[royaltyruined]

everett holloway. the huntsman. 38. criminal defense attorney. advisor to the syndicate. intro & musings.

wren zamora. cinderella. 23. veterinary assistant. intro & musings.

katherine "kit" thorn. eilonwy. 27. civil engineer. intro & musings.

[annevonderpoel]

⸻ Anne looked at Rett, as though drawn by an invisible force, every glance heavy with desire and restrained emotion, and a silly little smile crept on her delicate features. ❛ I don't care about these things. ❜ She admitted reaching up to grab the drink. She took a gin tonic for herself and turned to him. ❛ Why would I be worried?! I don't have anything. ❜ In her point of view, she has absolutely nothing valuable that people would want from her.

For starters, she does not know anyone… Maybe only Richard. She is not rich; if it wasn't for the kindness of Vikrant, she'd probably be at a cheap motel until she finds a place for herself. ❛ I'm off work today, but with this pretty smile of yours, I can do anything for free. ❜ There's a lilt in her words. She winks playfully, teasing him, as an arch on the corner of her left lip rises in a roguish smile.

[royaltyruined]

“I find that hard to believe. You have far more than you dare to acknowledge.” Anne was such a fucking anomaly. There was no filtering of thoughts and words, which was refreshing in his orbit. Most days, he was weeding through bullshit to get to the root of issues, yet here she was, letting every thought and feeling out for the world to hear. “I’ll admit, if it weren’t such on a grand scale, I’d probably be catching up on work right now.” Everett’s mother was positioning herself in hopes of having access to the case if it ever made it into the courtroom, yet with his aunt being rushed to the hospital, he came in her stead.

“You’re a fucking tease, you know that?” he said, gently squeezing her waist before reaching for his glass. “What shall we cheer to?”

[suchrarities]

" i would say it does put everything into greater perspective. " priorities and values shifting into a different alignment once faced with mortality. especially when the loss is someone so young, someone who was as stand up a citizen as they come. " an understandable feeling. until there is more clarity i'm sure it will linger. "

[royaltyruined]

"No one has come to you to make recompense for their sins, I gather?" he asks in jest. Emiliano was a level-headed man. Everett could see people coming to him to process their thoughts and truths. Who is to say the culprit hadn't crossed the man in these past few days to seek their own form of reconciliation? "I have a feeling this is just the beginning of something nefarious taking root."

[cursedthcrns]

"Appearences are everything, Everett," She said as she looked up at him with her hazel eyes. "Take a look around the room." She turned to stand beside him rather than face him. "People only show you what they want you to see. You see him, Aaron Smithwork? He is wearing a nice suit, an expensive watch, and even his socks are name-brand. You would never know that his company went under for fraud, and he is dirt broke." She looked back up at him. "The woman behind you, the crocodile tears, the box of tissues, all an act." This is what she did: she studied people, she learned everything she could about them, and then she ruined their lives. "Hmm, maybe. I didn't pack any, so that's my mistake."

[royaltyruined]

"I guess I'm too old to give a damn now. Don't know what that says about me, and might be too afraid to hear your take." Unlike most people, Everett never felt inclined to posture himself to cater to others. His parents raised him in a way that was never warranted. Consider it a privilege and a combination of luck with his surname and what seemed to be attached to the territory. As she listed off her observations, he did know about Aaron. A bad deal on his end from what he heard through the rumor mill. Chapter 11 supposedly. "I'm sure you could charm your way to getting what you desire. Don't feel like that would be too challenging a task for the likes of you, Ms. Voss."

[vikrant-rao]

The question, as does the attitude behind it, catch him entirely off guard - it is somehow both comical and aggravating at once. He lowers the bottle mid-sip, the dry drag of tannin lingering over his tongue as he stares at the blonde marvel of manners in front of him.

"What the absolute actual fuck, you're going to deliberately insert yourself into my private hiding space and say that to me?" He gives her a slow, incredulous look, although in the depths of which amusement flickers despite him. "Raised by wolves, were you?"

[royaltyruined]

"Oh, I'm sorry.... I thought the tent said Savor by Lisa. You definitely don't look like a Lisa," she comments, eyeing the man up and down. "Maybe a Larsa." Breaking open the water bottle lid with one smooth move, she brings it to her lips, helping herself to the fresh spring water interlaced with microplastics that would cling to her intestines for eternity, with a smirk. Wolves. Humorous. Not as far-fetched. Although she probably would have had a better skillset to manage realities if she were raised with all the truths tied to her name. "Something like that. Although I may be classified more as a lone wolf than anything else now," Kit states matter-of-factly. "You don't look so heartbroken for a bottle of wine…"

[richardthorn]

Upon realizing Katherine's in town for the first time in years, Richard felt it sufficient to find out where she was staying, whether it was up to at least a half-decent standard, and whether her arrival was owed to an issue outside of the state.

Surely he was not going to simply ask.

Very few people could have built a life so stable, and so entirely their own, let alone after what Katherine had endured. Somewhere, in the best part of himself, he was aware her pointed distance rested on a need for a self-contained and controlled existence. Infringing on it would be cruel, thus he did not. A less charitable part of him suspected he was but a container to blame and rebel against, and he would give her that too. The ugliest part of him had no finer word for being made the villain of it all than betrayal. He knew that part well.

"Katherine," he took in the sight of her, compartmentalizing beyond what should be humanly possible. It'd cost him later. He turns his chin, gesturing to the general area of Grimmsvale around them and her presence there. "Need money?"

[royaltyruined]

"Money?" she chuckled with underlying contempt. "Still an asshole who thinks he's got it all figured out, huh?" Her therapist warned her that her return could come with apprehension. Fair. She left them once; who was to say she wouldn't do it again? Kit had been challenged not to go on the defensive, but not answering to anyone for seven years, but herself, made this far more difficult than she anticipated.

"Our sister requested I return, so I obliged." There was no timeline on purpose. She took a contract and could stay for the duration, then leave if nothing changed, or had the option of extending if things played out in her favor. Life was short, as this memorial was amplifying to everyone in this godforsaken town. No one was free from the reality of death. Kit didn't want to be bitter or resent her brother if something happened to him. Honestly, she couldn't live with herself if it did, and they never had any form of reconciliation. This was her olive branch. Her presence here and now. "Look, I'm not trying to cause any disruption to your world, I'm just here to figure a few things out. I didn't think it warranted your permission."

[brokenxxwings]

location: kingdom bluff near the food stations | starter : open @fairytalefmstarters

being here and seeing all of this, it reminded the man of when he lost his own parents. he did not know her that much to be connected to her but it was still tragic. "I'm not confident in them figuring out who did it," Derrick admits with a slight frown. he could only continue drinking from his cup as he turned to the other. "sorry to sound a bit morbid just kind of sad i guess."

[royaltyruined]

"Not morbid. Your thoughts are valid." What has it been, over a week? She arrived just a few days after the death of this woman. Kit had no tie to them whatsoever, but the reality sank in that she willingly walked back into this treacherous place. Idiot. "Don't think our police force has ever been equipped for anything beyond a mere robbery...guess we shall see." It was unfortunate. From what Kit had heard, the woman was a saint. "No inclination on anyone who's been unusually odd or distant?"

[cursedthcrns]

Riley's head hadn't stopped spinning ever since she got the news about her dear friend. But Wren's words hit deep; Riley couldn't find the word for it herself, "Exactly that, damn." Performative. That was the perfect way to explain it. "It doesn't feel real, I'm still waiting for her to call me and tell me it was some mistake or something.. I'm just.. at such a loss."

[royaltyruined]

"It's odd. I've had losses before, but this one just hits differently." As sudden as this was to her own parents almost twelve years ago, this landed differently. Others were held accountable for the prior situation. Yet, here, it would continue to loom over their heads until someone was arrested. "I just don't understand who is so fucked in the head to do this. Like truly, what the fuck!"

[fromafars]

"As good as anyone can be at this point." Cassie replied with a small smile. "It's a lot for anyone to have to deal with, so how are you holding up?"

[royaltyruined]

"I've had my fair share of memorials and funerals. Nothing to this degree, though." The nature of death was colorful, to say the least. It was one thing when someone died from a natural disaster or a disease process. This manner, however? What did you do with it? "Did you know them well, Cass?"

[maxinemarceau]

"i am doing well," maxine enunciates with perfect composure, black heels balancing on uneven ground as she tries to light a cigarette in the wind, though the faintest strain in her voice betrays her. funerals are fucking horrendous. memorials have not come very far. she has not been to one since laurent. "people who have truly suffered are barely picking themselves up from the floor and tending to their puffy eyes right now, no? the rest of us are just playing around."

[royaltyruined]

"Would you like to go for a walk? A little breather away from the crowd may do you some good." He'd seen this demeanor time and time again. Most recently, as his father's own funeral and his mother's attempt to remain unshaken by the fact that the man she had known since she was fourteen had gone in a blink of a moment. "We cannot control the reasons why people do anything that they do. All we have control over in this life is our reaction, yeah?"

[hcndprints]

link let out a quiet breath, his gaze lingering on the memorial before he looked over at everett. “i’ve had better days,” he admitted with a small shrug. “it’s hard seeing this many people come together for a reason like this.” he offered a small, tired smile. “what about you? you holding up any better than i am?”

[royaltyruined]

"Tends to be the way... celebration and especially, untimely deaths." There was a social obligation to attend for many. Most people did not understand the complexities that came with death, let alone grief, but they tried to figure it out with each passing moment. "I compartmentalize well, so it's a shocker yet, but all we can do is to continue to move forward. Did you know Gabriela well?"

[annevonderpoel]

⸻ ❛ My family's farm, but like it's too boring. Take care of the flowers, and the cows, and having chicken pissing you off early in the morning when you're hungover. Everything on repeat mode.❜ Little did he know she was a farm girl. Rett… He was so charming… And she was fully entertained by his external beauty, there's a lot to dig to find his internal beauty if he allows. Not that he was bad with her in any way, but she knows it takes time to like someone. ❛ My grandpa used to say when you're at a funeral or memorial, the culprit always appears in these things to make sure their victim is dead. ❜ She says with a small shrug. ❛ I don't know about you, but I'm so bored that I'm turning into a dust of boredom, and the scorpions are crawling inside of me. ❜ She vented and took his hand. ❛ Let's get a drink. Or let's dance, handsome. ❜ And then, she walked aimlessly, seeking the bartender.

[royaltyruined]

"Farm life would be preferred to this impending madness." The stages of grief are sure to hit the town in the coming week, especially with the culprit still unidentified. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. It may fall out of order, but it was inevitable. "Oh, they're definitely here; if not, they've sent minions to do their dirty work," he sighs as he glances around, looking for anything unusual. Since most of the town was already here, it was impossible to determine such facts.

When she mentioned scorpions, he couldn't help but give this woman a look. Who was she? Before he even got to question it, he was being dragged away from his position. No one ever had the audacity to try such a thing with him, but here she was, operating on her own rules. He was intrigued. "Dancing at someone's death isn't really great decorum, Anne," he chuckles. "I can do a drink, though. You're not worried, huh?"

[royaltyruined]

WHO: Richard Thorn (@richardthorn) WHERE: Outskirts of the Memorial Event Grounds

Kit knew he was aware. Aware of her arrival and that her presence had resurfaced once more in town. She didn't need her sister or his bestie and pseudo-lap dog to give him notice. He had his ways. Ways to keep in reach without physically having to place a hand on her shoulder through various means. The means by which she picked up a year into her own act of vanishment from Grimmvale, as her father had done to them. Yet, unlike her father and mother, Katherine did not have the mastery of ghosting from the universe. She wouldn't choose that type of life for herself simply because of the blood oaths of others.

Yet, here she found herself in this precarious situation. It was only a matter of time before their paths crossed. Ironically enough, at a memorial of places. A memorial for the dead things that had created distance between the two of them. "Well, if it isn't dear Richard Thorn in the flesh. You've aged like shit, big brother."

[vikrant-rao]

open for: everyone (@fairytalefmstarters) where: Kingdom Bluffs, behind the catering setup

Funerals and memorials were not a pleasant endeavour. Vik regretted coming almost immediately. It made him miss family, made him livid nobody had invited him to his grandfather's funeral years ago, made him bitter at the thought of no one coming when he died, either.

He'd hidden away by the catering service tent with a mortadella focaccia and a nicked bottle of Château Musar, his black suit stark against the damp green grass, his back against the perfect white tablecloth as he took a drag of a joint.

At the sound of someone rounding the table, he shifted one knee aside, silently making room on the grass.

[royaltyruined]

"This is quite the place to position yourself," she comments as she notices the man swiftly helping himself to food, drink, and drugs. Kit had been in search of water, feeling herself grow a bit flushed with all the onlookers taking note of her arrival. Thankfully, her timeline and arrival had no concurrence with the death of this woman. She wouldn't put it past anyone to point fingers in her direction courtesy of her double-edged surname. "You always hide by the food to avoid conversation, or you can't sit with your emotions as a grown man?" she inquired after finding the source of her search.

[dvskbloom]

"I'm doing alright." He smiled apologetically. "Truth be told, I wasn't close with Gabby. I mostly came to pay my respects… and then someone mentioned there'd be food." He paused. "…Not my proudest reason, but here we are."

[royaltyruined]

"Understood. No judgment." It was all theatrics anyhow. The town's way to appease the unending level of questions they surely could not answer. So, what better way to pose and offer some level of reconciliation with the death of one of its citizens? "I heard a lady say the mini corn dogs are pretty good. Gotta try it with the dipping sauce."

[brokenxxwings]

"Alright i guess. I knew of her but no more than that I suppose." He answered casually. Derrick looked around at the people gathered. Wondering if all these people actually knew her or only attended to throw suspicion off of them. "It's gruesome to hear how she was found. How are you? Did you know her?"

[royaltyruined]

You've heard of these things on podcasts, movies, and the ever-popular horror fiction novels. No one was ready for such horror unless their path was lined with it already, like his own. "Just in passing. At the diner from time to time. Always gave me a to-go cup of their shite coffee on the way out," he chuckled softly in remembrance. "I wonder where we go from here."

[suchrarities]

" better days have certainly been had. " there was a sense of safety that was rattled when learning of news of gabby's passing. " how about you ? " he didn't know the woman well by any means, though he felt the loss.

[royaltyruined]

"The world doesn't stop for anybody." It's a truth that he had to experience just two years ago with his own father. His thoughts went out to any existing family of Gabby's and her immediate friends. "It was an utterly cruel act. I can't help but look at people a little differently."