#thread: escape

[zakary-prashad]

Location: Lyon’s @loganlancaster​

Zakary placed an order for an orange juice like usual, getting a shake of the head from the new bartender, and almost wished Miles was on call. At least then his lack of alcoholic beverages wouldn’t be received strangely. He had gotten so used to just being in the bar and talking to people. But now he felt strange, out of it, tired mostly. He accepted the orange juice quickly, and walked away from the counter to sit somewhere else. He picked a random seat and sat down without realising that it as someone else’s table. He turned to the person and gave an awkward smile. “Sorry, I can sit somewhere else, I just... guess I tried to escape from... the bartender? Okay, that probably sounded weird,” he said with a short laugh. 

[aimless--archer]

Escape

Continued from here for @green-baron

Forsyth has had a healthy amount of wine and enjoys the social gathering, but much like Python, he would rather spend some quiet time after socialization. He’s feeling a bit drowsy and a little handsy, and so Forsyth’s hand finds its way to Python’s back, sitting dangerously low. He isn’t drunk enough to not voice a misgiving, however. “Hnm? What if someone walks in on us?” It isn’t a very strong rebuttal, and it’s more for the sake of arguing than anything with how convincing Python’s lips on his neck are being. _________

Python smirks when Forsyth's fingers find his belt, and playfully nips the firm muscle on the side of his neck. "Then they'll get a hell of a show, won't they?" At the scandalized look on Forsyth's face, he rolls his eyes and says, "C'mon, Fors, I'm joking. I'm sure the doors lock."

Pulling away reluctantly, he nods toward one of the hallways branching out from the ballrooms and begins to weave through the crowd, not taking Forsyth's hand but still trusting him to follow. When he eventually emerges into the hall, he waits a moment for Forsyth to catch up and just breathes, relieved to be out of the stifling main room. The first door he examines is locked, and when Forsyth appears behind him, he shoots him a wicked grin.

"Guess we're not the only ones with a good idea."

He tries a few more doors with just as little success, branching off into a smaller hallway before he finally finds one that clicks open. He peeks in briefly- a bedroom, thankfully, and not a supply closet or something- before turning back to Forsyth with a gaze full of promise and mischief.

"Well? Get in here, stud."

[clockworkapothecary]

(( @mikahcastile liked for a starter))

The forest was eerily silent that night, save for the soft rustle of wind in the trees.  The air was frigid, and few creatures dared stir so deep in the woods. Nevertheless, the coyote that ran through the undergrowth could not shake the feeling that he was being watched, or that he had been followed.

Dead leaves slick with frost were slippery beneath his paws.  Every now and then he fumbled, and his movements were not quite as quick or silent as he would have liked.  Here and there, a drop of blood marked the path he had taken, falling from deep scratches across his face and muzzle.  That wasn’t good, he knew - it would be a clear enough sign to any creatures of the forest that he had been here, despite the disorienting shadow magic trailing in his wake that would make his trail difficult to trace.  But he couldn’t risk stopping now.  His last encounter with his pursuers had been too close, and he had to make sure they didn’t catch up to him again.

Tree trunks flashed past, black in the moonlight, undergrowth snagging at his ragged coat.  He stumbled, exhaustion setting in.  He didn’t know how long he’d been running, but he did know it had been days since he’d eaten.  He was in poor shape, gaunt and rugged, the fur at his neck matted and bloodied where the skin had been rubbed raw by a metal collar not so long ago.  He needed rest, and soon.  His ears flickered towards the sound of a stream nearby and he turned towards it, only stopping when he had reached the bank.

He paused, listening attentively for any sign of danger before leaning down to drink  His legs gave out from under him and he collapsed on the bank, taking in long, heaving breaths.  He wanted so much to sleep, but knew that wasn’t an option.  The coyote could easily pick up the scent of the wolf who had claimed this territory - he wasn’t the only predator here, and he doubted the wolf would treat an interloper kindly.  He couldn’t stay here long.

Slipping back into his human form did little to ease the ache in his limbs, but it still came as a relief - staying in either form for too long left him tense and uncomfortable, and it had already been so long since he’d shifted.  The man leaned back against a nearby tree trunk with a relieved sigh, brushing away strands of long dark hair that had stuck to his sweat-drenched forehead.  He winced at the fresh twinge of pain the movement brought to the gouges across his face, and let himself close his eyes.  Just for a moment, he thought...

---

He hadn’t expected to fall asleep, and couldn’t be sure how long he’d been dozing.  The sound of something moving in the undergrowth jolted him awake and he froze, listening, not daring even to breathe.  Whatever was out there, it was close, and it was headed straight for him.

[raine-jones]

Escape || Clover & Raine

Location: outside of Ugly Mug Cafe Time: 27 nov @oxdendine

Raine had been on his way back to the house when the message from Clover came in. They had turned the car around right away, driving into the centre of the town. They stank, work had been... heavy today, too much people wanting their cars fixed before the winter. Still, they felt every part of their body vibrate towards being there for Clover. Not just because she was his girlfriend, but because they still feared, deep down, that they needed to prove to her that they were here for her.

There was an empty spot in front of the Cafe. As they parked, they took out their phone to send Clover the message. 

[ to -> Four ] I am outside. 

Then dropped their phone on the dashboard and scanned the large windows for a glimpse of her. 

[bluewindsofrestoration]

Escape

Continued from here

He chuckled. Seems she was still like that, after all, queen or not. “Sure. Help yourself,” he handed the apples to her in a rather deferring manner, signaling that it was completely up to her to distribute them as like. “And you too while you are it. Why, foods are aged now, too? I thought the consumers don’t have such limit?”

He frowned a little bit upon hearing what she proposed. Mounted fighters helping a wounded infantry? ….

He could not hold it any longer–his laughter escaped his throat just as freely, and gone was all this royal demeanor he had put on since the very beginning. Was she playing, or was she intentionally doing that, considering he was technically at her mercy, now that he was to ride with her entourage–with a horse she would allocate for him?

Out of everything he had encountered so far Eirika was never easy to predict. Ephraim’s actions were already beyond his understanding at times, but he could count on Eirika to be sincere, so…

He was so tempted to test the water. So, so tempted that he was, he decided to push further. Sure, Eirika was the queen now. Sure, he might have to ride behind her as her passanger, if she even allowed him her horse. But old habit died hard and gods be damned if he was never tempted to feel like he could be in control.

“Very well, Eirika! The truth is, I am a bit lost,” he clapped his hands altogether. “As for this demonstration you asked for–why, am I to be your captive, or this poor wounded infantry you would carry on horseback?”

It was a daring battle of wits, but at this point, he did not care.

He wondered if he ever, though.

She smiled. “You have a point. I suppose it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that I am the ideal of maturity because of everything I’ve been through, but holding myself above my men won’t earn their respect, will it?” She excused herself to hand out the apples, conversing briefly with each knight in turn.

Eirika walked back to Innes, taking a bite of the apple and savoring its crisp flavor. She was about to take another bite when he laughed. Odd. Perhaps she had juice on her face?

And yet he pulled the rug out from under her yet again. If he had been her rival, he’d have her utterly despairing at how he had just turned the tables on her. She had been in control without even realizing it, yet by admitting his failings he managed to leave her there, staring at him for a ridiculous amount of time.

 Eirika was not the type to blush, but this certainly merited it. While this confession and seizing control was more like the Innes of her childhood, there was something more graceful about it. Young Innes was not a blustering bully by any means, but he was prickly at best. The man before her, despite his reputation for lacking in social skills, had effectively commanded the scene. 

Well, gaping at him certainly wasn’t proper for a leader trying to set an example. “Innes, I honestly did not know that you were lost,” she said. “I hope it will not trouble your traveling companions if you do not return.”

“As for the horse, I thought that we would just demonstrate how to help the person onto the horse and how to position them, but the rest of the trip would be normal.” Her mouth felt dry. If Innes was flirting, he was winning that game, too.

[jordancolemanmav]

Escape || Grace & Jordan

"God DAMN, Jordan! It's not all about you!" Jordan blinked, fighting the watering in her eyes as she stared at her brother. She cocked her head to the side, surprised by the raised voice, the aggressive body language. Her father's hand fell on her shoulder, and Jordan shrugged it away, turning hard away from him and rushing down the hallway. The last thing she needed was for Ethan to see her tears and think that he had the power over her to make her cry whenever he wanted her to. What had she even said? She couldn't remember now, and it probably didn't matter, at any rate. He was angry. No, she was angry. They were both angry. But why?

Ethan had been so strange lately. All Jordan had done was ask her brother how she should go about asking a boy out. She had someone in mind she was interested in, and she wanted his advice for how to go about asking him if he'd want to see one another as more than friends. What cause was that to yell, to scream, to become so angry? Was she making it all about her? Surely she'd been pushing it with her feelings about Alexis, but she'd not even bothered to talk to Ethan about them. The person she most wanted to pour her heart out to was Blaise, but she'd not seen him since Alexis had sent her text.

And Jordan was angry too! Didn't she have a right to be angry? Her father had been asking questions about Amy and Alexis and even about Kane, but she'd been skirtin those questions, avoiding talking to him when all he wanted was information he could use to hold over her head. Maybe she was wrong, but Jordan knew that her father didn't like most of her friends. Kane was at the top of the list of people her father disliked, so why would he have been asking about her former boyfriend when he disliked him so intently?

Grabbing her coat, Jordan wrapped it around her body, zipped it up, and grabbed her muffler. "Mom, I'm going out until Ethan can get whatever's lodged up his ass pulled out!" she called into the kitchen, where she was sure her mother was probably doing some New Year's baking. Her mother's voice called out, but Jordan didn't respond to it. They'd been keeping her at home through the holidays, probably worried that she'd be doing exactly what she was going to do now.

No, maybe not. It wasn't drugs or booze Jordan wanted right now: It was a friend. Tearful and aggravated, she reached into her pocket and sent out a text to the first name that popped up -- the last person she'd texted. - Grace, need to hang out. Can we meet? -

[agent-charleston]

Escape || Charleston & Cheyenne

With the mission gone to shit, there was little Charleston could do but follow the orders he was given: retreat. Trailing Montgomery and Hartford now, the young agent provided covering fire to the two, not hitting half the things they did but providing openings for them nonetheless. By some miracle or another, the three of them made it to the docking pad, where the two teammates broke off to engage a group of armored pirates approaching.

Charlie froze, as they hadn't told him anything. Should he follow, or should he attempt to escape? He stood still, gun held half ready before he saw a figure in familiar colors - Agent Cheyenne had made her way through the crowd too. He shot one last hesitant look at Montgomery and Hartford before dashing to the female agent instead.

"Wh-what do we d-do now? Everyone's l-l-leaving!"

[onlyatimebomb]

Escape (For Tony)

Bruce, from the start, had felt like he should do some helping around the tower with things that weren't lab related in order to earn his keep. That, and maybe keep some of the stress off Pepper's shoulders. So today, he found himself in one of the ballrooms that was normally empty, but occasionally used for employee meetings for the people who worked in the tower. The cleaning staff took care of the room itself, but there was a storage closet here that, according to Pepper, was a complete disaster and could use some organizing.

He needed to get his mind off things anyway. He found himself opening the storage closet, finding himself facing racks upon racks of musical instruments in their cases. He wondered when the last time anyone had used any of these was; maybe for employee entertainment? Who knew.

They did need organizing, though. Trombone cases sat propped against the woodwind shelves, and in turn there were clarinets shoved in beside the trumpets.He was about to get started when he caught sight of the stringed instruments- three violin cases were set on one shelf, under a fine layer of dust.

He was on no time schedule, so his curiosity got the better of him. He took one of the cases and slid out of the cramped space into the ballroom, setting the case down on one of the chairs that lined the wall. He opened the case and took in a sharp breath- this instrument was worth thousands of dollars, at the least. It was almost a shame it was sitting there unused.

He glanced over his shoulder; nobody was around, it was after business hours...why not? He hadn't played since high school, but it couldn't hurt to see what it felt like to play again.

Treating the violin like a piece of glass, he lifted it out and checked it over before setting it down and picking up the bow and rosin. He made quick, practiced work of getting the bow ready, then lifted the violin to his chin and started to play.

It certainly sounded like an expensive instrument; it didn't sound like one that had probably sat in a storage closet for years. The notes sang pure, the bow sliding smoothly across the strings. Consider how long it had been since he played, he didn't think he sounded too awful, and his fingers took to dancing across the strings like he'd never taken a break.

He closed his eyes and just played for now, happy to block out the world around him in favor of the music. He'd heard so many instruments, so many songs, so many different kinds of music, but the violin had always been his favorite.

((ooc: For reference, he is basically playing the violin part to this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrF814OnFQ4&feature=related ))