd never had issues with being alone before; but suddenly his loneliness felt violent.
His thoughts overturned callously like a turbulent sea and each time he felt like he could come up for air, he found himself swept beneath the waves again. There would be no catching his breath; he understood now that this hollow feeling was never going to leave him.
He was alone in the park, or so he thought; sat overlooking the lake. Looking, but not really seeing. The sun had long since risen, but he hadn't moved from the position all night. He wasn't so sure that he could.
'I tried. I really tried. I did.' Exhausted, both mentally and physically, disjointed sentences urged from his lips every so often. "I tried. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
The gala. She had almost been hopeful for it. Not that the truce was real, she wasn't naive, but that maybe everyone in the same room would prove they were all no different from one another. She was right, but she seemed to be the only one who saw it.
Her heart was heavy in the aftermath, walking in an almost zombified state, unsteady and dazed. She had never seen that much blood in her life, and she worked for the police department. It happened so fast, and people just dropped. It was like they weighed nothing at all, like they were dolls, like it wasn't real. But it was real. The sounds of terrified thoughts were the new record her mind was playing.
Sliding down, she lowered down to join the hunter turned...ally? Offering her hand, she murmured, "sometimes it helps to hold onto someone." She didn't mean to pry into this thoughts, but she felt a bit on overdrive, and maybe he needed the answers she could provide. "It's not your fault, you know? This is going to make a difference someday...even though it doesn't feel like it right now."
"Now that's interesting," she murmured to herself, before popping up out of her seat and making a quick scurry to Darius's door. With a tap of her nails on the doorframe, she let herself in.
"Found something weirder than the monkey purchase," Nell announced, before pausing, "actually nothing's weirder than the monkey purchase...but maybe more relevant. Radio silence." Plopping down in a seat across him, she continued, "this is where the action is, right? And if the gala went according to plan like they expected it to, why no talky to the higher higher ups?" Thinking aloud in a stream of consciousness, she had to admit, "I mean, no doubt some of their communication equipment got caught in the fire, so not ruling out that I haven't found a new source...yet. But I'd bet your well-used gym membership this didn't go how they planned, and somebody is working their ass off to spin this to the Powers that Be. So, if that's the case, what if the spin is ours?"
There was that feeling rising again. Bejo was trying to ignore it, not refusing to give into his anger. He would be no better than those beasts. And he was not one of them. Without much thought he grabbed the empty beer bottle and smashed it, inadvertly hurting his palm of his hand. He gritted his teeth, pretending his hand wasn't injured. He briefly locked eyes with someone before looking away.
Nell decided to enjoy her day off with a little treat herself action. As much time as she spent typing on a keyboard, her nails deserved a little TLC. Distracted by the sound of breaking glass, her attention was drawn to an energy that made her head hurt. The thoughts practically screamed in their tormented nature.
"Hand please," she stated, extending hers as she took a seat on a nearby bench, ignoring his dismissive remark. "Just let me have a look at it."
