.LEGACY )

NATALIE SCATORCCIO pulls her hair back as she screams, "I don't really wanna be the queen." ♔

[flyaboveitall-deactivated202404]

“Wow, someone has quite the fire about them,” she said with a small laugh. “I didn’t think they could either, but it happened.” Quinn rubbed her temples for a moment. “I got pulled from Connecticut, but I grew up in Ohio. I was taken from the other side of the country, and believe me, this was not a place I ever planned on moving to.”

[nataliie]

"That happens when you're stuck in the woods for —" How long had it been, how long was her stint out there? There were so many questions left unanswered, and Natalie feared she'd never know or reach a conclusion while being stuck in Washington, DC. "What do you mean pulled? Is that what happens here, you just... get pulled. Is there any reason to it or is it completely random?"

[coreofgold]

“Close to a year, I think.” Xingchen thinks so at least. He was here for the Halloween event, Christmas and then Valentine’s Day so it’s been a while.

[nataliie]

"You've been here a year?" Natalie said, a shocked expression upon her features. "Why have you stayed here so long? Don't you have your own home?" Not that she had much of one herself.

[gcdsandmcnsters-deactivated2023]

“ nat ? ”  the question is a barely audible whisper when it slips from jackie’s lips. she had no idea how she’d wound up here in washington when the last thing she remembered was being stranded in the middle of nowhere after a plane crash, hope of rescue dwindling with every day that passed, but she definitely hadn’t been expecting to find any of her teammates here, though she was definitely relieved that she had. “ nat. ” she repeats, her tone louder this time. “ oh my god. hey. ”

[nataliie]

Natalie froze, as she sighted none other than Jackie Taylor. She had to be dreaming — or at least suffering from a nightmare. Was this some kind of product of guilt that her mind had manifested because of what they did in the woods? Her breath hitched, and her eyes narrowed. "Jackie?" She spoke, in disbelief. This had to be some cruel trick. "What the — no. What are you doing here?" Wherever here was.

[wvsteria]

tai’s head tilted in confusion. “get rescued from what, nat?” tai asked before they laughed. “from high school? do you mean like graduation? that was so long ago, dude.”

[nataliie]

Natalie arched a brow, her head also inclining in confusion. "What — What are you talking about?" She shook her head. "No, I'm talking about the fuckin' crash, Tai. You know, the one where we almost died."

[withinthem]

She got it. She understood, but it was true. They were safe. At least, they weren’t out there anymore and any place was better than that. Right? It had to be. They were young. They had their whole lives ahead of them and somehow.. Washington DC started to give them that chance. “Washington,” she started, a sigh exhaled as she shifted her weight to one side with arms crossed. “DC. The capital,” though she was quick to fall silent at the mention of their fellow teammates but she refused to linger at the thought of them. “I’ve only ran into Misty—of all fucking people.”

[nataliie]

Natalie had never really been very good at geography, and as she tried to calculate in her mind how far they were from home — another more pressing question arose. "Can't we just... leave? Go home?" Although, she wasn't really sure what home was any more, and if she could go back to life before the crash. Oh, how she wanted to though. "Misty? You're kidding." She snorted. "She seems to know the answers to everything, or at least that's what she makes out. Did you ask her what's going on?"

[softsliders19-deactivated202402]

“Nat?” She questioned. “I don’t know why we’re here. But… I don’t remember getting rescued. One moment I was in the wilderness and the next I was here. It’s Washington, by the way.” She answered.

[nataliie]

"Lottie." Natalie couldn't work out on whether she was pleased to see their wildness prophet or if she should be running for the hills — wherever they were. "Maybe we're trippin'... Misty might have poisoned the fuckin' soup again, or something stupid." The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "So, we're out? Out of the woods?" There was a twinge of relief in her voice.

[flyaboveitall-deactivated202404]

“Very serious,” Quinn said. The blonde nodded her head slightly. “I did. I’ve been here for about two weeks now,” she said. “What gave it away? I was you. Lost, completely confused, just trying to get some sort of grip on what was going on,” she told her. “But this is real. I don’t know why, I don’t know how.. but it keeps happening to people. We all just show up here out of nowhere.”

[nataliie]

Natalie shrugged her shoulders, before shaking her head in still some sort of disbelief that this was really happening. "What do you mean? People can't just show up in random places." She remarked. "This isn't the fuckin' Twilight Zone... where are you from?"

[coreofgold]

“Yes, exactly.” Xingchen feels for her. It seems everyone has woken up here and everyone has different reactions but still. “I, well…am not too sure that is possible.” She needs to know.

[nataliie]

It was refreshing in a way, to not be surrounded by thousands of trees and to see other people that didn't belong to the girl's soccer team. She had wished to be home, but did she really have a home any more. "How long have you been?" She asked.

[lcxstsouls]

“Oh.. I don’t think I’m a hallucination,” Ragnor shook his head. Would he know if he was? “This is Washington DC.. I’m not sure about a rescue but that’s where you are now.”

[nataliie]

Natalie sighed, her fingers rubbing at her eyes — attempting to wake her up from whatever dream she was having. "I don't understand..." She began. "So Washington... what the fuck's in Washington?"

[coreofgold]

Xingchen frowned a bit at that. Her story must be a sad one at this rate. “I…all I know is this place is called D.C. I am not sure what you mean by being rescued however”

[nataliie]

"D.C as in... Washington?" Natalie asked, with a raised brow. "No, no, that's impossible." Shaking her head, her mind was adamant that this was all some silly dream and that she was still in the woods. "Well, how long's it gonna' take me to get to New Jersey from here?"

[withinthem]

∘⡊ ☾ ˚⊹ open starter: for anyone. ( @hiddenstarters )

The vineyard was quiet and it was perfect. A shuffle of the dirt, it caused a sudden diversion to what Hilda had been working on and, on cue, she offered the stranger the kindest of smiles. "Hi," she began, fingers pulling away a loose strand of dark hair to tuck it behind an ear as the expression remained. "How can I help you?"

[nataliie]

Natalie had been coming to terms with her arrival in Washington D.C, but found she took solace in the quieter, more uninhabited spaces — which considering she'd spent so much time on her own in the woods, was a surprise in itself. "I just... uh, I wanted a place to sit awhile." She responded flatly, shrugging her shoulders. "It's too manic everywhere else. Too many people."

[musessongs]

“Natalie! Oh thank god, I thought I was all alone here,” Misty embraces her friend, then laughs awkwardly, pulling away after a moment. “I don’t know what happened. If we got rescued, then why are we here? Shouldn’t we be back home?” She asks, “We’re in Washington D.C..”

[nataliie]

"Misty..." Natalie hesitated before her arms went around her friend for a brief moment. "Did we get rescued?" She asked, furrowing her brows. "I don't remember anything at all. I don't remember leaving the woods — you didn't put some stupid hallucinogenic in our soup again, did you?"

[cquity]

“how’s it going?” the brunette asked as the other approached, a bright smile on her lips. “Are you here for the morning jog?” she questioned, a brow arching. “i mean i think it’s kind of weird that people run in organised groups of this size - but hey it is what it is right?” 

@hiddenstarters​

[nataliie]

"Fantastic." Natalie replied with no subtlety in her sarcasm. Her head cocked and her eyes narrowed at the suggestion of a morning jog. "I couldn't think of anything worse, let alone in a group." She said, with unintentional disdain. "I'm trying to find somewhere to get something to eat. If you want to ditch your little running party, or whatever."

[flyaboveitall-deactivated202404]

“What are you talking about?” Quinn asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Rescued from what?” This girl looked like she was crazy, but Quinn decided to answer her final question regardless. “Apparently it’s Washington DC. I take it you’re just showing up?”

[nataliie]

Natalie arched a brow in confusion. If they'd been rescued, surely the world would have known about it. "Are you serious?" She said in disbelief. "From hell." Some would define her as dramatic, but they hadn't been through what she had. "Apparently? Did you wake up here too?" With a light huff, she shrugged. "What gave it away?"

[withinthem]

It was weird, definitely. But, when Shauna looked at Natalie, she couldn’t help but to feel an instant worry plunge into her thoughts. “Hey, Nat? Nat. It’s okay,” there was some hope that she offered some kind of reassurance. “I can explain everything.. if you just— Look at me,” had signaled a brief pause so an exhale could quickly let out. “You’re safe. We’re safe.”

[nataliie]

Safe. That was a word she didn’t correlate with her life anymore. “I don’t understand,” she blinked with a hesitation to her voice. “Where the fuck are we, Shauna?” Although she wouldn’t vocalize it, she was glad she wasn’t entirely alone. She never thought in all her years that Shauna Shipman would be a comforting sight. "Are the rest here? Lottie? Travis? Jack—" Her voice broke, as she was reminded of their captain's fate. But if they had suddenly returned to the real world, whatever world this was, maybe it wouldn't have been so far fetched to believe that the dead could return.

[nataliie]

@hiddenstarters​

“I’ve gotta’ be hallucinating you...” Natalie’s eyes flitted between them and their surroundings, the lull sense of dread that she had finally lost it. “Is this some fucked up dream? Did we get rescued?” The last four words sounded too much of a fantasy to be anywhere near reality. “What is this place?”

[nataliie]

papcrrings​:

Open Starter : Angelica & Anyone ( @hiddenstarters )

“Oh honey, I trained to argue for a living,” Angelica replied with a smile, “Is this really the hill you want to die on with me? Or shall we just stop here?”

Subtlety wasn’t her strong suit and Natalie gave a noticeable eye roll. “I’ve died on smaller hills,” she said, in a beat. “I’m telling you. This place is a simulation... or a dream. It’s gotta’ be.”