Alice

Pulses gone and racing All fits and starts Window by window you try and look into This brave new you, that you are

[dakotaxkrenn]

AESTHETICS → DAKOTA KRENN

A freak of nature Stuck in reality I don't fit the picture I'm not what you want me to be

[goodgrxff-blog]

the great ➻ open

[dakotaxkrenn]

goodgrxff:

Gordon pressed a finger to her lips, softly shhhing her. “Don’t worry, don’t think about it. I’ll figure out what happened, I’ll fix this,” he whispered, the words recursive on his lips.

There was only one thing on Gordon’s mind: Dakota. He curled alongside her, wrapping his arms around her, lightly kissing her temple. Anything to distract himself from… fear. All his life he had control within the flick of his wrist, but now it all seemed bleak. He’d never found Alice, anyways, and now this - there was a dead body before him.

Had he ever been in control?

“I need to look at the body,” he whispered, his voice rattling. It’d always been so smooth, but as his skin shook Gordon couldn’t help but shiver into Dakota. He nudged her. “Let’s change, okay?”

Gordon nudged her towards the dressing room below, immediately dashing towards the coffin placed on the stage-lift. To the crew wandering around, they saw nothing but a wooden container, the edges worn. But as Gordon waved his hand across it, an invisible veil covering his body, his hands flew straight to his mouth.

The last thing he’d do was let Dakota take the fall for this. It couldn’t be her; it was impossible. He hadn’t even seen a body as he peeked into the coffin, much less smelled blood on stage or any time before.

Walking solemnly to Dakota, he sighed. “He’s… dead.”

For once, Gordon didn’t know what to do. Panic settled into the cavity of his chest. He didn’t know what the hell to do, and he couldn’t tell Dakota this. This was the past all over again. There was only two options clear in his mind. It was either call the police, take the fall - he’d put it on himself - or… “We need to destroy the body,” he whispered, his limbs shaking. 

Dakota allowed herself the momentary comfort of being held, uncaring of anyone who might be watching as she buried her face in his shirt. His voice shook in a way that was uncharacteristic enough to keep her on edge despite his words. Between the two of them, he was always the strong one. What was she to think if even Gordon was breaking down?

She dragged herself to the dressing room, trying to regain control of the storm her mind was cooking up. Her eyes were already starting to swell, she noticed when she dared to look in the mirror. She rubbed at them furiously, more to keep the tears from coming than anything else. Gordon was going to fix this. She had to believe that. If she didn’t, she knew she would fall apart.

She pulled her dress off her body with arms that suddenly felt too heavy, letting it fall in a heap on the floor. Once redressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, she stared down at the offending garment. There was no evidence of what she’d seen, what she’d done, while wearing that dress, but she knew, somehow, that she’d never be able to wear it again.

She was still staring when Gordon entered, and made no move to look at him, not even as he said those dreaded words. She knew it. The moment she saw the coffin open, she just knew. Still, something shattered in her at the confirmation. She dug her teeth painfully into her bottom lip to keep from screaming.

She sunk down on the small couch in the corner of the room, breathing deeply to fight the waves of nausea. When he spoke again, Dakota was sure she must have misheard him. Her head snapped up to look at him, horrified. “Gordon, wh-- what are you talking about?” She rasped. “We need to call the police. He’s dead. God, I killed him, we need to call the police.“ She said, a little hysterically.

[unicorion-blog]

giblets for the cat ✩ open

❝ Oh, all the time that I have wasted, Chasing rabbits down a hole. When I was born to be the tortoise, I was born to walk alone.❞

Her heels were clicking on the sidewalk, her pace quick. Orion wanted to get home quickly – the sunglasses covering the sadness and exhaustion in her eyes, her mouth just barely managing to strain itself into a fake smile as she nervously pushed herself through the busy streets of New York. 

Days like these were the hardest. When she was vulnerable and tired and couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten properly or taken a shower.

Speaking of food–

The ginger slipped into the nearest supermarket. It was a small place, one she’d never been before. Perhaps it was only recently established. She ignored her aching legs as she searched the aisles, eventually finding what she was looking for.

Once she’d arrived at the checkout with three large bags of cat food and a bottle of water, she was met with a rather annoyed looking employee, who looked her up and down. Twice. Orion swallowed hard and pulled her card out of her purse, only to then notice the sign that told her that due to a system error, they could only accept cash.

“Oh…” She tried not to sound too defeated, instead started digging through her wallet and the rest of her purse, though she only found a couple of dollars. “Frick…” A feeling of panic and embarrassment surged through her, making her feel like a giant spotlight was shining down on her, making sure the rest of the store could see her embarrassing situation.

She eyed the products, counted the bills again. “I only need a bag of the cat food, I– I can come back tomorrow to pay for it?” She offered, her voice nervous. Of course, the man laughed at her, told her she could afford the bottle of water and where she might want to stick it.

Clearly they were both having a bad day.

“I– I’m sorry. I’ll… put everything back…”

[dakotaxkrenn]

Dakota double checked her shopping cart, only briefly entertaining the voice that told her how appalled her mother would be at her choices. It was really too easy to become lax here, with almost everything made ready to eat. Dakota was a pretty good cook when she tried, having had several years of practice, but you’d never know seeing as the microwave was the most used appliance in her kitchen.

The express line was short for once, with only one person ahead of her. The silhouette was familiar, but Dakota wasn’t actually sure she knew who it was until they spoke, assuring the employee that they’d be back to pay tomorrow. The look Orion got for that made Dakota flush in sympathy.

“Hey,” she said, timidly touching a hand to their shoulder, remembering how startled they’d been last time. She wasn’t even sure they would remember her from that one interaction almost a month ago. “Orion, right?” she asked, smiling at her before turning her eyes on the cashier.

“How much is the cat food?” she asked him.. 

He just rolled his eyes, like this was all so incredibly inconvenient, and swiped the bag of cat food over the scanner. She watched the numbers appear on the screen and nodded. She wouldn’t be able to afford three bags, but this much she could do. “One of those, then. The, um, the water bottle too, please,” she said, taking the rest of the items from her cart and putting them on the conveyor belt. 

It was a lot less painful after that. He was nice enough separate their items, at least, and she paid him without problem. By then, a few others had stepped into the line behind them, and she was quick to be out of their way, taking the bags and moving out of line.

“Sorry, I only had enough cash for the one,” she said, turning to face Orion. She held out the bag for her to take, with the food and water. Only then had it occurred to her that maybe that was weird. Maybe buying cat food for someone else wasn’t a thing people did. Especially if Orion didn’t even remember meeting her in the first place. She bit her lip, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “How many cats do you have?”

[eclipseofargus-blog]

Ever since he’d been living life as a shadow, the movie theatre became Connor’s favorite place. It was loaded with a variety of different foods, was quiet (for the most part) and dark. Connor loved the dark. Being amongst shadows like himself made him feel like he belonged. His current situation was made less intense here.

More often than not, he’d spend an entire day at the theatre, buying a ticket for one movie and then sneaking into the showings of others by using his powers–He’d let himself come into contact with light on purpose, vanishing in thin air, and sliding into another movie room just as others were leaving it. Disappearing under the light meant being without clothes in total darkness, so Connor had outfits cleverly hidden in every part of the building for that very purpose.

Connor vaguely remembered the movie he was watching now, distracting himself with a bag of popcorn. The images that flashed away on the screen had no meaning to him; apparently the movie was a huge success. Yeah, right. He saw a person out of the corner of his eye. Or what he believed was a person. He had a habit of speaking to shadows, whisking them out of their hiding spaces only for conversation. Either way, he spoke:

“They get married at the end. So sappy. A real letdown, if you ask me. I’ve seen this a thousand times. Scratch that. A thousand and one.”

[dakotaxkrenn]

On a rare day out for Dakota, she decided to treat herself to dinner and a movie. Or, more accurately, two boxes of raisinets and a movie. She didn’t much feel like company, but sitting alone in her apartment was the last thing she needed. She just wanted to turn her brain off for a little bit. Sitting in a dark room, caring solely for the trials in the lives of fictional characters was probably the best escapism she could ask for. She’d gone in hoping to see something uplifting, something with a happy ending, but so far, it was actually pretty sad. 

The theater was quiet, everyone listening attentively while the lead actress cried over lost love, so it was a little jarring to hear another voice so close to her. She turned to the seat next to her, a little surprised to find someone sitting there. She felt like she would have noticed someone sitting down beside her, as they were the only two in that row, though she’d admit she wasn’t winning any points for observation lately. Undoubtedly, he was talking to her.

She wasn’t particularly annoyed that he spoiled the ending for her. If anything, she was glad this meant she was going to get her happy ending after all. She was more surprised by the comment than anything. One didn’t generally walk in to see a romance movie without anticipating some romantic action, especially after seeing it more than once. “I don’t think it’s a let down,” she said earnestly. “I mean, how would you have it end?” 

[goodgrxff-blog]

the great ➻ open

[dakotaxkrenn]

goodgrxff:

The oakwood covering thudded against the stage. Gasps permeated through the silence of the auditorium.

The body of the Great Griffin collapsed on its side, red oozing out.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be… No, no, far from it.

Gordon was standing shy of stage left, ready to make his entrance on top of a mountain-like structure - so poised, so ready - when the red snagged his eye. Per the show’s routine, he merely passed an illusion into the coffin, slipping away to the wings undetected. But this… this was unaccounted for. Almost instantly, Gordon gasped, covering his mouth so the wind wouldn’t pass through his microphone. Laying there, cold, limp, lifeless… That was… the executive producer.

This had to disappear, fast. Now. 

He had to stick to the script; cling to it with dear life. All of this was so natural to him - he rarely thought his actions through. And now… Gordon could hardly think, reacting on instinct. 

Without so much as missing a beat, Gordon waved his hand to manipulate the scene, first transforming the face and then warping the rest of his body to look exactly like the Great Griffin when it looked like he entered. 

He laughed maniacally. The audience’s fragile eyesight shot towards the left corner of their vision, where a burst of smoke clouded atop the structure. Gordon passed through it, smirking through his panic. “Ah-ah-ah, Ayes Sage. The Great Gordon never dies.”

The audience roared, their bodies shooting to stand up, clap wildly.

But, for the first time, Gordon hardly cared. He rushed down the stairwell to Dakota - precious Dakota - and swallowed her in a hug, whispering in his ear: “Rip the mic tape off of me, please. Don’t worry, I’ll handle all of this. Just bow with me.” He squeezed her tight before taking his top hat back, tapping his wand over the coffin to make a plume of smoke shroud the body as he made it disappear, descending into the stage below…

Dakota jumped back, her hands flying up to her mouth to muffle the terrible, strangled noise escaping her throat as Gordon’s body flopped down on the stage. 

No. God, no. She killed him. What was he thinking? 

The familiar boisterous laughter, made her freeze in place. She instinctively turned to stage left, breath catching in her throat at what she saw. Gordon. 

She didn’t even have a moment to be relieved by this revelation. If anything, the erratic beat of her heart only quickened. Gordon was alive but...

Unpredictable as he could be off stage, Gordon had always stuck to a script during his shows, for as long as she’d known him. She knew this particular show forward and backward. He wouldn’t just toss in something like this, even for shock factor, not without telling her. This wasn’t him.

Then what..?

She let him pull her into a hug, hands still hanging by her sides. She couldn’t take her eyes off the body laying limply on the stage. By some miracle, she managed to do as she was asked, reaching a hand up to remove the mic tape from his face. The roar of applause felt misplaced in the context of what she was witnessing. Really, it made her feel a little sick.

She didn’t remember bowing or even stepping off the stage. The next thing she knew she was backstage, curled in on herself on the floor and trying, with little success, not to cry.  “Why did that happen?” she asked, eyes burning. “Did I--?”

[goodgrxff-blog]

the great ➻ open

[dakotaxkrenn]

goodgrxff:

Gordon hardly trusted a soul, let them share the spotlight. But when it came to Dakota - sweet, lovely Dakota - he could hardly help himself. Whenever she performed with him, it was like it was reliving opening night: his heart in the passion of the show, the movement crisp, the energy fresh and new. Without her, Gordon would have grown bored of the same ol’ routine, the same ol’ tricks. 

As she approached him on stage, Gordon bowed at her, clapping at her entrance. 

With a flick of his wand, he made a box rise from below the stage, using mist to cover its entrance.

“My lady,” he said, grabbing a sword beside the box, handing it to her. “In order to vanquish this evil magician and protect the innocent people of the world, I must take this upon myself. You must stab this sword into this magic coffin with me in it.” He bowed to the audience, basking in their suspense, before removing his hat and placing it on top of Dakota’s head. “Don’t forget the Great Griffin.”

He’d written this scene in particular to remind himself of A…li…

But here Dakota was. That was why she made it special, personal. Like he could relive the past. If only he’d…

Gordon’s chest rose in and out as he looked at her, in complete and utter trust, before waving his hand and bringing the pile of cards into the palm of his hand. With that, he locked himself in the box, snapping it shut.

The lights were brighter on stage, leaving the rest of the house a bunch of faceless shadows in the dark. She turned her back to the audience to face Gordon, nodding once and holding her hands out. She took the sword from him with careful hands, minding the edges. Dakota had nicked herself on that thing enough times to make her cautious. It made her part in this act even more difficult, knowing the damage she could do. 

Gordon trusted her, though. And Dakota trusted Gordon.

The weight of his hat on her head was grounding. She even managed to smile as she watched him shut himself inside. A quick look at the audience showed them - literally - on the edge of their seats. She drew the moment out, leveling the sword with her abdomen, both hands grasping the hilt like a vice, and then with one fluid motion, thrust the sword straight through the center of the coffin. The collective gasp drew goosebumps on her arms, making her shiver involuntarily. She stopped when she felt resistance, stepping back and leaving the sword sheathed in the box.

For a moment, the room was filled with hushed voices, exclaiming their surprise, horror, and wonder. Then, nothing. This was maybe the worst part, all eyes on her, waiting, wondering. 

One more minute of heavy silence lead her to the side of the coffin. She looked over her shoulder, as if looking for the audience’s confirmation. They offered little response, which was to be expected. Her hands curled once more around the hilt of the sword, this time pulling it out and away. She dropped it on the floor when it came free, flinching at the red stained along the blade because that wasn’t supposed to happen and oh, God, what did she do? 

The lid of the coffin flew open.

[dakotaxkrenn]

rllyxavier:

“Nah, of course not.” He easily responded. His ‘date’ still hadn’t shown up and though he had been dumb enough to allow her to make him enter a coffee shop, he wasn’t desperate enough to wait for her. All he was looking for was company and a distraction and if the young woman in front of him was going to provide that, he was completely fine with that. Besides, he had his boozed up cup of coffee, which made it easier for him to relax.

Looking up from his wallet when she tapped his wrist, Xavier tilted his head, holding back a sigh of relief. Though her words made him wonder if she had perhaps looked at the contents of his wallet. “Are you sure?” If he’d had a little more to drink, perhaps he’d be confident enough to believe his company was enough of a reward, but he’d been feeling less and less like himself lately, strictly needing to be properly self-medicated to function. 

He ran a hand through is messy curls and then decided to put his wallet away in his worn backpack. “I’m Xavier, but since you knew it was my wallet, I’m assuming you’ve already seen my name and face on my ID card.” He didn’t really need one, but he carried it just in case he’d ever actually end up in a ditch or something. “Do you come here often? I’m not trying to use a bad pick-up line, though they sometimes work. But I’ve literally never been here before, so I thought I’d ask.”

“I’m sure,” Dakota nodded. She felt heat rising in her cheeks and ducked her head down to take a sip of her still-too-hot juice to hide her face. He didn’t say it accusingly, but it made her feel caught out all the same. “Right, sorry. I normally don’t snoop around other people’s wallets, promise,” she tried tacking on a laugh at the end, but it came too late and kind of just sat there awkwardly. “Um, I’m Dakota.”

She smiled, a little wryly, and didn’t really get how she possibly could’ve mistaken such an innocent question for anything other than what it was, but decided not to comment on it. She wasn’t the best at picking up on subtle social cues, she’d learned. 

“I've been here a few times. Not in a while, though," she said, which was true enough. The first time she’d come in, it was only her second day out on her own. She’d been doing all that she could to get off the street for a few hours, ducking into a booth and praying none of the staff would mind. She couldn’t afford to do any more than loiter, sheepishly asking the baristas for a cup of water. Today, Dakota bought herself the biggest cup of cider they had, because she hadn’t been able to before, and four dollars was the least she could offer for hours of shelter from the freezing December weather. “I’m kind of a homebody.”

[disneycapsmagic-blog-blog]

Visit Original Link

God Help the Outcasts - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

I ask for nothing I can get by But I know so many Less lucky than I Please help my people The poor and downtrod I thought we all were all were The children of God

[goodgrxff-blog]

the great ➻ open

for your ears.mp3  ◄◄  ( i come with knives.iamx )

“Your time is up, Great Griffin.”

Gordon was tied to a chair, his hands cuffed from behind, completely unable to move. But, despite that, he spat at the floating puppet, smirking even, not showing an ounce of ear. “Say what you will, Ayes-Sage, the Great Griffin will never fold to the likes of you.”

The puppet cackled, whirling around him before swooping down to steal Gordon’s hat as a glass container descended from the catwalk, trapping Gordon inside. “We’ll see about that. With your mystical hat, I will have infinite power.” The puppet twirled in place before pointing its wand at the container, an explosion bursting within it and combusting into a huge flame.

Gasps bubbled over the audience as the puppet laughed maniacally. Silence fell over the room.

“Not so fast,” Gordon’s voice boomed over the stage. The puppet floated in place, merely confused, before Gordon’s hat flew from its grip to the center stage, a torrent of water gushing out and dousing the flames. And there Gordon was, entirely unharmed. Soaking wet and shirtless, but glistening on the stage, his teeth shiny as he winked at the audience. Waving his wand freely, a puff of smoke billowed over him before it cleared away, a full suit on him, completely dry and professional. Gordon reached for his hat, clicking his teeth at the puppet, waggling a finger. “Did you forget who I am?”

Without missing a beat, Gordon made the puppet burst into smoke, a deck of cards fluttering down to the stage.

The audience roared. Gordon merely shrugged, bowing once. 

“And now, to vanquish the evil magician, Ayes-Sage, for one-thousand years. I need an assistant.” He swanned about on stage, levitating a card up with his wand. “Can I have the audience member in seat C-36 come on stage.” Gordon pointed his wand, a harsh spotlight falling over the person in the third row, smirking wide. “Come. We must banish this magistrate.”

[dakotaxkrenn]

Dakota wasn’t a performer in any sense of the word. Growing up, her shy and quiet nature was encouraged, celebrated, even. She’d always been content to leave the rowdy theatrics to her brothers. For one thing, it just wasn’t in her nature. She never liked to be the center of attention, and much preferred to just blend in. With role models like her mother and sister, it wasn’t a difficult thing to do.

In any case, she didn’t have the stage presence that came so naturally to Gordon. The way he came alive on stage night after night was something Dakota had to work herself up to. It helped that after all this time, it was still so easy to fall into the fantasy Gordon created every night. No matter how long she did this, she didn’t think she’d ever stop being amazed by the things her partner could do. Being a part of that, in even the smallest of ways, was all the excitement she needed in her life.

It was easy for her to blend in with the rest of the crowd. This act in particular didn’t require any costumes or theatrics on her part, much to her delight. 

She winced at the genuinely severe spotlight, throwing a hand up to protect her eyes. It was one thing she’d never get used to. The applause was thunderous. This, paired with the grin on Gordon’s face made her smile despite herself. After a beat, she stood up, making the practiced walk through the audience and up onto the stage to meet him.

[carloscrossed]

The city was dark. It was past midnight and the only people left on the streets were drunks and criminals. Carlos wanted to pretend he wasn’t part of either group, but the latter was definitely where he belonged. He was dressed uncharacteristically, usually so suave and clean. Instead he wore dark jeans and an old black hoodie, the hood pulled down low as he walked, hiding the blood on his face.

It was obvious that he was exhausted, the usual confidence in his walk was not there. He was shaky, silent and definitely avoiding any eye contact. After hours spent with a target, he finally wore them down and they had pointed a gun at their own head. The person didn’t matter to him. Their life meant nothing to him, except a paycheck. But so much time spent in someone’s head still took a toll on him. He tended to lose control of his powers for some time afterwards, at least until he had a proper rest. There was a strange kind of pain that crept into his head like a migraine.

He rested against a wall for just a few moments, catching his breath. He could feel a nosebleed coming on and he knew that he needed to get home. He pulled his eyes from the ground for a moment to see someone who had stopped in front of him. “Keep fucking walking.”

[dakotaxkrenn]

Dakota hated nothing more than being outside this late at night, especially by herself. Usually it was something she avoided at all cost, paranoia keeping her on a tight leash. Tonight she’d lost track of time at the library, entering just after four, with the intention of finding one book to keep her occupied for the evening. She only realized how long she’d actually been there one of the librarians informed her that they were closing for the night.

She’d started to settle a little after reaching the corner of her building, but she kept a brisk pace even so. Just as she rounded the front of the complex, she noticed someone standing against the wall of her building, right next to the front entrance, and stopped in her tracks.

Her eyes met his briefly, and she flinched, both at the sound of his voice, and the blood spatter on his face. “Um,” she said, seemingly glued to her spot, because apparently her self preservation instincts were on vacation. Her hands, buried deep in her coat pockets, felt around until she felt what she was looking for. One hand held clutched her phone, because she wasn’t a total idiot. The other pulled something out of her pocket and held it out to the stranger. The tiny packet of kleenex crinkled noisily in her gloved hands. “For the, um, the blood,” she said dumbly. 

[zendaya-source]

[dakotaxkrenn]

rllyxavier:

Xavier usually wouldn’t want to be found dead in a coffee shop – and the possibility was still there – but he had agreed to meet some hot hipster chick in this place, so he had thrown his dislike for cozy places aside and actually bought a cup of coffee. It felt right to do so, since he was going to drop a load of ‘stolen’ booze in it. 

He didn’t really consider it stealing. He considered it… surviving.

Once he’d settled down at a table, quite impressed with the flower shape that was floating on his coffee, he realized he was early. This was what happened when you never paid attention to the time and just wandered around while breathing and call it being productive.

He took his flask from his backpack, destroying the art that had fascinated him only seconds ago as he poured the whiskey into the cup of coffee. It made him feel a little sad, but he’d always known he was good at destroying things, hadn’t he?

Xavier almost spilled his booze when someone cleared their throat. He looked up with questioning eyes, wondering if it was someone telling him he couldn’t drink in here. He’d have to cancel his ‘date’ if that was the case. But instead, the person was holding out a familiar looking wallet to him. His hands patted his pockets, but it indeed looked like he’d lost his wallet without noticing it.

He took the item from the dark haired girl, opening it to find his cards in there. Well fuck.

“Uh… Thanks.” If it had been him, he probably wouldn’t have given it back. Or maybe he would have, since he didn’t need anyone thinking he was a thief. He had no use for other people’s possessions. He wasn’t Rory. “I think I would have been pretty fucked if someone had walked off with this.” With the credit card he’d gotten from his parents, which he saved in case he would need it for an emergency. And even then he’d have to pray that his parents hadn’t frozen the account.

“Do you want to sit? Can I get you anything to eat with your coffee?” He didn’t have much money to spend, but he felt like he needed to do something to thank the stranger for giving him his wallet back. In fact, he was already flipping through the bills, wondering how much he could spare. “I, uh, don’t have much, but…”

Dakota smiled, careful to keep her eyes on the man himself and not the flask in his other hand. She knew what was in it, obviously, and it wasn’t something so shocking to see anymore, on the streets, outside of clubs. There were so many bars within walking distance it seemed almost irresponsible to be drinking in a place like this, though, and at such an early hour-- it’s not your business, she chided herself. 

“Oh, I--” she started to gesture toward her own table, but a quick look back confirmed what she’d suspected - it was now occupied by a mother and her child. Much as she’d wanted a moment to herself, it’d probably be a bit rude, and more than a little idiotic to decline his offer in favor of standing against the wall while she drank. She smiled a bit sheepishly, placing a hand on the seat across from him. “If you don’t mind.” 

Dakota reached a hand out, tapping his wrist lightly to get him to look up from his wallet. She shook her head. “It’s fine, I’m not hungry,” she said. As a general rule, one she’d set for herself in an attempt to become a more understanding person, she tried not to make assumptions about other people based on the little things. If the inside of his wallet was anything to go by, though, it probably wasn’t in his best interest to be buying things for strangers. All the same, she did appreciate the offer. It made her feel better about not just leaving the thing on the floor. “Thanks, though.”

[wnq-writers]

It’s a bad habit of mine to say “I’m sorry” as a reaction to everything. It comes out whenever I’m sad, scared, or confused, even when I’m the one getting hurt.

howtoevaporate  (via wnq-writers)

[dakotaxkrenn]

samsisms:

With her attention grasped, Sams eyes began to wander. They hadn’t planned for someone to stop, no one else had. Maybe it was because they felt more invisible than they could ever make themselves to be, but words wouldn’t come to them. They took in a shaky breath, trying to find out exactly what was wrong. It was most likely a trick of their imagination, a memory of what breaking used to feel like. “It hurts.” Sam finally told her, pausing a second to chew on their lip. They let their eyes wander up to meet hers again, a shaky breath leaving their lips. “It’s supposed to hurt but it doesn’t hurt and I don’t know what to do.”

They shook their head a bit, frowning as they ducked. Their elbows moved to prop on their knees instead, their hands coming to tangle in their hair. “I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do.” They felt alone, lost, abandoned. All of it, in a wave of something that should’ve been there but wasn’t. Their breathing had picked up, making them become a bit more distressed.

“Je ne sais pas.” Nothing in their mind helped them locate what was going on, and they imagined it’d be frustrating for the other person. But as they made themselves small and began to mumble, they’d nearly forgotten she was there.

“What hurts?” Dakota asked, eyebrows furrowed. “What-- I don’t understand.” She moved closer, trying to meet their eyes. Were they drunk? It might explain some things, but she wasn’t sure how to tell, furthermore, it wouldn’t help her much to know either way. 

“I don’t know how to help you,” she said almost petulantly, giving one more distressed look over her shoulder. She didn’t know French, not that she thought knowing what they said would make much difference considering they weren’t making much sense in English, but she was trying to latch on to any useful information at all here, and they weren’t making it easy.

“Can you tell me your name?” she asked, reaching into her coat’s pocket for her phone. “Maybe there’s.. someone I could call? Somewhere you can go?” she asked. 

[strayshq-blog]

Not all days seemed to be entirely sunshine, delusion and mischief for the fragile person. Although Sam often drifted aimlessly, carelessly, their mind as drifty as the breeze moving through their hair… there were also days like today. Darker, more gloomy days. Their pointless wandering set a confusion in their brain and a heavy feeling in their chest. It felt as though they were looking for something, but their airy memory could never grasp exactly what. Nothing felt right in days like this, they were often on edge, frustrated, and extremely over sensitive. Maybe given the circumstances, days like today were something they created just to feel somewhat human again. Whatever it was, they didn’t enjoy it very much.

They found themselves sitting on a sidewalk, their back pressed against the building with their knees to their chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. Sitting alone seemed more calming than walking alone, they felt heavier with each step they took - so they stopped taking them. Their eyes lingered up, catching the wandering gaze of someone passing through the busy crowd. Sammy sniffled a bit, waiting until they were closer to speak up. Mostly because they had to take a minute to find the English phrase in their uncomfortably cluttered mind - it was hard finding something in a place that was extremely full opposed to it’s usual emptiness.

But they did, and they choked out the soft words, “Can you help?”

[dakotaxkrenn]

Some things, Dakota learned, were just commonplace in the city. The loud streets, busy people, and Starbucks on every corner was something she was slowly getting accustomed to the longer she stayed here. The one thing she could never quite wrap her head around was the number of people in the streets, night and day, in tents, sleeping bags, and sometimes only the clothes on their back. Her community had been minuscule compared to the city, one person for every twenty here, which maybe made all the difference. They weren’t perfect, but not one of them would ever allow their neighbor to sleep on the streets. She couldn’t help the pang it gave her no matter how often she saw it.

It’s maybe the only reason the person, hunched in on themselves against a building, was able to catch her attention. “Help?” Dakota blurted, glancing over her shoulder quickly. Undeniably they were staring at her. She stepped away from the rush of people, close enough to hear what they were saying, but with enough distance to get away if need be. “What do I-- what can I do?” They didn’t seem to be injured, nothing visible anyways, but they also looked on the verge of passing out. Surely, any number of the people walking past them could be of more assistance than Dakota in this situation, but no one else seemed interested in stopping, or even acknowledging that they were there, another thing that maybe shouldn’t be too surprising here. “There’s a hospital, should I--?”

[dakotaxkrenn]

The small coffee shop was bustling, full of people trying to escape the cold for even a few minutes. It was a small miracle Dakota was able to find an empty table, but before she got a chance to sit, something on the floor caught her eye. Sitting her cup on the table’s surface, she reached down under the table and came back with a wallet. She frowned. Instinct said to leave it. She didn’t know who it belonged to, and if one of the employees found it, they’d have a better chance of returning it to it’s rightful owner. Then again, there was an even greater chance that someone would find it, consider themselves lucky, and run off with the thing. With a sigh, she opened it up to find a credit card, a few bills, and most importantly, an ID. She stared at the picture, realizing with a jolt that the owner was sitting just a few tables away from her. She closed the wallet and picked up her drink, resigning herself to the fact that she’d probably have to find somewhere else to sit after this.

The person seemed completely unaware of their lost item, Dakota had to clear her throat to get their attention once she was standing in front of them. “You, um, I think you dropped this,” she said, holding out the wallet. 

[dakotaxkrenn]

unicorion:

Orion smiled and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m, um… nonbinary.” She felt a little weird sharing this with a stranger so quickly after meeting them, but she figured it was better to try and explain herself than leave the young woman feeling confused and silly about her words. Besides, she was used to people giving her another look to ‘check’ or whatever you wanted to call it. It made her uncomfortable, but she understood. The dresses and makeup helped her confidence, though on some days she got too self-conscious and chose to dress up in all black, hiding her body beneath baggy clothes, her hair nothing short of a mess.

“Dakota is a beautiful name.” The redhead responded with a gentle smile. It wasn’t uncommon for her motherly instincts to kick in, especially around people who looked as lost and uncomfortable as the woman in front of her. “Oh…” She thought about it for a moment, trying to remember if she had seen someone wearing sequins or something equally extravagant. “He sounds like a dream, but… I don’t think I have, I’m sorry…”

She hoped she wasn’t sounding too weird, but she mostly felt bad about not being able to help. “Is, um… is he, you know, special, too? “ Did that sound offensive? She wasn’t sure. All she knew is that she had never liked words like ‘mutant’. “Because if he is, I’m sure he must be around somewhere. unless… he found another hiding place…”

“Nonbinary,” she echoed, nodding. In terms of gender, the word kind of baffled her, but even she could tell that maybe this wasn’t the kind of conversation you had with a stranger. Dakota certainly wasn’t going to force Orion’s hand to make up for her own ignorance. As if this entire situation wasn’t uncomfortable enough. “I’ll, um, remember that, for next time...” she drifted off toward the end, realizing that - barring another citywide lockdown - it was possible that she’d never actually see them again. 

“Thank you,” she replied, softly. Orion’s voice was nice to listen to, soothing. It made Dakota smile despite herself. “Ah, okay. I just thought I’d ask.” The pang of disappointment in her chest was silly, she told herself. It was only one person. One person in a sea of people. It didn’t mean anything.

Dakota frowned. Surely there wasn’t any harm in telling Orion about Gordon, not after spectacularly blowing her own cover. It was safe to assume that Orion was special too, that or just incredibly tolerant, and the latter seemed a lot less likely. Still, she was hesitant to respond. “He is, but I... if he were here, I would have seen him. He--” he would have found me, she didn’t say. It seemed like every mutant in the city and then some were here. What were Gordon’s chances if he was out on his own?