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@ex-elliextlou
[ it was a lovely 3 weeks here, and it was short lived but i certainly enjoyed myself very very much! i will be keeping ellie here for memories, can’t say how often i’ll be logging in though. thank you so much and it was lovely meeting all of you <3 ]
i wake up and my entire dash is crumbling
this winter has been especially cruel
"It’s your time to shine."
Ellie made her way over to a window on the second floor, peering over the sill in order to keep careful that she would remain undetected. This might potentially be one of the most dangerous training sessions Ellie’s ever been assigned. She had been educated and trained since young, weapons placed in her hands since the age of 7. She was lethal, a wild card, a severe threat. And yet, here she was with the jitters, as if it was her first task all over again. Maybe it was the fact that they had upgraded all the drones she was meant to attack, that the free district simulation was far too realistic.
Or perhaps it was the fact that Sunny was just there, analysing her every move.
The older woman wasn’t a commander, no. But she was one of the top notch soldiers in the military, who was known throughout the entire district as a legend. It was as good as a commander eyeing you like a hawk, to be quite honest. And Ellie was more nervous about screwing up in front of her rather than getting shot by the drones. Sunny was going to be on her tail the entire time, but Ellie was on her own throughout the duration. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to assess the placing of the machines and robots alike, but she just wasn’t conditioned for it today. Her brain was completely muddled, and thinking straight wasn’t possible at all. Panic rose, and her breathing quickened. She couldn’t afford to mess this up, it was her only chance to show how capable she was. It was this, or nothing.
What the redhead didn’t expect was for Sunny to come up behind, a hand placed on her shoulder. The look of anxiety and fear was probably more than evident on her features if the lady had to come up to give her a comforting squeeze. “Hey,” she turned the young girl to face her, a warm smile curling on her lips. “Don’t stress. You’ve done this millions of times, and you’ve had outstanding results in every single session. Pretend I’m not here, and this would be just like any normal training. You can do this, okay?”
“It’s your time to shine.”
And Ellie let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding, nodding in determination as the rifle in her hands was propped up against the window sill. She returned the smile, and replied softly but firmly.
“I’ve got this.”
a little bit of help || seyong ✖ ellie;
(...)
Reaching the back alleys he stopped, throwing an arm in front of Ellie to halt her movement. Crouching he took off his bag and placed it on the ground. Taking out a map he scanned it with his finger, ‘’Yes, this is definitely the place.’’ Looking over to Ellie he nodded to her, ‘’Are you ready? We both need to be at a hundred and ten percent, otherwise this won’t work.’’
The two arrived at what seems to be an area of warehouses. A factory, maybe, judging by the fact it was closer to the industrial area which Ellie usually stayed away from. Factories were way too large to cover-.. And were dangerous, considering you had no idea who or what was holding up inside. Even if they had a shit ton of supplies waiting to be looted, Ellie would never step foot in them unless it was for a mission or if she had backup. As they neared the base, her eyes scanned the place, brain automatically forming up possible strategic plans. A few men seemed to be on patrol duty out in the open area, all armed with different varieties of melee weapons, and maybe a few with pistols. Thankfully the pair were out of sight, hiding in the back alley, and had enough time to assess the situation. They had to be the bandits they were looking for, there were no other people nearby.
The ravenette took a deep breath, before she nodded somewhat convincingly. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She had a look at her pistol as well - Fully loaded, but she wasn’t going to be using it unless completely necessary, it would attract too much attention with the noise. It was still tucked away for easy access. “I know we’re not stocked on ammo, so we make every shot count,” she pursed her lips in thought, gaze lingering on the machete hanging from his waist. “I don’t know about you, but I’m a lot better when it comes to stealth, so I’d rather we don’t use the guns unless we get discovered. Is it okay if we keep our head down for the most?”
“Also.. I suck at combat, so I’ll be keeping a distance in taking them down. I can cover you while you sneak up on them too.” Ellie paused, frowning before jabbing at the hat sitting on top of the male’s head. “And I suggest you lose that for now, it could get us in trouble.”
unfamiliar grounds || minyoung ✖ ellie;
(...)
Snorting at the surprised look the young girl gave her, she just propped her head on her hand as she got comfortable on her chair. “What? Don’t look so surprised, kid. I’m just telling you what everyone here is thinking. And trust me when I say everyone. I don’t think there isn’t a person here who hasn’t checked you out yet.” Smiling broadly, she made an obvious show of glancing towards the side where a group of men were very clearly discussing the newest arrival with great interest.
“So tell me, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this? Cos trust me, kid, this isn’t the place good little girls should be wandering into by accident.”
Ellie had nearly fallen out of her chair with the jump she made at the sudden voice. Blinking several times, she stared hard at the other person, flabbergasted at how forward the woman was. Open, more like, with the way she brought up the group of men ogling in their direction. It wasn’t really anything offending at all, no. But it just wasn’t usual for anyone to be so friendly with strangers. Koreans weren’t as sociable compared to caucasians, as she heard back in the military, and it only worsened with the pandemic. Trust was an ongoing issue and the only reason why anyone had to talk to each other was usually in a life and death situation. Hence, she was caught more than offguard when the woman was the one who initiated the conversation, but she wasn’t complaining.
“I’m not a client, or.. Whatever. I heard my friend hangs out here a lot so I wanted to come and check this place out. Those guys over there are pretty good at darts, so I stayed to watch,” the younger replied, attempting to somewhat sound mature, or at least pass off as “legal” to be around this area. She wasn’t going to lie, she was slightly on her toes for fear of someone catching her loitering around where she wasn’t supposed to be. “And stop calling me a kid, I’m fourteen. Not a very large number, but still large enough that I’m capable of taking care of myself.” Ellie crossed her arms as she grumbled, clearly ticked off by the stranger who was just like the others - There was nothing she hated more than being referred to as a mere child.
Analysing the woman from the corner of her eye, the ravenette deemed her safe, despite her getup. She was dressed in all black, with shoulder-length hair a mess of pink and purple, a hunting knife and pistol safely tucked in her waist - The image of a delinquent, if Ellie would say so herself. Not someone she would want to mess around with. But the Caucasian figured the lady wouldn’t try anything, especially not in public like this. “It’s not like you look much older than I am with your height.” Ellie fired back with the snark comment, a smug smirk making its way on her features. “A little bit vertically challenged, aren’t you?”
bullseye || jungsuk ✖ ellie;
(...)
The girl helped him up to his feet—he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and did not scream—and Jungsuk ground out a hoarse No to her question. The walls of the military zone were too far away, not without getting his wound stabilized first. He had little choice but to trust her right now, so Jungsuk didn’t question following her lead; he was simply grateful the carrying strap on his rifle meant he didn’t need to worry about choosing between hanging onto it and keeping one-handed pressure on his wound.
Jungsuk was mostly steady on his feet. “Take point,” he whispered. “I’ll follow.”
Ellie kept her head low as she scampered across the open field, the man following close behind. The clickers were a distance away, and they were both quiet enough to sneak past them, thankfully. But there might be other runners or stalkers lurking around, she couldn’t be too sure. The man managed to keep light footsteps, despite the extreme pain he was probably going through, and that she was dearly thankful for as well. He let out a groan or two but even the readhead couldn’t blame him in his situation. His leg wasn’t scraped at all, but the young girl could hear the uneven, staggering footsteps. It must’ve hurt so much that he was having difficulty walking. I’m sorry, she repeated in her head continuously, and she couldn’t help but look back every now and then to make sure he was keeping up. If there were times when anyone had tried to guilt trip her, this would beat all of it hands down.
The pair made it back to the city soon enough, buildings coming into sight upon reaching the main road. The first building looked more than substantial - It was an old warehouse, and she quickly scanned their surroundings to make sure no one had trailed them, before pushing the door open to let him in. It was a huge, empty space with good enough lighting that came in through the windows, and apart from wooden crates lying around it was rather clutter free and clean. No infected either, which was the most important factor. The moment they made it in, the man immediately slumped himself against a wall, and Ellie assisted him in sitting as comfortably as he possibly could on the floor. He was still clutching his arm in a death grip and grimacing a lot. She needed to act fast before he would lose too much blood.
Quickly setting her things down, she unzipped her bag to take out the sterile roll of bandages, and kneeled next to the casualty. The arrow wasn’t lodged deeply at all, only the head of it stuck in his arm, and despite the severe amount of blood the wound didn’t look like it needed stitching. Ellie knew from first aid that you should never, ever pull an arrow out, no matter the situation, because you’re unsure of the angle as well as what it might have cut, be it a blood vessel or a vein. But there wasn’t much of a choice left, and it the possibility of a doctor willing to provide professional medical aid was about 0.01%. “Sir, I have to take the arrow out before I can apply pressure to stop the bleeding, and then I’ll find some other herbs or.. Medicine to disinfect it, and then I can patch it up with the bandages.”
She had a shirt she snagged from scavenging the other day, and though she was in need of new clothes, she needed to keep this man alive more than anything else . And so she handed it to him, hoping he could still comprehend her words in his state of pain. “I’m going to make this careful and quick, okay?” Without further warning, she pulled the arrow out-.. In a span of 4 seconds, making sure the angle was as close to the angle it was lodged in to prevent any further internal damage, and she quickly guided the man’s hand to keep the shirt on the wound. He was almost near yelling, but Ellie was more than grateful he didn’t. “T-There.. All done. Keep.. Keep the pressure on there, please.”
"What are you doing here?"
Ellie ran, a bright smile adorning her features as she held in her hand ration cards enough to last a person a few weeks. She had just successfully completed a mission by the usual group of bandits that hired her, and the ration cards were her reward. Though they wouldn’t be of any use to her, considering they only work if you’re in the military district, but she did know other civilians who could get her what she needed. And thus she stood in front of their hideout, waiting eagerly for their trade. Food in the military was always better than anything you’d manage to get out here - But even the food wasn’t enough to keep her there.
She left the place, two large loaves of bread in hand and half of a chicken. It would be far too much for her to finish before it went bad if she were to keep it. With that thought, she knew her next destination to head to. He’ll be surprised for sure, she mused. It was a long time since their last meeting. He didn’t tell her about his whereabouts, and even if he did it didn’t make much of a difference, because he was constantly on the move. But Ellie had connections. Enough to know he had been holding up in a small barn just outside of Seoul.
"This should be it," the youngster announced to no one in particular. The barn was located in a completely rundown, abandoned farm, which looked like it lacked a significant amount of life. Paint was peeling off the wood, and the overall condition was clearly deteriorating. Ellie wasn’t sure she wanted to check out what was inside, but she didn’t need to, when the familiar voice sounded from behind.
“What are you doing here?”
The girl immediately whirled around, and there he was in the flesh. “Seyong,” she breathed out, the smile on her face widening even further if it was possible. He looked almost the same from the last time she left him, with a machete in hand and still wearing the same outfit - Except for the hat, he had a different hat. And he did look slightly skinnier. Seyong had his weapon lowered upon recognising Ellie, and while he took awhile to respond, he didn’t hesitate in running up to her and giving her a tight hug. The ravenette could only chuckle at his flabbergasted expression, returning the affectionate action with an equal amount of effort. Leading them both inside the barn, he croaked out again. “How did you find me?”
“Psht, as if you don’t know. You know how well acquainted I am with people,” she quipped, propping herself up against one of the poles. “It seems your undercover skills aren’t up to standard, considering a number of people have managed to spot you.” Seyong only rolled his eyes at her comment, sitting himself comfortably on the floor as he made sure the lantern had enough oil to burn. It wasn’t like he was unhappy about her showing up, he was still finding it hard to comprehend that she was back after such a long while, so much so he couldn’t adjust. But he guessed he could get used to seeing her around more often.
About to enquire once again about the purpose of her visit, his question was answered as she sauntered over, dropping what seems to be some kind of meat which was covered with a plastic bag in front of him. “I got some food, it’s too much for me, and I know you need it too. Think of it as a.. Payback for that time you gave me the deer meat.” Ellie chuckled to herself, kneeling next to the man who was clearly still more interested in the light source than the human who came to pay him a visit. His fedora hat was a royal purple this time; a peculiar yet striking colour that was bound to attract attention, but she was sure he’d risk it just for fashion. You’re so stupid, the female mused fondly. Only someone like you would still be bothered about style in an apocalyptic world.
Dropping the second loaf of bread in his lap, she continued, the tone of her voice softening by a great fraction. “Eat up, big boy. You need it.” Ellie paused, before a sweet, chaste kiss was pressed to his cheek, and she stood up again to prepare to leave.
And maybe if he had ceased fiddling with his lantern for a moment, he would’ve managed to catch a glimpse of a faint flush spreading across her cheeks.
"What are you doing here?"
Strolling through the streets was a young girl, no bigger than 5’3, who went by the name of Ellie. You would think by now, months after she had escaped the military, that word of her would’ve gotten around. The fact that she was caucasian alone made her stick out like a sore thumb. Her capabilities were more than enough to draw attention as well - But it still seemed that some remained clueless about her existence. As clearly shown in the upcoming occurence.
The girl was walking on the pavement, minding her own business when a man emerged from one of the old abandoned houses by the road. He wasn’t much older than her, no, but he did have a lot of height advantage. His weapon wasn’t drawn and he wasn’t looking for a fight, but his presence startled Ellie so much that she had her bow and arrow pointed straight at his head, ready to fire at any time.
"What are you doing here?"
Swallowing nervously, she lowered her weapon, still cautious of the entire situation. The male didn’t look dangerous, but you could never be too sure nowadays. “I’m sorry to disturb you, I was just passing through. I’m.. Looking around for supplies. They help me out a lot.” Ellie replied with a slight nod of her head.
She would’ve expected the man to let her up and she’d continue on her way. That was what they always did-.. Upon realising she was just a mere child and could do them no harm. However, the last thing she was expecting was for him to call her in, gesturing that he had supplies to offer her. It was one of the most unusual things in the world, yet it gave her some hope that humanity still had some good in them. Normally she wouldn’t have gone in, but the midday heat was getting to her head and she knew she needed the rest. Apart from the supplies, the stranger might just be nice enough to offer her some water and his place to hold up for now.
Ellie sauntered into the residence, suspicion lessening by the minute. This wasn’t like her at all, getting too comfortable too fast, but she had a good feeling about this one. The redhead was just hoping her gut wasn’t telling her the wrong thing. Green orbs scanned the place thoroughly, before landing back on the man who came back with a small crate in his hands. He set it on the table, and his “supplies” weren’t exactly what Ellie was having in mind.
“Cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, hallucinogens.. You name it, I have it.” He took out a few packets of the drugs and set them out in front of her, eyebrows furrowing slightly in concern. “Say, you look a little young to be doing these kinds of things.. You sure you’re into them?”
The younger blinked several times, gaze fixated on the packets filled with all sorts of different formulas. They didn’t teach her much about these back in the military, since it was near impossible for these kinds of items to get smuggled in or out of the walls, but she did know it wasn’t something she should be messing around with. Either way, she let out an uneasy laugh, nodding to the other’s question. “U-Uh-.. Yeah, of course I am! It’s been awhile since I.. Uh.. Got a kick from these bad boys. Miss them a lot,” she emphasized her point by picking one of the packets up and examining them.
“I used to be addicted to soap back in the day, but.. I’m clean now.”
And the man could do nothing but let out a long, drawn out sigh of disappointment.
a little bit of help || seyong ✖ ellie;
(...)
Gesturing for the girl to follow him behind he eventually stopped, turning around to look down at his ‘friend’. ”I’m Seyong,” he announced suddenly, holding out his hand. He was slightly hesitant to tell her at first due to the fact they were potentially going to kill some people and it wasn’t really a good first impression, but he changed his mind. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Ellie had ducked away in annoyance at the male's hand, swatting at it though it didn't do much. She disliked it when people touched her head-.. It insulted her, somewhat. Felt like she was being belittled, or simply being treated like a child, which was something she never tolerated. Being regarded as an adult was something they preached back in the military, hence her inability to see herself as "just a teenager." She wanted people to see her as one of them, outside in the free district, despite the age difference. But they always treated her differently, and it was more than hard for her to revert back to however she was supposed to act, so she had to accept that she was just a child in their eyes. At least until she grew older. But they saw her as a capable child, at least.
She huffed quietly, arms folded as she trudged behind him, still slightly ticked off at his actions from earlier, But the frown on her face eased up the moment he turned around, a hand held out to signify a handshake. She took awhile to respond, but eventually clasped his hand, giving it a few firm shakes. "Seyong," the redhead practiced his name. It rolled off her tongue nicely, and a small smile curled on her lips as she nodded in reply. Ellie didn't do Korean honorifics, apart from addressing the instructors, commanders etc back at the military. It felt weird when she did use them, and she figured she could get away with it, being caucasian. "It's nice to meet you too."
A comfortable silence ensued between the two, and they continued to walk further ahead. The bandit base was only a few roads down, so they didn't have much distance to cover to get the job done. "Ah shit, I almost forgot, sorry. My name's Ellie," the youngster blinked, an embarrassed chuckle sounding from her throat. "It's not short for Elizabeth or anything, just.. Ellie. You don't mind me not calling you oppa or anything like that, right?"
snow white || sungyeol ✖ ellie;
(...)
Just as he made the first step up, he looked up. His eyes widened as he thought he saw a girl’s face peering down at him from atop the tangle of branches of the very tree he was climbing. Sungyeol stepped back, his hand going to the hilt of the knife he’d put back in its sheath for a while. Should he be scared? Or should he just leave this be?
"… Who’s up there?" he called out, after a moment’s pause to think. It was surely loud enough for anyone near to hear, but not enough to draw any unwanted attention.
The ravenette's eyes widened by a fraction as the man headed straight for her direction, the tree that she was climbing. She was so thrown off she had lost her balance momentarily. Fortunately, her hands had an iron grip on the branches, and though she slipped she managed to pull herself back up with much effort. The girl was almost petrified - She didn't want to have to kill anyone unless they gave her no other choice. He was clearly ready to attack, but most strangers would put their weapon down when they saw her, when they realised she was merely a child. Gave her a lot of benefits, her appearance. Because most people are still unaware of the saying to "never judge a book by its cover."
Putting an arrow in their head when they let their guard down couldn't be easier.
Ellie halted all movement, knuckles turning white as she clutched the branches forcefully. Even her breathing turned staggered, but the breath was completely knocked out of her when her gaze met with the man's. She could've sworn he spotted her, but she thought wrong when he called out once again. The real question here was whether or not she should reveal herself. But the teenager wasn't about to take any risks, even if it was for mushrooms.
She carefully made her way down the tree. Thankfully they were large enough to keep her concealed, the female sprinting to keep herself hidden behind another one not too far away. It also gave her a better vantage point of the other hunter, who now had his knife out and was stalking round the place, clearly keen on finding the cause of the flurried movement through the trees. Ellie started to panic. He's getting closer, shit.
And so she stared, waiting for the right moment-.. Before she dashed out into the open and ran without looking back, not even when she heard the man shout, or when a gunshot was fired in her direction. She needed to get out of there, now.
[ past ] unexpected || dongwoo ✖ ellie;
(...)
What he saw appalled him. There, in the center of the cage, was a girl, too many years younger than he, being taunted cruelly by her classmates. His eyes didn’t miss the fresh cuts across her face when she raised her head to speak. Dongwoo didn’t have enough time to react before they were throwing their empty food cartons at the poor girl, already stepping forward before he had time to register what he was doing. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!’ Heavy footsteps carried him closer to the group, stopping directly in front of the cage to glare at the shocked bullies. “Open this damned cage. Now.”
They didn’t need to be told twice. In a matter of seconds, they had already scrambled forward to open the cage, scurrying away as Dongwoo climbed in to help the girl. “Hey, are you alright?” The man had crouched down next to the figure, bending his head down to catch the teen’s eye.
Ellie was in a daze, eyes glazed over as she stared at the ground, failing to notice the commotion that was happening in front of her. It was only when she noticed that some light had made its way through the cage - Her classmates blocking it earlier, and she heard the unlocking of the door that she slowly looked up. Emerald orbs met chestnut brown ones, and she blinked several times to regain her focus.
"Why are you in here?" she muttered, clearly confused and still recovering from the previous situation. "Are they gone?" Without any answers, the man took her hand in his and led them both out of the cage, standing her in front of it as soon as they got out. His hands smoothed over her cheeks, eyes narrowing slightly as he examined the cuts on her face. Ellie had never seen this man before in her life. She didn't recognise him at all, if he was someone she was supposed to know. But here he was, examining the cuts on her face closely, as if she she were a fragile piece of glass that could break any instant.
Figuring he could do her no harm, the ravenette let the man touch her face. The classmates from earlier were a distance away. Ellie could spot them in her peripheral vision, but chose to ignore them, now that she was under this stranger's care. Instead, she focused on the male in front of her. He had sleepy looking eyes, and his features made him look - If she dare say, dopey, but otherwise he did still look very young. Most Koreans did look younger than their age, Ellie had been thoroughly surprised several times upon learning other's ages. His long fringe was swept to the side, and when his lips parted to speak, the girl could tell he had a bit of a gummy smile. Unfortunately, she had been so immersed in analysing his face, that she completely missed what the man had said.
"..I'm s-sorry.. Could you repeat that again?" The younger breathed out, speaking in an undertone as if she was scared someone would overhear their conversation. "I didn't catch you."
"Did you just laugh at me?"
The two females were out gathering, among the buildings in a far end of the west district. Their meetings were infrequent. Short lived, but it didn’t make them relish in their meet-ups any less. They enjoyed each other’s company more than anyone else’s, mainly because the two relate so well, and their personalities complimented like bread and butter. Min wasn’t even much of a gatherer - She was a arms dealer, after all. But that didn’t stop her from accompanying Ellie along her routine.
They entered an abandoned supermarket round a corner of one of the streets. The place was long gone, ceiling falling apart and the inside was a complete clutter of fallen over shelves, but that didn’t stop them from finding potential supplies others might have missed. Ellie and Min spread out, each one covering what was left of the aisles. If they were lucky, they would find some tools or whatnot to help them out.
The ravenette’s eyes scanned the mess as she walked through the supermarket, wondering what it was like - To go grocery shopping, picking out what you need and paying for it at the cashier.. Or when the entire place was neat, well lit and in service. It must have been a lot more colourful then it is now, she mused. The fact that she missed out on a lot before the pandemic made her sad sometimes, but sometimes she was glad she wasn’t born before it. You can’t miss what you never had, after all. Min’s voice broke her train of thought as she trudged along, Ellie blinking as she looked up.
"Hey, Ellie!" The older called out from several aisles down. "Come here and help me with this." Thinking her partner must’ve found something good, she quickened her pace to get to Min faster, footsteps slowing as she neared the petite figure. But she couldn’t help but burst out into laughter upon assessing the situation.
Tiny, little Min jumping helplessly in order to obtain a can of tomatoes sitting on top of a shelf.
"Did you just laugh at me?"
The woman scoffed, turning around to glare at the younger girl, hands on her hips as if she was trying to intimidate Ellie, but it only made the caucasian double over in laughter. The girl was expecting anything but a can of tomatoes. “N-No-.. Pfft, it’s just…” She stammered as she tried to catch her breath, walking over slowly to Min who now had her arms folded, a challenging frown embedded on her features.
"You’re laughing at my height, aren’t you."
"Well, no-.. Yes, actually, that too, but-"
"You do realise you aren’t that much taller than me."
"But you do realise I still have about 4 years more of growing I can do, you’ve been stuck at this height since the beginn-"
Ellie didn’t get to finish her sentence, before she was being chased by the other, shrieking in laughter as they attacked each other in an intense tickle fight. Sometimes life didn’t seem so bad after all.
And that can of tomatoes probably went bad a long time ago, anyway.
a little bit of help || seyong ✖ ellie;
(...)
”If anything goes wrong.. Leave me and run.” Before he could let the girl speak he waved his hand, not wanting to hear anything that she had to say. ”I mean it.. I don’t want to hear any bullshit about you won’t do that, or that you’re too skilled so it won’t happen. Believe me, it happens to the best of us. It’s possible. Just run.”
Ellie listened at complete attention. Her eyes traced the map drawn by the man like a hawk, memorising the entire structure and etching it into her brain. It wasn't like her. Of course, Ellie was one who always took missions seriously, but for some reason she seemed to be putting in just a little bit more effort into this one, and just being a slightly more enthusiastic about it. Maybe it was the deer meat, or maybe it was the fact that she might possibly have a friend, either way, she was willing to put her 110% into it, and nothing was going to hinder her performance.
Except maybe for the other's extreme lack of faith in the situation.
The stranger looked worried, sad almost, that he was considering the fact that one of them might possibly get horribly injured, or might even die. It made the youngster's frown deepen, giving the male a slight glare with her reply. "I get that you're not the most optimistic of people, but believe in me a little bit, won't you? Mental mindsets always affect performance a lot," she retorted, before pausing for a long moment and continuing again-.. This time with a much softer tone. "I've got this, Mr Fedora Hat. Don't worry. You can count on me, I promise I won't let you down." Her hand hesitated, but eventually hovered over the other's shoulder, giving a few pats on the "stranger's" back as if to reassure him. That was an action the instructors would give on a rare occasion, only when Ellie would did superbly above expectations - Hence she had learned to associate it with success, and accomplishment. And it gave her the feeling of joy bubbling inside her chest. She hoped it would somewhat do the same for her present mission partner.
She slowly stood to her feet once again, helping the elder up together, before clearing her throat to ask yet another question. "So.. Are you ready to set out, Mr Fedora Hat? Or should I be polite and ask for your actual name for me to address you?"
"Is this your first date?"
A young caucasian girl and a not too much older korean man, one of the most unlikely pairs you’d see around, but definitely not one you’d want to mess around with. They weren’t acquainted with each other at all. This was their first meeting-.. But they were forced to be partners, at least just for this one job. Both were hired by a group of bandits to work together to get a mission for them done - That mission being stealing crates of supplies from another rival group of bandits. Wasn’t going to be easy, but they were capable enough, and had the bandit’s trust.
Being their first meeting, they had no idea what to say to each other. The destination they were headed to was still a far bit away, so they had an ample amount of time to get to know each other better. Ellie wasn’t one to bother making small talk, so she left the man to his own business, trailing behind slightly as she walked along and kept balance on a ledge. Though it was clear the male was trying his best to socialise.
"So.. Ellie, right? My name’s Hyunwoo. Um.. Yeah." Hyunwoo cleared his throat, slowing his footsteps to walk beside the youngster. She took no notice, nodding in reply with a soft hum. If she had looked at him, despite the dim lighting, it was obvious how tense he was and just how much he was freaking out attempting to talk to her. It had been a long time since he came across a kid, and he had completely forgotten how to even talk to them, much less a teenage girl. What were they supposed to be into nowadays?
"Is this your first date?"
At this, the ravenette came to an abrupt halt, eyebrows furrowing as she turned to look at him. If he wanted to grab her attention, he had successfully done it, but definitely not in the best way.
"Okay, let’s get things straight. First, this is not a date, dates aren’t supposed to put you at a risk of being killed. And you didn’t even ask me out beforehand. At least that’s how I think those date things are supposed to work,” she mumbled the last part to herself. “And secondly, you’re probably an old man like pretty much everyone else, and don’t give me any of that ‘age is just a number’ bullshit, you’re not my type either way.”
Ellie had walked a considerable distance ahead, before she once again stopped, and turned around to raise an inquisitive brow at Hyunwoo. “And don’t think I didn’t spot you eyeing that bandit’s ass back at their camp. You wanna talk about dates with a girl, at least act like you prefer tacos over sausages.” A playful chuckle left her lips as she continued on ahead, a light skip to her step.
Leaving behind a flustered, sputtering mess of a Hyunwoo.
unfamiliar grounds || minyoung ✖ ellie;
Ellie had heard about the place, but she had never gotten the chance to see it, much less be anywhere near or inside it. But all that was going to change today.
암시장. That was what she heard people call it, otherwise known as the infamous black market. It was a long alleyway of shops, located in the free district, inconspicuously set up such that it wasn't easy to find. It had to be well hidden, considering it was illegal exchanges of goods. If you were to get to the place, you needed connections with people. However, there were rumours of it spreading to other districts, and it wasn't going to be safe, especially if the military located it. Ellie had heard about it from an acquaintance of hers - One of the bandits, who was an arms dealer that frequented the market. And since she was scavenging around the area, she thought it was the perfect opportunity to pay him a visit, and maybe take a look around to see what the fuss was all about. She knew she was more than half the age of most of the people there and wasn't exactly going to fit in, but hey, fuck it. Black markets are illegal to begin with, they had no right to chase out someone who was illegally underage.
The female jogged with light steps as she navigated her way through the never-ending winding alleys, till she heard the soft bustle of people, and she knew she had found the right place. "Bingo," she led out a breathy laugh as she turned round a corner and a long stretch of busy stands that covered the entire lane came into sight. It was a tight squeeze, but Ellie managed to slip past the constant pushing of bodies with her petite size, albeit being given several weird looks, she made it out into the less crowded area where actual shops were set up. Her eyes were darting about with curiosity, because this was nothing like she had ever seen. Not that she had seen much at all, being cooped up in the military for her entire life. But it was only now, where she got to see the different sights and places, that she felt she was truly living her life-.. Not just surviving. She wasn't going about each day like a dreaded routine, not as much as when she was brought up back then. And it made her feel somewhat happy. Though it wasn't anything close to how Seoul looked like before everything went to shit, at least she got a glimpse and experience of what it was really like.
"A bar.. Look for a bar..." Ellie mumbled under her breath as she kept a lookout for the place her friend often went for deals. It didn't take much effort to find, the bar being the second last shop from the end of the stretch, and she entered without hesitation.
A completely different dimension to the outside.
The interior of the bar was more than rundown, and the lighting was dim, but it was still salvageable. And by the looks of it, people still enjoyed hanging out here despite its condition. Many groups of people all clustered in different corners of the place, all doing different activities. The counter had a man stationed there who was selling beer, some were playing poker while smoking cigarettes, and others having either casual or serious conversations. Completely distracted by the amount of things happening around her, the main objective of finding her the bandit slipped Ellie's mind as she wandered around, looking over to see what everyone was up to. The sound of cheering snapped her out of her trance, and she spotted what seemed to be a large group playing darts. I guess a little watching can't hurt. The ravenette propped herself up on one of the bar stools by the counter, and stared in awe as players competed against each other in friendly matches, many winning and losing bets. Having been so immersed, she failed to notice a woman who sauntered her way over and made herself comfortable beside the young girl.
"Wow, looks like the clientele are getting younger and younger everyday.”
