Laina Rixon

"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion." - Albert Camus.

[williamcurtis]

Leave out all the rest ~ William + Laina~

[williamcurtis]

William chuckled, but only softly as the melancholic state still gripped at him. “It makes me glad to see you,” he smiled, and continued with something no one ever thought the hacker would say; “I’m starting to miss you guys.” It was an understatement though- William missed them a lot, and had done so for a while. 

Putting the bat down by the half empty potato bag filled with baseballs, William hoped the anger wouldn’t stay for much longer now that Laina was there. He was tired of pretending and suppressing, but of course he would do it for her. Even though it was easier to accept Laina as a real outlaw now, a real Killjoy, he still wanted to protect her from the darkness of being one. He used the joy of seeing her as a kick starter to keep his mood up. “So what do you want?” he teased; “I’ve got the finest weapons and armory you can get in the BC slum…” 

What Laina probably didn’t know was that William hadn’t just become the Resistance’s new hacker, he was also a weapon and armor engineer. He created armor like before, only this time he had more access to stuff he needed, and the pressure to produce more. Bombs, fire weapons, and mines were some of his work too, as well as traps and computer viruses. The people he worked with were quite the hot heads, and they pulled his strings and pushed his limits more than he could handle. The roof, and the baseball was what he used to breathe and relax. The drugs kept him from losing it completely. 

[killjoylaina]

“We miss you, too.” She said. Part of her wanted to invite William back to the killjoys, wanted to keep him around as long as possible but she knew he wouldn’t return, that they wouldn’t have him back. The age restriction had shown no exceptions for years until she showed up, and even then no one knew that their rules had been broken. If they had she couldn’t imagine what they might do to her, or even her brother for protecting her. She didn’t know how forgiving they’d be, how tolerant considering the circumstances. 

“So they’re treating you pretty well, then? How’d you manage to get that?” She asked. She’d known Will was capable of a lot, however she’d never seen him do much outside of his lab, and it seemed that the resistance was working well for him despite that if they’d trusted him with arms already. She was happy that at least he was accepted in the new home. At least he was a part of something, and not wasting away like she’d seen some ex-gang members do on the streets. 

[killjoymeyer]

   “Sure.” Adrian pushed off the door frame and crossed the room to the shelf Laina pointed him towards. He stood up on his toes and reached on top of it, feeling for anything left behind. Mostly he felt his skin being covered in dust, but towards the end of the shelf, he felt a small cardboard box. When he took it down, he heard something rattle inside it, but even before he opened it up, he knew from the logo what it was.    “Ammunition.” He handed it to Laina, then brushed off his hand, sending a cloud of dust motes into the air. “Ugh.”

[killjoylaina]

“Thanks.” Laina said, turning the box away from him and blowing a thin layer of dust off the top. With a cough and a wheeze she turned back to him, turning the box in her hands. “Do you want any? I mean, I hardly need it. I’ve got some boxes and really rarely have to use my gun.” She wasn’t sure if she’d have to use her gun more now that Jared had left. She realized that she was on her own now, which meant she was to keep herself in line. She had to keep her own mouth shut, protect herself, and keep track of her own ammunition. 

She spoke of him as though he were dead, which was far from the truth. He was alive and well, as far as she’d known. Not that she could’ve known much about his current state. He could’ve died this morning while she had slept in. She hadn’t checked at all. Laina convinced herself, he’s among the resistance now, he didn’t need Laina or any other distractions.

[killjoylaina]

killjoymeyer:

“Alright. I’ll– I’ll help you with whatever you were trying to get down. What was it?”

“There’s a shelf..” She said, pointing to the board nailed to the wall far above her head. “I’m too short to reach it, to check if there’s anything up there. You think you could?” She requested.

[killjoylaina]

tianasong:

“If you start seeing weird patterns. Let me know. Like…”

“– there! The lights, if they look weird to you. Like fairies. You know?”

“Fairies? I don’t know. I guess I will know. I haven’t had much of a chance to know.” She said, already feeling a little dazed from the sudden invasion of the substance in Tiana’s drink. She’d never had the chance to try alcohol, Jared or her parents always around to impress. She hardly felt anything, but she knew somehow she was different. She took another chug of Tiana’s drink. “But I’ll look out for weird shit. You look out for it, too.”

[williamcurtis]

Leave out all the rest ~ William + Laina~

[killjoylaina]

williamcurtis:

William chuckled, but only softly as the melancholic state still gripped at him. “It makes me glad to see you,” he smiled, and continued with something no one ever thought the hacker would say; “I’m starting to miss you guys.” It was an understatement though- William missed them a lot, and had done so for a while. 

Putting the bat down by the half empty potato bag filled with baseballs, William hoped the anger wouldn’t stay for much longer now that Laina was there. He was tired of pretending and suppressing, but of course he would do it for her. Even though it was easier to accept Laina as a real outlaw now, a real Killjoy, he still wanted to protect her from the darkness of being one. He used the joy of seeing her as a kick starter to keep his mood up. “So what do you want?” he teased; “I’ve got the finest weapons and armory you can get in the BC slum…” 

What Laina probably didn’t know was that William hadn’t just become the Resistance’s new hacker, he was also a weapon and armor engineer. He created armor like before, only this time he had more access to stuff he needed, and the pressure to produce more. Bombs, fire weapons, and mines were some of his work too, as well as traps and computer viruses. The people he worked with were quite the hot heads, and they pulled his strings and pushed his limits more than he could handle. The roof, and the baseball was what he used to breathe and relax. The drugs kept him from losing it completely. 

“We miss you, too.” she said. She beared a smile at the thought of Will missing them as much as she missed him, but she was weary to it. Very few emotions had ever been expressed to her - the man usually stoic, or panicked, or ominous. The only time she could think he’d been anything else was far too late into the night for control over his collected image, and once when he’d been too drunk to realize. While Laina was fond of those memories, they stuck out only because his behaviour was so abnormal from what she knew him to be. She wondered if he’d changed that much in the short time since he’s left.

Laina was impressed at the announcement. “How did you manage that?” She wondered, grinning at Will. She had no doubts of William - genius was a word she used heavily to describe him - and only expected that he’d be considered The Resistance’s finest soon enough. Laina’s hoodlum status was only new to her, and she wasn’t nearly where she wanted to be in terms of a social standing among the Killjoys. Will had been in delinquency for what must’ve felt like centuries, their experience held no contest in comparison. One of the lucky ones, her brother would tell her. Lived fast to die old  - something he once expressed he wanted for her. She wondered if he still did. She wondered if Will was glad he lived so much longer than would be expected for her.

[killjoylaina]

killjoymeyer:

“No. Not unless he’s got any pot lying around.”

“He might. He did-doesn’t like to tell me about it, but I know he did that stuff once in a while at least. I’ll give it to you if I find any.”

[williamcurtis]

Leave out all the rest ~ William + Laina~

[killjoylaina]

williamcurtis:

“Laina. I thought my ears were messing with me.” 

William smiled the moment he saw the blonde girl who matched the young voice he’d heard. It had pulled him out of his ruminative state, and lowering the bat to rest next to his side as an extension of his arm, he looked at her in the cool night. How peculiar it was, having her show up now. Even though he could see she’d been through some stuff since last time, and even though she seemed alright, he wanted to be sure when asking happily; “What are you doing here?” He was glad to see her. She was a memory from the station, and the future. 

Revealing these true emotions so suddenly proved that William had changed too- however not every change had been a good one. He had just stopped using medication for the stab wound, and he no longer needed bandage, but the scar still stung. Unfortunately the hacker had been using so much drugs to avoid the pain that he’d become addicted. Whiskey did nothing for him now. The drugs made him more human though, and more relaxed, but it dulled other traits he’d had: like caution, and the last bit of serenity was gone. 

A memory of what the station had formerly been made Laina flush with happiness when she saw the man. Under the blue glow of artificial light, Laina and Will had spoken about the government and plans for the future over a metal bracelet. That was the first real conversation they had. Admittedly, she didn’t remember speaking of ever leaving the gang, which may have been a truancy influenced by her own ideals. To Laina, comfort and safety was easy. She had to force herself into bravery and change, which she didn't like to consider a dominant trait in herself, no matter how much it definitely was. Though she wasn't naive or indenial, and knew the fate of any member lucky enough to live past twenty-nine - they were deemed unfit, and their time as a Killjoy was proven ephemeral.

Laina’s grandmother used to always remind her of how different she looked at their different visits. ‘A beautiful girl growing into a beautiful woman’ were words often tossed on the subject, but it's always made her feel awkward in her skin. She wondered what her grandmother would say if she could see her now. “I was just visiting and I thought I’d see if I couldn’t find you.” Laina explained, grinning at the hacker. Something about the way he carried himself made her think that he had changed as well. The usually stoic hacker carried a smile that seemed unusual yet charming on him. “I felt like it had been a while.” she admitted with a nonchalant shrug, though in reality it felt like it had been years since she last saw Will. 

[killjoylaina]

tianasong:

“I don’t know. Might be.”

“Does it taste funny to you?”

Laina hesitated for a moment before taking a quick chug of the drink. “I’m not sure. What’s it meant to taste like?” She questioned, smacking out the aftertaste from her mouth and returning it to Tiana. It tasted odd for a drink, but she wasn’t sure if it was odd for a party drink. “I guess we’ll find out in a bit if it was spiked, huh?” 

[killjoylaina]

killjoymeyer:

     Adrian hesitated, pressing his lips together into a thin line. He didn’t know Laina – nor the relationship she had with her brother – well enough to really speak on the matter. A moment passed and he gave a small shrug, glancing at her.

   “That’s not for me to say.”

Laina looked at him for a second and nodded shortly. “That’s fair. Sorry.” She said with a shrug, watching around the room. “Do you want anything of his? I mean, I probably don’t need all of the stuff he left.” she offered. She’d already displaced the family photos and some of his old clothes to her room, but she had yet to take out trinkets and other things Jared possessed. Not that there was much to sort through anyways.

[williamcurtis]

Leave out all the rest ~ William + Laina~

[killjoylaina]

williamcurtis:

At this point, William didn’t care if he hit an old lady in the head. Nor did he care should the baseballs he whacked several blocks away hit a puppy, or a smoking bandit- alright, so he did try to aim for the most unlikely spot, but he was still rather angry. On this roof, he could whack out his frustration, anger, sadness and guilt without anyone watching. His emotions were hurled across the air as the former Killjoy swung the bat almost perfectly. The bag of baseballs next to him had helped the former baseball player improve his rusty skills with each swing, and now it laid half empty. He’d lost the professional way of swinging in exchange to a more barbaric one, but he didn’t care. William watched the white balls of frustration disappeared into the starlit sky while thinking all sorts of things.

The bashful hacker felt he’d disappointed everyone. Eleven years out in the war, and what had he accomplished? His former gang had no leader anymore, and now he couldn’t be there to protect the ones he’d started to care for. His family was still under the Government, and he had lost track of them when the Resistance kept pressing him to do their will. It bored him, frightened him, and killed him mentally. Even Trayson came up with better ideas than the Resistance did- at least that was a thought he liked to think.

He missed the Killjoys. He missed Garrett. He missed Laina, and Sid. Never did he think he’d be in this situation- Missing the station, and feeling miserable about fighting the Government without the Killjoys by his side.   

For those who believe in resurrection death has no fallout. Instead it represents a second chance and a new beginning. The idea of resurrection is so seductive that people forget that in order to raise from the ruins you have to spend some time in them first. Not believing in resurrection is a funny concept, because all of our stories are that of death and resurrection. Of underdogs and happy almost-endings. Stories she’d been told to put her to sleep as a child represented a phenomenon as real as the recent events Laina had witnessed. Soon-to-be-eighteen-year-old Laina was at a phase in her life other girls her age typically didn’t experience. Only two years after abandoning her home to be with her brother, Jared had decided to abandon the Killjoys and fight the good fight directly from Battery City. She now had to choose between independence or cowardice - options that could build her upwards or destroy her completely. She was in the ruins of her resurrection and she knew it - she could feel the new beginning creeping up on her like seasons passing. Subtly and surely. 

Laina had very little experience in terms of self-reliance, and without her parents, her brother, and friends she’d made in the past she felt ready to burst. A new beginning was all she needed, though she didn’t know where to start. In the rubble of her resurrection she sought out an old friend for one last time before she went back to the killjoys, this time as only one person instead of as an addition to another. While searching the base of the resistance, she only got lost once or twice. A few other members of the resistance told her she could find the hacker atop of the roof, so upwards she went and surely he was there. She opened the rooftop doorway to peek outside. “Will?” She called, stepping on to the tall platform of the shelter. She could hear the thud of something hitting some smaller thing, followed by the fading ‘whoosh’ of flight. It sounded like someone playing baseball, but to Laina it just sounded like someone playing. A sound she hadn’t truly heard since the era of her misconduct had started. It brought a smile to her lips as she stepped around and found that Will was the source of those sounds. “Will.” She called again for his attention.

[killjoylaina]

killjoymeyer:

   “No,” Adrian echoed, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. “But he’s not my brother.”

Laina scoffed under her breath. “Right.” She said. She’d never really interacted with Adrian, or any Killjoy other than a select few, and she wasn’t sure why she’d want to start now. They were her brother’s friends, and she knew they probably wouldn’t be able to see her without seeing Jared - something she didn’t want. She wanted to gain some independence from her entire experience, and she wasn’t sure it’d be so easy while only walking in the footprints her brother had traced for her in snow that was too high for her to tread herself. “Do you think I should then?”

[killjoylaina]

tianasong:

“I don’t know what they spilled.” Tiana stood off to the side of the party she’d managed to corral (trick) the other Killjoys into attending.

“Tastes weird, though.” Tiana held the cup someone handed to her up for observation, half of it was gone. “This tastes weird, too.”

“Who gave it to you? It's not spiked is it?” She questioned. She'd only been to a few parties in her lifetime briefly, but Jared had warned her about the sort of happenings that they brought on. "Why'd you keep drinking it if it tastes funny?"

[killjoylaina]

“This is so cool! Where'd you get it?”

[killjoylaina]

killjoymeyer:

“There should be one around somewhere.”

“… Have you been to see him?”

Laina hesitated to answer him. She’d been too upset with Jared to visit him, as pitiful if she knew it was. “No.” She said, with a quick shake of her head and began looking around for a ladder before she stopped “Why? Have you?”

[killjoylaina]

killjoymeyer:

“The latter. You should probably get a step ladder.”

“Right.” She said with a subtle eye-roll. “So do you have a step ladder?”

[killjoylaina]

killjoymeyer:

“I don’t think you should try and do that by yourself. You could get hurt.”

“That’d suck if it happened, I guess. Do you want to come help me take it down or do you just want to tell me how I’m doing it wrong?”

[killjoylaina]

trayhallifax:

“See? Great idea! Here. Take ‘em and set ‘em up. I’m gonna empty another bottle.”

He tossed her the one bottle, then swung his arm like he was about to toss her the gun as well, then stopped with a laugh, keeping his arm extended for her to take it.

Laina laughed and took the gun and the bottle, holstering her weapon and searching for somewhere to place the bottle. Once she found a spot she returned to Tray and aimed the gun at the bottle.