tear out the pages from the story of this life, the cloud of anger left behind and tell the future will we be buried deep or flying high, or just the anger left behind cassian. 28. scientist.
LOCATION: the streets of new colorado
SETTING: late afternoon, after “shadows into the light”
STATUS: open
Cass could feel insanity beginning to seep into the depths of his mind, fingers tingling with numbness as they toyed with the small, metal ball in his hand. It was covered in rivets, patterns melted into the surface. He had been kicked out of the lab for the day, his outbursts becoming more present with each passing moment. Their exact words were, go home, cool off. As if he was lava waiting to burst at the mouth of the volcano.
Heavy feet drug across the solemn street, but they felt unbearable, as if his legs could give out at any moment. His face was still crimson, hot to the touch, and his teeth were still easing from their harsh grit. His body crashed against the nearest building, hands moving to hood at his jaw, eyes bulging with realization.
“Uh,” Cass bit out, scarred hand raising to scratch at the back of his neck, eyes flickering between her and the ground, “I uh… I know the mechanics usually ask for parts, but this tech I’m working on requires a certain disc from a Glinthawk… I figure you’d probably be the best for the job. I’d make it worth your while, uh… of course.” His lips turned up in an awkward smile, and he nearly shit himself. Fuck, this was terrible.
❛ Consider this a life lesson; people disappoint. ❜
“Even if you don’t like me, you’re still not a disappointment. It’s frustrating… you’re frustrating, but definitely not disappointing, Doton.” Cassian tried to give the girl a smile, but it came as a weak peak of his lips. “You’re an amazing doctor, and you’ll be as good as your parents were in their profession. I have no doubt about that.”
‘ it was fun when we were young and now we’re older . ’
“ Who says we’re not still young ? “ Cass questions, though his eyes don’t meet hers. Even after all these years, he can’t look her in the eye, fearful that stormy orbs would give away all his secrets. “ Just because we’re older, doesn’t mean we’re old. “
“You,” Cassian stepped forward, his eyes hard and glass coated as a finger lifted to point at her, “are not weak. Nowhere near it.” His words were stern, not a drop of doubt floating between crackling syllables. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known, Sonny.”
“You should hang out with me later. I’m gonna marathon a bunch of movies.”
Cassian laughed at the offer, “Isn’t that what we do every night ? Well, every week day.” He teased, giving his sister a gentle shove, but he knew he’d end up on her couch by the end of the night.
The force behind his hand was minuscule compared to what it might have usually been, the rowdy kid within his grasp; the scruff of his jacket curled tightly within Kolt’s grip as he drew them far enough away from the gate that he wouldn’t have to worry about him getting past a second time. It was rough — maybe, a little bit, but the shove that cast him in the opposite direction and the lowly scowl that settled in on his features told him to beat it — or try again later, on someone elses shift. The last thing he wanted was some kid being caught up and landing himself in hot water with the council for trying to push boundaries, that wasn’t what they were about. “I swear, I’ve spent more time stopping people from doin’ dumb shit today than I have any other day.” Given, their freedom was being stripped away, what little of it they already had. “Tell ‘em they can’t, and it’s all they’ll wanna’ do.” He sighed roughly, arms crossing over his chest as he settled in against the heels of his boots. “You’re not gonna’ try it are you?”
A sharp breath sucked in as Cassian caught the scene in sight, already clenched fists twitching at the touch. Feet carried him further, getting closer to the gentle altercation in front of him. It would’ve seemed out of place, unusual at any other time, but with the locks tight on the gates and no sign of opening up soon, it wasn’t much of a surprise to the scientist.
As the man’s words directed his way, however, Cass froze for a second. Being cramped up in the lab, regular conversations had been somewhat scarce. “Oh, no--- Just uh, taking a walk is all.” He waved it off, though truth be told his taking a walk was more of a walking it off.
Whispers had surrounded the lab since the break of dawn, right when he walked in. Rumors scattered around like dust, and Cassian just couldn’t get a moment of silence. It was aggitating, bringing him to his last nerve before he might explode--- but he caught it. He gripped his anger tight and walked it right out the door. Now, did the trashcan outside escape his wrath ? No, no it did not.
“So, I’d say it’s been a tough morning, yeah?” Perhaps distracting himself would help, seeing as spoken word and hand written letters is all they had now. Like someone actually kept paper around.
Safiya felt trapped. New Colorado was big —– but that didn’t matter, not when what she needed to escape was her mind. Inside the City, she’d eventually be overtaken by those dreaded thoughts that plagued her whenever she found herself inside those walls. In the Wild, she had more pressing things to keep her focus on and thus the guilt and all those anxious thoughts were kept out.
Now, inside that cage, she had to find other ways of keeping herself busy. And if that meant asking random people a pressing question, then that was the way things were.
The council is scared.
Safiya’s eyebrow perked at those words. To say that the Council was scared meant that something big enough had happened and that they were both eager to hide it and worried about it. “And what would the Council be scared of?” her question broke the silence that she had let set between her and the familiar face that had no name attached to it, in her mind. Those silent heartbeats had given her mind enough time to ask more questions than the answers she knew she was not going to get any time soon.
Maybe she could ask Cain, try her luck and hope he would answer her.
Stormy eyes crackled with lightning as Cassian stared at the closed gates before him. He’d seen it so many times before, walking home late at night--- they only really opened for transport and hunters, anyways. But now, the crossed metal seemed so... final. The stigma around the town’s alert had changed the scene entirely.
Cassian knew that sentence would catch anyone’s attention, but to be honest, he didn’t have the answers. “ They know something we don’t, and my guess is, they don’t want us to find out. “ He sighed, arms moving to cross on his torso as he turned to his companion. “If the gates are closed, and the communications are cut... they’re trying to root something out. There’d be no point in cutting communications if the problem is outside the gates, right ?”
clinking chains dangling from unzipped jackets, messy blond hair found tight in a bun, clean fingernails, husky laughter, lab coats littered with singe marks, risks that taunt and tattle, crimson red against pale white, gold chain wrapped loosely around his wrist, an image inside worthy of only two pairs of eyes, loyalty that will never die, melted skin morphed on strong forearms.
Raised in a home split between tragedy and overwhelming love, Cassian argues with what family truly is. He was a miracle baby, born as a second child to a woman who was said to not be able to bear any more. A seemingly happy family, given the beautiful gift of life, was struck down once more with tragedy. Cassian’s father was found dead in his office not too long after he was born, and in result, he was cut short from that relationship. From there on out, it was just Dawson and Cassian, two against the world, their mother a sour shell left in the background. With the lack of a real mother figure and a father in his life, he found anger as a solice through the chaos.
It near his 19th birthday that Cassian truly unleashed the fury that had subsided within him. His mother had dared to call him a miracle baby after resenting him for nearly two years, and Cassian snapped. He fell into a fit of rage, screaming at his mother with every fiber of hatred in his body. His sister raised him, his sister had been a better mother to him than she could or would ever be. When he was done, he packed a small bag and moved out almost immediately, ceasing contact with his mother and growing closer to his sister. Since, he took his childhood love of science and turned it into a profession, ranking top in his finishing class and gaining his dream job. Science was the opposite of everything his mother believed in, and yet, it was a mirror image. His anger has subsided a bit, but with his mother back in the hospital and not long left to live, he can feel it bubbling up once more.
his dad died not too long after he was born, pronounced a miracle baby since everyone thought his mother could no longer bare children
not too long after his dad’s death, his mother became withdrawn, sour, not as motherly as she should have been
cassian sees his life with no actual parents to guide him, just him and his sister against the world
he grew up loving science, as it was everything his mother didn’t believe in
he was never close with his mother, and as he saw the other students in his school, their bonds with their mothers, he became upset and frustrated. he began throwing terrible tantrums, even at a young age, and as he grew, the tantrums turned into full out fits of rage
his anger calmed a bit over the years, subsiding to frustrated grunts and the rare explosion of rage
nearing his 19th birthday, he snapped on his mother. she had called him a miracle, just as his sister had a million times before, but coming from her lips struck a chord inside him, reawakening his childhood anger and giving it a new fuel
he walked out of the house that day, packing a bag and moving out. he hasn’t talked to his mother since, but still keeps in close contact with his sister, moving into an apartment just down the street
cassian and dawson have a very close bond, being as it was them against the world, and while cassian nags on her for her over protectiveness, he loves that she cares so much and he cherishes every ounce of affection she gives him. she’s the last bit of family he has left, as his mother isn’t even on the list anymore
he took his childhood love of science and turned it into a profession, becoming a scientist and ranking top in his graduate class
he has a burn scar on his right forearm and wrist from a chemical accident in the lab when he was 22, looks a little like THIS ( warning, this is just fx makeup, but does look real and slightly gruesome, so click at your own risk ! )
he earned the scar from his own rage, failing on yet another formula and, in frustration, he swung at the table and caused part of the acid to spill onto his arm. he isn’t entirely ashamed of it, and often doesnt try to hide it, but may be weary when talking about it or if someone new notices it
his mother is sick, and now, all that anger that had been slowly releasing over the years, is about to bubble over
When Mila woke up, she didn’t even think of the day ahead, not too much, certain that it would be like every other before. Until Jai failed to show up and all communication was cut. It was easy, for those who knew, to understand what was going on. It was harder to pretend that nothing was going on. The woman knew better, anything out of the ordinary would attract suspicion, and so she went ahead with her day like any other. Which was exhausting. She wanted nothing more than to go home, bury herself in her bed, and sleep it all off. But she also wanted to know more, and without any communication, it was hard. So she made her way to the bar. “Looks like I’m not the only one who had this idea,” she said to someone as she sat down next to them. The place felt smaller than usual.
Cass often found himself in the bar. Albeit, usually after a long day in the lab filled with frustrations that he wanted to handle. Liquid courage seemed to help, calming his nerves and soothing the rage that ran through his veins. How odd, a fuel for fire could calm the flames that raged within him. Who would’ve thought ?
It had been a few hours, giving Cassian the time to sink into his new reality, that they were locked in and communications had been cut. No one had seen this coming--- Sure, there were rumors that the Council had been spying on the citizens a bit more than they had let on, but cutting them completely ? Something bad had to have happened.
A voice perked up beside him, and Cass had to stop his hand from jumping in sudden reflex, a soft exhale as his eyes cast their way. “ Surprised there aren’t more people here. “ He shrugged, taking a sip of his first permitted drink. If they were going to hold them all captive, the least they could do was offer an extra beer.
“ Bored ? “ The man inquired, blond hair falling in his eyes as he took yet another gulp. In all honesty, with the wilds unattainable, tv’s disabled and their messages now nonexistent, this place seemed to be the best source of entertainment around.
TIME: Late afternoon
LOCATION: near the gates
STATUS: Open
( PLOT DROP: Shadows in the light )
Safiya had planted her feet in the vicinity of the gates, arms crossed and eyes never living the two big doors separating her from the Wilds. The hunter began wondering about what could have happened to cause the Council to take those types of measures —– had it been on the outside or on the inside? Safi drew in a long and sharp breath before she exhaled. Disembodied footsteps lured her out from within her own thoughts and, again, without thinking or even looking at who she was speaking to, the young woman finally broke her silence.
“What do you think happened?” Safiya asked, her longing gaze never leaving the closed gates.
It took hours for Cass to process the reality of New Colorado’s situation, the messaging system that was once full of inquiries from his colleagues and friends, now empty. It had left him in a bit of shock--- When he heard that the Council had been monitoring their communications, Cass had managed to subside his anger, putting the pressure on the rest of the populace as he chose to keep to himself on the topic. But this ? It resembled a lock down, and Cass was anything but calm.
He chose to go see the truth for himself, basing his entire life on fact instead of speculation, and upon seeing the gates closed tight with no sign of opening anytime soon, he couldn’t help but stand in awe. Disbelief, more like.
At the sound of another voice than his own penetrating his mind, Cass glanced over. Safiya. A well known name around the lab, Cass didn’t see much of a barrier between their worlds. After all, they were all locked in now, right ?
“ Best guess ? The council is scared. “ Cass tried to resist the snark that laced his last phrase, but it shined through nevertheless.
Communication was out and the first thought running through Dawson’s head was her brother. A normal morning would take the woman a good hour or two before she was ready to set foot out of her apartment, this morning it took Dawson ten minutes before she was on her way to her brother’s apartment. They didn’t live far from each other - Dawson made sure of it. Call it her overprotectiveness or call it simple sibling connection, but Dawson didn’t like when she didn’t know where her brother was.
Getting to his place, the woman knocked on the door, calling out for her brother to open the door. Looking around the hall, Dawson chewed nervously on her bottom lip, impatiently waiting for him to respond. It didn’t take long for her to remember she had a key to his apartment. “Duh, Dawson.” Fishing out her keys, she quickly unlocked the door, stomping in to find her brother. “Did you not hear me knocking?”
Cass had only heard of what happened the night before, whispers between guards overheard on his walk home, but Cass knew better than to ask questions. Word would get around, and soon enough, they’d all have the details they wanted. Speculation was common around New Colorado, even for the devout believers in their society.
Coffee. It was his first thought in the morning, not even caring about the unread alert still pinging on his Lifey. It was only when he took his first sip of caffeinated bliss that he began to read it, ultimately tuning out the rampant rage against his front door. Moments passed as sky blue eyes scanned the message, the familiar harmonic sound of his sister’s voice finally resonating in his mind, the seriousness of the alert and her entrance plowing on him all at once.
It took a moment for the man to gather himself, swinging around to gaze at his sister with wide eyes and slack jaw. “ Uh --- Sorry, Sonny. I was just now reading the alert... they cut the communications ? What the fuck is going on ? “
his dad died not too long after he was born, pronounced a miracle baby since everyone thought his mother could no longer bare children
not too long after his dad’s death, his mother became withdrawn, sour, not as motherly as she should have been
cassian sees his life with no actual parents to guide him, just him and his sister against the world
he grew up loving science, as it was everything his mother didn’t believe in
he was never close with his mother, and as he saw the other students in his school, their bonds with their mothers, he became upset and frustrated. he began throwing terrible tantrums, even at a young age, and as he grew, the tantrums turned into full out fits of rage
his anger calmed a bit over the years, subsiding to frustrated grunts and the rare explosion of rage
nearing his 19th birthday, he snapped on his mother. she had called him a miracle, just as his sister had a million times before, but coming from her lips struck a chord inside him, reawakening his childhood anger and giving it a new fuel
he walked out of the house that day, packing a bag and moving out. he hasn’t talked to his mother since, but still keeps in close contact with his sister, moving into an apartment just down the street
cassian and dawson have a very close bond, being as it was them against the world, and while cassian nags on her for her over protectiveness, he loves that she cares so much and he cherishes every ounce of affection she gives him. she’s the last bit of family he has left, as his mother isn’t even on the list anymore
he took his childhood love of science and turned it into a profession, becoming a scientist and ranking top in his graduate class
he has a burn scar on his right forearm and wrist from a chemical accident in the lab when he was 22, looks a little like THIS ( warning, this is just fx makeup, but does look real and slightly gruesome, so click at your own risk ! )
he earned the scar from his own rage, failing on yet another formula and, in frustration, he swung at the table and caused part of the acid to spill onto his arm. he isn’t entirely ashamed of it, and often doesnt try to hide it, but may be weary when talking about it or if someone new notices it
his mother is sick, and now, all that anger that had been slowly releasing over the years, is about to bubble over
wanted connections. (there’s a lot, oops)
best friend - someone who’s been through a lot with cass, probably became friends in ‘high school’ or even a bit younger ? but they’ve probably dealt with cassian’s anger, or might’ve been a solice for him when he cast his mother from his life
exes - cassian has no preferred gender when it comes to partners or relationships, so anyone could really be his ex. they could’ve broken up because of his anger issues, or maybe they thought he needed to deal with his own shit before he was ready for a relationship
science partners - someone he often consults in the lab when he’s stuck on a formula or gets blocked when it comes to dissecting a new part
fwb - someone he lets off steam with, probably started with a late night rant and ended up in his apartment, throwing clothes left and right. this could lead somewhere
alternate idea for fwb - a hate love relationship, except it’s not really a relationship, is it ? probably started with a heated argument over theories or his health or something the other did, and ended up in his apartment with harsh grips and mutters of i hate you in between kisses. they keep saying this is never happening again, yet two nights later they’re right back in bed. this could lead somewhere, or just stay as it is !!!
neighbors !!! - i’d love some neighbor connections, maybe they hate him because he plays his music too loud ? maybe they have monday movie nights to start the week off with some relaxation (for this one the other would probably live alone like him)
maybe even a roommate? could be the best friend tbh
ex-best friend - maybe cassian got frustrated with something they did (i’d say the last year or so?) and exploded on them, getting into a screaming match with one of them storming off and they’ve barely talked since
‘high school’ crush - this would be when cassian went through his rebellious phase, finding a new resentment towards his mother and a longing for the father he never knew, but in all the bad, he saw this person as an angel in his life. it would’ve faded out over the years, written off as puppy love or hormonal admiration, but he still cant help but get flustered when he sees them
someone that lost his trust - this could go in a million different ways, but i’d love to plot this one out !
trainer - over the years cassian wanted to learn to defend himself, or his sister if they ever needed it, and since he never had a father figure to teach him the basics, this person is turning him into a human weapon so to say
some sort of father figure - this would be someone cassian looked up to from a young age other than dawson, a presence in his life that he could only describe as fatherly
