That was enough of an answer for Lyra. A normal person might see a tattoo like hers and think nothing of it. But this lady reacted strongly. Lyra knee this was probably risky and possibly a bad idea, but when you can kill anyone by grabbing them you tend to live a little dangerously. She pulled out a seat next to the stranger and pointed out the drawing. She leaned in to whisper. “I know I’m coming on strong. I promise I want any trouble either.” Lyra could see the lady was uncomfortable. “And I’m sorry for that but you clearly know some of what’s going on in this town. And this has been a very confusing time.”
“So what is it that you want?” Katherine presses on nervously. Was this simply to see her squirm or did she actually have a point. Confusing was putting things lightly but Katherine knows better than to voice such an opinion out loud. The last thing she needed was to anger or offend this woman, especially knowing she’s a fellow former experiment. There’s no telling what she’s capable of. “Answers?”
Dustin looks at the poor woman he attacked in front of him. She seemed distracted, maybe upset. Dustin leaped off his bike and stood next to her. “No, no, it’s definitely my fault. I was rushing and wasn’t being careful. I have to get to work.” He bent down to the women’s leg. “Any permanent damage?” He stands up and grins at her. “And I meant it about the ice cream.”
She backs away slightly when he gets down to have a better look at her leg. “It’s okay, really.” She reassures him with a brief and somewhat nervous smile. “Not at all.” It dawns on her a second too late that he’s joking and so she offers another fleeting smile. “Thank you but I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble for giving me free ice cream. There’s no need.”
❝ You’re welcome. ❞ Kai’s aware he might be coming off a bit unsettling, brown eyes studying the other. The way her eyes emit emotion, the slightest bit of a reaction to his words, it doesn’t go unnoticed. He doesn’t blame her either, he’d have reacted much worse had a man his size approached him on a touchy subject. But he doesn’t mean harm, not to her, at least ; she could be an asset to them. The lab had done enough of that to them.
❝ I think you know exactly what. ❞ He relaxes his posture somewhat, hoping to not come off stand-offish. Kai could’ve shown her his tattoo, but he wasn’t a Goddamn idiot nor was he willing to lay everything out in the open. These towns people were eavesdroppers and nosey, he didn’t particularly have the patience to deal with prying eyes. ❝ Did my eyes deceive me or was that not a drawing of a man in a lab coat?❞
She realizes now, by the time it’s far too late, that leaving the sanctuary that is Josie’s home had been a terrible mistake. This is one of the reasons she waited so long to venture out on her own. In any case, it’s too late to run now. It’s clear this stranger could easily catch her and now is no place to display her abilities. She had no choice but to face this man head on.
“I-It was nothing. Just silly scribbles.” Even she could barely believe herself. “Look, I don’t know what you want but I’m not searching for trouble.” She had to stop herself from pleading with him not to hurt her. Katherine isn’t even sure what he wanted or what he actually wanted. “So please, whatever you want, just get to it.” Despite her words, her tone remained soft and polite.
The small streets outside of the mall were bustling. Despite the terrible past of Starcourt Mall it was still always busy. Dustin thought it was stupid, did know one care that the mall had been a Russian secret operation cover? Weaving through people Dustin biked at a snail’s pace, of course. His ridiculous Scoops Ahoy “uniform” sat crumpled up in his bike basket. He couldn’t really complain about the mall though. He did have a job there. It was a good way to make money and make sure nothing suspicious was going on.
Dustin rang his bike bell but the person ahead didn’t seem to hear. “Hey look out!” Dustin hit his breaks hard, still, the wheel of the bike just barely bumped the leg of the person ahead. “Sorry, sorry! I should be more careful. Hey, I’ll buy you ice cream if I can get through this crowd to work on time.”
Katherine is lost in her own world for the moment, still attempting to absorb the information that someone could be after the scientists that used to torment her. Someone was clearly wanting to rid the world of them but did such hatred extend to those they experimented on? Did someone wish to erase all signs that such a place existed? If so, Katherine had no real means of knowing who could be considered a dangerous enemy.
Her thoughts continue to run wild, so much so that she misses the sound of a bike bell warning her to turn around and either get out of the way or brace for impact. She only realizes the immediate danger when it bumps her. At least it wasn’t as bad as it could be. She quickly whips around to face the young male on a bike attempting to make it through the crowd.
“Oh no, it’s alright. I’m fine. Sorry I...Wasn’t paying attention.”
Lyra stared at the drawing from afar. How did this lady know what the shadow monster was? She leaned over a little closer to look inspect the drawing more, trying her best to not look suspicious. She could suddymake out the other drawing, a lab coat. I though dawned on her.
She watched the woman react to the news and jumped to her feet. She got right up close to the table and spoke before the women even reacted. Lyra cleared her thoat. “Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Lyra Jones.” Lyra let her eyes wander down to the leather gloves she always wore and hoped the strangers eyes would follow. Careful she peeled back the very top of her glove, exposing her wrist just slightly and, more importantly, her tattoo that read [010]. “What’s your name?”
The introduction is met with no response initially, until chocolate hues scan the tattoo she’s chosen to reveal. Katherine’s eyes widen for a moment before she hurries to cover up such shock. What on earth would prompt this woman to approach her and make it known they originate from the same place?
“I don’t know what you want or why you’ve decided to approach me but I’m not here to cause trouble.” Revealing not only her number but her name is out of the question without proof she could trust this woman.
Arms sit atop his chest as he crosses them, a small smirk on his lips as he watches the tv along with the rest of the samaritans. He recalls the night he and the Lab Rats had finally found a way to get the chief and Billy out of the Upside Down. Quite an eventful night in the woods and dropping them off at the Hospital, leaving without so much of an explanation to the nurses.
Eyes scan the diner, taking in the reactions of the rest of Hawkins residents. Its enough to erupt disbelieving gasps and whispers among the tables and booths. But he isn’t here to bask in it, he’s here for Nine. Her reaction to the dead scientist doesn’t go unnoticed and he hopes she isn’t a fucking sympathizer. ❝ I said, that’s quite a drawing you got there. ❞ He pauses, sliding on the other end of the booth. ❝ They teach you how to draw like that in the Lab? ❞
“Thank you.” feeling self-conscious about said drawing and not wanting to allow him to see any more of it, she closes the notebook and slides it back in her bag. Kat believes that would be the beginning and end of their conversation. Katherine is sadly mistaken as he sits down across from her and is able to make her freeze with just his words alone. Her eyes narrow in both confusion and the slightest fear.
He doesn’t seem familiar in the sense he isn’t among the people that tortured her but that doesn’t make her feel at ease in the slightest. If he’s like her, that would mean he could be capable of anything.
“What are you talking about?” Feigning innocence should buy her time to make sense of this...right?
“Former Chief Hopper, found in the woods alongside local resident Billy Hargrove...” The sound is drowned out as Katherine looks down to realize her seemingly non-sensible scribbles made out two different shapes, one of the massive shadow creature some have grown to call the Mind Flayer, the second being of a silhouette in a lab coat. Both completely opposing forces juxtaposed with other and yet holding the same status in her mind.
“And in other news, the latest gruesome discoveries in the woods connected to Forrest Hills Park, yet another body found just last week has now been identified.” The anchorperson’s words cause Katherine’s head to shoot up and eye the screen. The name flashing across the screen makes her eyes go wide, a sickening feeling settling in. She freezes up, eyes gloss over as terrible memories flood her mind. It’s not until someone walks over that she’s able to snap out of it, practically jumping out of her skin.
“W-What? Oh...I’m sorry. What were you saying?” Just act normal, put on a brave face, act normal...
Hi demons, henlo, how ya doin, it’s ya gorl Tian back at ya again with the trash. I bring you my bby Katherine AKA Nine (Don’t call her that unless you want your blood to feel like it’s boiling jk). I am absolute trash, hence the discord @ Trashy Croissant#4422. I’m a New Yorker and an Aries so get ready for the chaos. Anyways, nuff about me, onto the more important stuff.
[ASLIHAN MALBORA, FEMALE, SHE/HER] Fuck me gently with a chainsaw, is that SUBJECT [009]? Rumor has it that they have the ability of [PSYCHOSOMATIC ILLUSIONS, TELEPATHY, CONNECTION TO THE UPSIDE DOWN] and are a part of the [PEACEFUL EXPERIMENTS], isn’t that totally tubular? I heard that their name is [KATHERINE] and that they are [20] years old. What’s their damage? I heard that they’re [LOYAL & TRUSTWORTHY] and [UNTRUSTING & CYNICAL].
- Nine’s parents...or well her mother remains nameless as far as Katherine knows or at least that’s what she had been told. Her mother had been unmarried and had no means or any desire really, of caring for a child and so when the offer had been brought to her that she could be paid for taking some “prenatal vitamins” and give her baby for adoption, she jumped.
-Nine’s mother never so much as spared her crying baby a glance as they took her away. All she cared about had been the payout which she received in exchange for her signature to never speak of this incident and had been sent on her merry way. True to her word, on Halloween her baby was born and in accordance with the papers she signed, the Hawkins Lab - and in turn Nine- never heard of her mother again.
-Nine’s first memories had been of a harsh smack given from a man in a lab coat, cruel scolding following after. “Just do as you are told! Weapons do not have the luxury of crying!” She couldn’t understand such words, 5 year old could? No matter, from that moment on Nine never believed herself deserving of the luxury know as crying and relieving that pain that sits heavy on her soul.
-She had only been 6 when her ability showed itself, much to the delight of the scientists. From that moment on she had been trained to be fulfill her purpose; to be a weapon. She would be forced to use her abilities on innocent, or even terrifying people who would no doubt punish her later for doing as she’s been forced to do.
-Nine would endure these heinous conditions, childhood being a word she never knew existed until she’s considered an adult. She was 16 when a scientist, scorned by his bosses, snatched her from the facility and kept her captive. He continued her training, only with much more terrible physical abuse, something the other scientists would’ve considered to be far less “constructive”.
-Living this way for two years, Ten finally mustered up the courage to use her ability to escape. She sent the scientist into shock using her ability then took off. She ran as far as her body could take her before collapsing, a hiker having found her and called for help. She was rushed to the hospital while unresponsive. When she woke she found herself in a room far too similar to some of the rooms the lab had and reacted horribly.
-This is when a kind nurse encountered Nine. The nurse, Josie Depraysie, wanted nothing more than to soothe the girl’s pain and fears. When she offered to call in a nice officer to speak to her, Nine once again freaked out. Josie, far too empathetic to let her suffer any more, helped the young girl sneak out and from that day on she took her in. Nine was renamed Katherine, a name she’s attached to, and finally given a home with a loving caregiver. Josie taught Katherine many things in the few years they’ve lived together, to the point where the nurse can confidently allow Katherine to travel about without fear of her breaking down or using her ability against a harmless passerby.
-Katherine doesn’t wish to seek out revenge, she isn’t ready to face the people that hurt her for so many years. She simply wants to live in peace and know what it means to be happy.
That was a LOT holy cow. i popped off without meaning to, feel free to skip all of this and just ask for a summary but if you do read this tysm. I am completely open to plotting and brainstorming so feel free to hmu on discord or through tumblr IM’s!
