ANARCHY.

coraline sharp 30 salus

[coralinesharp]

CORALINE SHARP showed up right on time for the end of the world. Even now, word is that they are OPTIMISTIC, but still get RECKLESS at the mention of how things used to be. They have been living in SALUS for TEN YEARS. If you go looking for them, you can usually find ANARCHY by BITING ELBOWS playing, or use THE DISTANT SOUND OF AN EXPLOSION & THE QUESTION OF ‘WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?’ to narrow it down.

BACKGROUND. 

Chaos is something Coraline knows well, thrives in, and creates in equal measure. Born to a single mother in the slums of Soteria, she spent the majority of her childhood getting in copious amounts of trouble, not least in part because of her particular talent for pyrotechnics. Once she'd figured the scrap pieces of tech occasionally scavenged could be rigged to ignite and bang and explode, there was no stopping her. More than once an angry mob would arrive at her mother's door, and every time she managed to smooth it over without breaking a sweat. She was good at that, Miss Sharp. Good at protecting her daughter.

Unfortunately that meant Coraline never truly learned how to take responsibility for her actions, nor did she realise that it was dangerous to play around with things you barely understand. Most of the time her tinkering was guesswork, and it was pure dumb luck that she hadn't maimed herself yet. Fortunately someone took notice of the spark of talent Cora showed for tech and took her under their wing, teaching her the finer points that she'd be working around for so long. But this is Soteria. Nothing comes without a price.

In return for teaching Cora and providing her with tech, she had to take a job at some company she'd never heard of building things she wasn't interested in. She did, without question, because it was not in her nature to ask questions first. The job allowed her to move her mother out of the slums and provide her with a little stability, her own form of payback for the years of fending off angry people with singed eyebrows. The only problem was that it made her miserable.

Working to someone else's vision and guidelines didn't suit her. She'd known freedom her entire life and now was shackled, by the job, by responsibility, by Soteria itself. In some ways her mother passing away was a relief. Cora was devastated but it was the only thing tying her to everything she hated, and so, seemingly overnight, Coraline Sharp disappeared.

Salus was where she ended up, as most lost things do. She had all of her freedom back and nobody to answer to, but for the first time she was alone. That didn't last long. Over her years in Salus Coraline has had multiple different occupations - scrapping, farming, bounty hunting, and recently she's started up as a mechanic. It allowed her to meet a surprising amount of people, some good, some bad, some weird. But variety is the spice of life, as they say, and Coraline has no intention of becoming bland.

HEADCANONS. 

She loves to make things explode. There's just something about it that fascinates her.

Still has a few contacts in Soteria but doesn't advertise it and rarely visits.

Incredibly easy to get along with - Cora will do just about anything if you promise it'll be fun.

CONNECTIONS. 

friends - these are numerous and can come in many forms. cora can get along with pretty much anyone, as long as they're not boring, but she can be a little... much.

enemies - cora was a bounty hunter for a few years and might have picked up some adversaries along the way. she probably doesn't take it too seriously but perhaps they do.

former mentor (soteria) - the one who taught her every fine detail she knows about tech and mechanics. they were the one who employed her and might still be looking for her today - either out of concern or anger.

former mentor (salus) - cora took up bounty hunting after she met this person and they agreed to teach her the tricks of the trade. i imagine they saw cora almost as a child and hoped she would continue the 'family business' so to speak. they might be annoyed that she abandoned bounty hunting or support her in her new endeavours.

[coralinesharp]

vegakrii​:

location ;; cisterns market

muse ;; vega krii

status ;; open to everyone @whrstarters

the scavenger knew better, she really did. though judging by the way she ran through the sea of people shopping in cisterns market today, vega didn’t appear to know any better. in fact, she appeared to be in quite a hurry, and you wouldn’t be too far off. she ducked between the first two stalls she cane across and reached out to steady an item she caused to nearly tumble to the ground in her hasty attempt at escape, the woman looking up at a nearby patron. “if a tall, pasty looking guy with beady eyes who looks like he’s half dead asks if you’ve seen me…no you haven’t.” she hoarsely explained, squatting a little to get out of view of the crowd of people shopping. “in fact i’ll even bribe you with…are you hungry? i’ll buy you lunch. deal?” she flashed a charming and even hopeful grin, a shrug lifting her shoulders as if to say ‘what have you got to lose?’.

Coraline loved mysteries. And mysteries with a little chaos attached? Even better. She had been happily browsing the junk on a stall, acting as if she might actually purchase something, when the stranger appeared towing what sounded like trouble behind. Good, Coraline thought. I was starting to get a little bored.

“Deal.” Cora grinned and side stepped a little so that she was partially obscuring her new partner in crime, casting a glance across the crowds and spotting the pasty beady-eyed pursuer easily enough. Unfortunately he was headed right for them; but Coraline's luck had not failed her yet, and at that moment a child walked past with a bundled armful of old sheets. She snatched one out of the pile and it unfurled into a wall behind which the woman couldn't be seen, and Coraline pretended she was interesting in buying it. The child argued that the sheets weren't for sale, but the protests fell on deaf ears. Cora was too busy watching the man circle around, occasionally stopping to ask one person or another a question.

Eventually he seemed to give up and move on, and as the back of his head disappeared down an alley Coraline bundled up the sheet and threw it back at the child, who cursed her as he too stormed away.

“Alright, the coast is clear. Lunch was the deal, right? I'm adding something on to that - you need to tell me what the hell that was about.”

[coralinesharp]

hierophcnts​:

@coralinesharp​

It’s rought out there. The sun is hotter, beating down without an ounce of mercy. It makes the air so hot you can see it — practically dances in front of you, taunting. If you’re not careful, this place will swallow you whole; he’s never tried to actually move away. If anyone were to ask Ford, he’d say it’s not worth the time and effort to try to leave Salus. Better to accept it. Doesn’t take away from the need for supplies, though. They don’t just appear magically. Salus is a destitute place, and in this world, you either steal from the rich, or the poor. If you’re Ford, you steal from the dead.

“Your neighbors decided to search for Valhallah.” Or whatever one might call it. Greener pastures just doesn’t seem to cut it. Daisies don’t really grow around here unless you really know what you’re doing, so you can’t push those up anymore. “They fucked around, and found out.” He’s wearing a hat. Ages old, tattered with a bleached out emblem embroidered on above the bill. Can’t even tell what it was, but it’s definitely the neighbors. “Wanna go over there before everyone finds out? Vultures around here are quick.”

Coraline hadn't been home in days, which was typical enough for her. Sometimes she just got so distracted by life that she forgot about silly things like 'sleeping' and 'making sure none of your shit got stolen' - which it seemed like nothing had, because the door hadn't been blown off it's hinges. A little booby trap she set up for anyone who didn't know to disarm the trip wire.

“Oh, really? They were nice.” For a moment Coraline sounded genuinely sad, and she was - they had been nice people. But death had become one of those things that was just a regular part of everything else. As normal as eating dinner or going to sleep. There wasn't much point getting too attached to anyone in Salus, and if she stopped to mourn every passing acquaintance that had kicked the bucket she'd never get anything done. Coraline quite liked to get things done.

And speaking of acquaintances...

“Wow. I just realised how long it's been since someone asked me to loot a recently deceased family's home. Gotta be a month, at least.” She paused, as if deep in thought. “Death really shows you the little pleasures in life, huh?”

Without waiting for any sort of reply she spun on her heel and began marching to the destination, mind racing full of thoughts of what might be hidden inside. Maybe a little piece of tech, just tucked away out of sight? Spare parts? It was rare, but not impossible. She tossed a shout over her shoulder: “Are you coming or what?”

[coralinesharp]

nxllset​:

open to: anyone - preliminary introduction  location: cisterns market; Salus

A rare day off (as though he didn’t pick his hours) meant that the way that he navigated the streets without hyper-focusing on his environment as he searched the crowds for his mark or a sign. Instead, his posture remained relaxed, hands in his pockets, as he passed by a group of street-kids who glowered up at him when he didn’t bother to pass them something shiny. As though it was his responsibility to ensure they didn’t draw the negative attention of whomever they were working with, bonded to, or called family.  Luckily, he had none of that. Only a Meridian handler who gave him his next job, gave him his pay and ensured that he somehow never ran out of food for his cat. The same luxury wasn’t extended to himself, of course. He hunted best when he was lean and hungry, and his handler enjoyed seeing him just shy of throat-ripping ravenous. Though, his flat affect and unassuming nature didn’t say predator – but why announce himself? 

Instead, he wanted a bloody meat skewer. Heavy on the rare. Hell, he’d eat the stick if that was what it took. The Old Fucker sold the best meat skewers in all of the fucking rundown backwater shitstain that was Salus. “–” he raised his hand to indicate to the man behind the stall that he wanted three of whatever he’d be handed. A clink of dropped coins - something he found from some house located somewhere east of here - was enough for the Old Fucker to grin and pass him something that might be a week past fresh - pretty good for what he gave in return. 

He felt a heavy shoulder hit against him, and it took him a moment in his hunger-daze to remember to roll back and stagger instead of absorbing the blow and bracing against the impact. “Steady on,” he said, reaching to steady the stranger. His eyes flickered over the stranger’s shoulders, and his dark eyes ascertained the threat quickly. “How attached are you to your Achilles tendon? If you don’t move quickly - that ragamuffin is going to attack it,” he said in the same way that he’d discuss the potential for stepping into a deep puddle and ruining the hems of his pants. 

“My Achilles what-?” A split second passed as Coraline followed the stranger's eyeline, twisting her head and spotting the child and it's rusty knife just in time to aim a swift kick at the would-be attacker. Ah, the market. Full of the best and the worst. It wasn't an exciting day till you'd almost been attacked, and this was the second time it'd happened to Coraline since she arrived. Of course, the first time had been entirely her own fault, but it had been hard to tell if the vendor's eye was fake or just paralyzed when she made to grab something off their stall.

“Jesus christ! They get bolder all the time. At least wait 'till I'm alone in a dark alley or something!” She shouted her advice after the kid, who was already disappearing behind a pile of junk that was stacked next to a particularly old and gnarled woman. For a second she was so focused on the audacity that she forgot about the stranger she'd bumped into, despite the fact he'd just saved her 'Achilles whatever' and anything valuable she happened to have on her person (which wasn't much).

“Oh, yeah - thanks.” Coraline offered a decidedly grimy hand out to the stranger, and then seemed to rethink the decision and wiped it on her equally grimy jacket. “I appreciate still having my... what did you call it? An Achilles tendon? What is that? Something south of the border, I assume. Don't think that kid could've reached my elbows. It's like they're getting more vicious and stupid at the same time.”

[coralinesharp]

vrquantumhq​:

Vega had been tinkering with a small, old robot she’d found in her more recent scavenging trip. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to get up and running again but she’d try—that is if that loud bang didn’t make her drop the damn bot on the ground in surprise. There was really only one person she knew that’d barrel into her place like that, so she didn’t even reach for her gun at this point.

A smirk tugged onto her lips when she heard Cora call out her name. “In here gorgeous!” She called back. Setting aside the bot she’d been tinkering on, Vega looked up and nodded excitedly, grinning. “I did!! I haven’t gotten the chance to check it out yet though…damn you’re probably right. But please I’d love to come—” In fact, she was already grabbing her satchel and and slipping her jacket on as she spoke. “—and let’s be real, if anyone can find the good stuff, it’s us eh?”

-

“It’s true, we are uniquely and abundantly talented.” Coraline nodded and sighed as if it were a great burden, before her eye caught the little robot that lay on Vega’s workbench. Of course, her first thought was how big of explosion it might be able to make, given the right modifications... though she guessed her friend’s tinkering intentions were a little more on the benevolent side. “Where’d you get that? Are you trying to fix it up? Hey, maybe we could find some parts for it at the junkyard - there’s gotta be something useful left in all that crap Meridian dropped.” 

She wheeled around to the doorway that she’d entered through as Vega gathered her things, leading the march back out and onto the street. “Are you gonna enter this prize draw thing? To win a mech? I can’t decided if it’d be more trouble than it’s worth out here.”

[coralinesharp]

sevrin-oconnell​:

“Oh,  fuck,  well,  I  don’t  know,  maybe  it’s  RUDE  to  just  blow  shit  up  assuming  someone  else  doesn’t  have  use  for  it?  Ever  think  of  that?”  He’d  spent  the  better  part  of  the  last  two  days  planning  this  hit,  and  some  frivolous  bomb-bug  was  about  to  send  it  all  crumpled  to  hell  in  the  span  of  minutes.  Annoyance  barely  scratches  the  surface  of  the  foul  mood  this  was  putting  him  in. 

His  brows  rise  incredulously  as  she  continues  to  speak.  Sevrin  wasn’t  even  honestly  sure  what  to  address  first.  Which  was  more  nonsensical?  The  fact  that  her  fucking  timer  wasn’t even  AcCuraTe? Or  that  she  had  some  bizarre  notion  that  she  deserved  gratitude  for  stopping  him?  (  At  least  if  he’d  been  blown  up,  he  wouldn’t  have  to  deal  with  the  fucking  mess  this  was  about  to  cause  him.  )

Before  he  could  choose,  the  goddamn  thing  went  off.  (  Two  fucking  minutes  his  ass. )  He  stands  watching  the  destruction  with  a  deep  set  frown  on  his  face  as  the  smoke  pulls  dust  and  debris  upwards  into  billowing  orange  smoke.  The  ground  shudders  beneath  his  feet,  and  mere  moments  later  chunks  of  gravel  and  ruin  trickle  down  from  the  sky.  He  stands,  firmly  in  place,  too  pissed  to  even  move,  not  even  when  a  particularly  ballsy  piece  scrapes  down  the  side  of  his  cheek.  

As  the  air  begins to  settle,  Sev  takes  in  a  very  slow,  very  deliberate  inhale.  They  say  if  you  count  to  ten,  whatever  is  bothering  you  will  get  better;  that  it’s  a  calming  technique  for  when  shit’s  going  wrong.  In  all  of  his  many  years  in  the  prime  of  his  career,  however,  Sevrin  has  never  made  it  to  ten.

“You’ve got to be FUCKING KIDDING ME.”  He  turns  now  to  where  the  woman  had  taken  cover,  and  long,  purposeful  strides  move  him  towards  her,  quickly  closing  the  distance  between  them,  his  hand  already  reaching  for  the  gun  holstered  at  his  hip.  "Now’s  a  GOOD  TIME  for  a  solid  reason  why  I  shouldn’t  just  put  a  bullet  between  your  eyes.“

Uh oh.

Coraline had been on plenty of people's bad sides - hell, it was almost easier to piss people off than befriend them in Salus, especially when you made a habit of blowing up anything that was left unattended for a little too long. And clearly this was one of those situations in which she'd hit a particularly raw nerve. Her eyes widened as he started towards her and she clutched for the knife at her belt - the gun that sat alongside it was useless; she'd run out of ammo two days ago.

Her feet tripped over themselves as she backed away a little too quickly and stumbled over a chunk of stone, hitting the ground hard enough that it knocked the wind out of her for a second. “Wait, wait!” The words came out in a wheeze as she threw her hands up - like they'd stop a bullet - and flinched as if the bang had already sounded. “Just - I bet I can think of a really good reason if you give me a second! All this pressure isn't good for the brain, you know?” Sort of a lie; Coraline worked incredibly well under pressure. In fact, it was her preferred state of being.

“Maybe if you tell me what you were going there for I could help? I've been scouting. Checking all the buildings. I see things. Maybe I saw what you need.” She couldn’t really think of anything off the top of her head that would be useful for... whatever this maniac happened to want, but she wasn’t above lying through her teeth if the situation called for it. “Could you just - lower that thing? They go off by themselves sometimes.” 

[coralinesharp]

sillcge​:

status: open | @whrstarters

Nose deep in the guts of a royally fucked vehicle, Alya didn’t hear the arrival of company. Nothing could be heard over all the mumbled swears and tinkering made by their grease stained hands. Honest to god, they nearly chucked their towel when something moved out of their periphery.  Hell, she nearly banged their head against the hood as she straightened up.

“Holy fucking hell. What in the– you got the feet of a ghost or something?”

“No, I've got the feet of a human,” Cora snorted, trying her best not to laugh too much at the scare she'd given the other person. It wasn't often she was quiet enough to get the drop on anyone, unless she really gave it her all, which she hadn't exactly been doing. Clearly the vehicle was proving enough of a challenge to take up all their attention. “I just noticed that you seem to be having some... trouble? You know, that thing might be better off as scrap. I've seen burned out shells with better chances of being road worthy again.”

[coralinesharp]

@vrquantumhq

As usual, Coraline barrelled through the doorway with a frankly obnoxious amount of energy, knocking something loud and heavy over as she went that she didn't bother to turn and check. Not with the news she had - no, she needed to find Vega right now, before the excitement ate at any more of her insides.

“Hey, Vega? Vega!” She called out her friend's name, barely allowing a second to pass for her to answer before pressing on with her sentence. “Have you seen this? About the mechs? And the scrap? You have to have heard, everyone's talking about it! I'm heading to the junkyard - most of the good stuff'll be gone but there could be something out there. Wanna come?”

[coralinesharp]

solomongrady​:

the sun beat down on solomon’s back. normally, he would send one of the saved to do this part of the job, especially in this heat. but if you wanted a job done right, you had to do it yourself. so there he sat at the corner of 5th and baymont street, his usual trading post, with a small collection of penicillin. he had a buyer already, a trade price in mind, but like any good Prophet, he would be willing to part with it for the… extra needy. for the right price. 

he heard a set of unfamiliar footsteps coming to his side and he turned his head just enough to get a look at the approaching party in his periphery. 

“alright, that’s close enough,” he said, not moving a muscle otherwise. “stop right there. state your name and your business.”

“Uh... Coraline. My business is buying, I guess?” Coraline had stopped in her tracks, feeling a little put on the spot, though she understood the need for caution. Nothing like Salus and its inhabitants to make a person extra wary of approaching strangers, especially when you're the one holding medicine. “I got a friend with an infection and someone told me there was someone selling penicillin around - looks like that's you.” She fidgeted from one foot to the other, disliking the feeling of standing still and yet feeling like she couldn’t move. “So what do you want for it? The medicine?”

[coralinesharp]

hierophcnts​:

“I’m sorry, was that attitude?” Said with some fucking attitude, of fucking course. Sanne is finding herself believing this less and less. Guilty consciences are one thing, but not when it comes to circumstances like these. It’s the urgency that has her totally fucked up. Throwing her through a fucking loop, if she’s to be honest with herself. “I have it on good authority that miss limbs are in.” It’s like a badge of honor, especially if you’ve got the balls to walk into Soteria without the appropriate dressings. One sideways glance, and she’s got to consider the alternatives. “If this is a fucking trap..” let’s it teeter off as she moves toward safety, because what the fuck is she going to do about it? “Why are you blowing nothing up?”

-

“Only as much attitude as you.” Despite how suspicious her new companion was, Coraline was grinning; the impending explosion overshadowed everything else. “It's not a trap. If it was a trap I'd make a way better one - used to be a bounty hunter, you know. I've got practice.” That was a fun couple of years. Cora fidgeted from one foot to the other, glancing between the horizon and the woman as she moved. Any second now...

“Because it's fun to blow things up. Haven't you ever made anything explode before? You're in for a treat.” She'd barely finished getting the words out when an almighty BOOM sounded somewhere up ahead; the ground shook ever so slightly and smoke billowed high in the air, tailed by the faint orange glow of flames. Something had ignited, which only made the whole thing better. “See! Hah! Told you it wasn't a trap! If it wasn't for me you'd be crushed under a big rock right now. Or maybe on fire. On fire and crushed. Not the best way to go if you ask me.” 

[coralinesharp]

sillcge​:

“Guess it depends on if the butter knife’s serrated or not.” Then again, there have been times where skin, flesh, and bone have all been rendered useless by sheer desperation alone. An animal caught by a trap will gnaw on a limb until separated. Why not apply the same logic to a person with something as dull as a damn butter knife?

He peered at the covered wound and felt his lips set into an understanding frown. “Infection’ll do that to you free of charge.” Slowly, Marc hefted himself up and gestured for the other to follow. “Take a seat and let’s have a look under the wrap.”

It wasn't the first burn related infection she'd ever had, and certainly wouldn't be the last. “I know some people who could do some damage with a butter knife. If all else fails you could jam it in someone's eye.” Cora had used her fair share of odd weapons in the past - partly out of necessity, partly out of sheer curiosity. She followed him, continuing her musings on butter knives as she walked. "Do you think a butter knife or a spoon would be more deadly? You could scoop with those. Although I guess that's still in the eye area.”

She lowered herself into the open seat and began unwrapping the wound, wincing as the bandage scraped the sides. It looked worse than it had when she'd wrapped it (three days ago), but she supposed that was what happened when you used dirty bandages. “So is this a clean it twice a day situation or...?” Antibiotics was the unsaid word. Coraline didn't fancy her changes of getting hold of any without having to cut off her arm in payment.

[coralinesharp]

sevrin-oconnell​:

.

Measure  twice,  cut once.  It  was  a  good  rule  of  thumb,  and  not  just  for  carpentry,  but  for  any  profession  that  requires  a  keen  eye  and  a  precise  hand  —  his own,  of course,  not  excluded.  It  was  what  drew  Sevrin  from  the  sleek  lines  and  glowing  neon of  Solaris  today  in  the  first  place,  back  into  the  wastes  of  Salus ( home,  sweet,  home ).  He  was  here  to  scope  a  particular  location  that  his  current  target  has  been  known  to  use  for  their  own  dealings,  to  familiarize  himself  with  it's  layout  so  when  it  was  time  to  punch  the  clock  and  get  to work,  there  would  be  no  surprises.  

Very  much  unlike  the  surprise  the  frantically  gesturing  woman  was  now  alerting  him  to.

Fucking  damn  it.  

Sevrin's  approach  slows  as  she  speaks,  gravel  crunching  beneath  polished  black  shoes  as  he  comes  to  a  stop,  turning  to  look  in  her  direction,  with the utter inconvenience  of  her  warning  clear  on  his  face.  This  was  really  going  to  set  him  back,  he'd  be  starting  over  entirely  with  his  planning.   “You’ve  got  to  be  kidding  me.”

“Why  the  fuck  are  you  blowing  the  place  up,  anyway?  Could  you.. you  know,  not?  I've  got  shit  to  do  here  later.”

“Since when did people need a reason to blow things up? Why can't things be blown up just for the love of it?” And Coraline did love it. When she saw a prime target there was little that could be done to stop her, especially not something as trivial as other people's inconvenience. If anything it added a little extra fun.

She stayed behind her wall, which was half rubble, sensing something a little more than annoyance coming from the man. “I can't stop it now. The timer's set - and I'm not all that accurate. Could go at any second. And I could have let you walk right into it, but because I'm a nice person, I didn't. You could say thank you.” A dead body usually put a damper on the celebration of the explosion, which is why she checked buildings before she planted anything. Not always as thoroughly as necessary, but enough to soothe her own conscience.

“What's the shit you have to do here later anyway? There's nothing around except—”

At that moment a deafening boom sounded from somewhere up ahead, followed by a billowing cloud of orange smoke and ash that spewed pieces of rubble up and outwards. A particularly large piece landed not three feet away from them, and Coraline’s face split into a wide grin. 

“Ruins.”

[coralinesharp]

All my troubles on a burning pile All lit up and I start to smile  If I catch fire then I change my aim Throw my troubles at the pearly gates

[coralinesharp]

roryosbn​:

It started on someone else’s house in Soteria. A nice bottle of something he shouldn’t have. A little line of illegal amusement. Pretty people. Plural. From what he could gather, it had been the perfect night out. The only way it could ever end was with him wandering, alone, senseless, in Salus? It was a bit much, really. Rory could easily realize that. But his head was pounding, the wind was too loud and frankly, he felt like he had been walking in circles. Where the fuck was Soteria? Hide and seek was definitely not his ideal morning after. Nor was the even louder voice promising blown up socks and time stamps. Was he still asleep? “It wouldn’t be a nice day for that, no. I have… stuff to do before going confetti,” he raised both his eyebrows, the slightly too big of a smile lending a touch of crazy to his words as he stopped and looked down. “Two minutes here it is then. Just don’t plan on robbing me senseless in the mean time, please? I have a serious case of shitty hangover at the moment…” between other things.

-

“That's a good point, this would be a great distraction to make someone stop just to rob them... not that I would.” She had robbed people in the past, but in her mind they absolutely deserved it, and so it didn't count. “I'm more of an honest robber. Y'know, stick you up in a dark alley somewhere with a balaclava on. Well, if I owned a balaclava.” Her eyes kept flicking down to the clock face on her wrist, watching it count down the seconds, which seemed to be dragging. At the mention of a hangover, she grinned. “Good night huh? Or bad? I guess a shitty hangover can follow both. Has anyone ever had a nice hangover? I bet there's some kind of pill for that in Soteria. Probably made someone rich. Oh, by the way - you might want to find some cover soon.” Her timing was usually alright, but never exact, and it would've been a waste of time to stop the stranger if he was just going to get taken out by a piece of flying rock. “Just in case.”

[coralinesharp]

nitrofied​:

“Listen, first of all–– I don’t wear socks. So no socks are getting ‘blown off’. Maybe just some toes, or a whole foot. Get your facts straight.” He said seriously, finding what she was saying absolutely ridiculous, completely unfazed by the fact he had almost walked right into an imminent blast zone. “Second of all…Where would you even find them? Socks, I mean?”

Luckily for him he’d been so caught up by the fact he wasn’t wearing socks that the two minutes she’d warned him about quickly passed, making him one less casualty to the sudden gigantic explosive blast behind him. He turned around slowly, watching as clouds of smoke spiraled skyward and a singular building collapsed upon itself into a pile of rubble. “That’s why you didn’t want me walking that way?” He said, confronting her again. “Lady…that’s a light show.”

“What do you mean you don't wear socks? Don't you get blisters?”

She was so distracted by the idea of not having socks that she almost missed the blast entirely - or, would have, if she wasn't facing it, and it wasn't huge. The ground shook and Cora hopped excitedly from one foot to the other, a grin that was just a touch unhinged spreading across her face. “Yes! I knew it would work! Did you see that? Wasn't it great?” The adrenaline rush that had accompanied the explosion had her almost vibrating with glee, eyes following the rubble that cascaded in all directions, and she almost took off running towards the ruin before she remembered there was someone else stood in front of her. “That was better than a light show. That was - art.” The statement might've been a little over the top, but she sincerely meant it.

The dust had barely begun to settle as Coraline peered back over at the wreckage, wondering how long it would take for someone or something to come investigating. The odds were always fifty-fifty that anyone else would even care, given the sorry state that most of Salus was already in. “I'm going to see if there's anything cool in there - you can come too, if you want.” It maybe wasn't the best idea to invite complete strangers into potentially unstable ruins, but Cora wasn't exactly known for being a font of great ideas. “Might find some socks.” 

[coralinesharp]

hierophcnts​:

This isn’t really something new, here. Destruction is a way of life for many in Salus, and Sanne is no stranger to it’s many faces. What’s odd, stands out, is when people actively warn you about it. Has her stopping in her tracks, eyeing the vaguely familiar woman as if trying to gauge the reality of the intent, here. “…What’s the catch? Is there an alternative choice, here? If I don’t lose a fucking limb, am I about to get my shit fucking rocked otherwise?”

-

“Catch? There's no catch! I just don't want the guilt of someone's horrible maiming ruining my good time. The only choice you have to make is to either wait here and witness the most amazing thing you've ever seen in a minute and a half, or turn back around. Or go wherever. I just wouldn't recommend that way.” She understood the suspicion. Salus was not often forgiving, or innocent, or full of such overt warnings. Popping up from nowhere and stopping someone in the middle of the road might well be a trap, and if the roles were reversed, Coraline would’ve been just as wary. “If you are going to stay I'd get behind this wall though. You know, in case of... flying debris.”

[coralinesharp]

motionsckness​:

ITS THE CRAZY EYES FOR ME. She thought to herself watching the excitement that night actually be off putting for someone else as it crawled all over Cora’s features. It was probably the reason she was wearing that crooked smile so well. “So the bigger.” A stop for her to actually concentrate on this, steady hands making slight work, before finishing. “The better, is what I feel like I’m hearing.” A small chuckle offered as she squinted at her work, almost finished entirely. “You really missed your calling with fireworks, you know.”

“Stasi, you know me too well. Have I told you how great you are lately?” She grinned and watched her work - slightly too close for comfort - for a few more seconds, before the anticipation forced her to stand straight and begin pacing again. “I dabbled in fireworks. Once. They're too tame.” Of course, Coraline had found a way to make them decidedly un-tame, but the work had far outstripped the reward. “Maybe you missed your calling with explosives. This has got to be more fun than sewing up every unlucky SOB that wanders to your door.”

She paced all the way to the far end of the room and glanced out of the grimy, cracked window to the deserted street below. “Maybe this could be the one, you know.” Cora talked about the one a lot. The one perfect explosion that she felt she was always searching for. Each blast was unique, had its own merits, and was to be admired... but there had to be one that would stand head and shoulders above the rest. Perhaps it would finally scratch the itch that seemed perpetually present in Cora's mind. “D'you think two blocks will do it? I want to be close.”