red & gold

the color of blood and other fine things.

[dominicpierce-deactivated201611]

“It’s wonderful to watch you work.” There was a caustic emphasis in his address, referring to Holly took a bite out of her donut.

Dominic was in a halfway mood that had him craving for a fight, but his interest—in Holly in particular—had nothing to stand on. He held a certain contempt for the youngest member of their ‘team’, and while her skills would be quite of use to him, he wasn’t convinced she had the maturity it took to play the game.

“I’ve never seen anything so advanced.”

[turnerholly-blog]

Sarcasm, so potent it was nearly tangible, dripped from his lips when he spoke, and hot irritation coursed through her even before she turned her head to meet his dark gaze, green eyes narrowed slightly — whether the sun or his presence was the cause had yet to be determined, though one was far more likely than the other.

Dominic was as condescending as he was sharp (and in more ways than one). 

Tempting though it was to rise to the bait and match his tone, she brushed her powdered fingers against the legs of her jeans and tucked the wrapper into her bag to be disposed of later, managing a saccharine smile. "Maybe I’ll teach you sometime. Knowing when to open and close your mouth is a skill well-learned.” 

[orionmassetti]

“Got a balanced breakfast there, huh?“ Gage almost tacked a kiddo at the end of the question (blame the cherub face), but the file said this little lady right here had teeth and claws, sharp ones with a knack of hooking in tight and tearing, and he’d always been a survivalist by nature.

Better not to provoke the lioness when they were about to step into a metal cage for months.

“If you need some help with those doughnuts.” It was instinct at this point, to carry himself slightly slouching, a lazy collection of unassuming limbs and intent to avoid appearing a threat. “I volunteer.”

[turnerholly-blog]

She nearly cursed under her breath when the man's voice reached her ears, having expected some sort of warning — footsteps drawing nearer, the rustling of a bag like her own, or even a simple labored exhale — before she was spoken to. It was both impressive and unsettling that the dark-haired man — a colleague, she reminded herself — gave her none of those things. Maybe, just maybe, if he was deadly as he was quiet, she could count on at least one member of their ragtag group to pull their own weight.

She'd learned not to get her hopes up.

And how fitting that the first thing he did was joke about sharing her food, ignorant as he was of her... prior employment (begging was hard work); instead of taking offense, however, her cheeks flushed pink with PRIDE at how far she'd come. Years ago, the idea of giving even one doughnut away would've been ridiculous, foolish, SOFT. Now, she could give them away by the dozen if she so pleased.

But she didn't. "You drive a hard bargain... Rollins, is it? I'll keep you in mind." Holly pulled another from the packaging, the obnoxious sound of plastic crumpling filling the silence.

[riyannaxashay-blog]

As she waited behind the girl with all the food, Meera looked around the store, brown eyes flashing in different directions, analyzing the room in ways few others did. As the girl added a pack of donuts and cookies to her stash, Meera couldn’t help but smile, especially seeing the ‘extreme enthusiasm’ the employee had responded with. After the girl had finally paid for everything, Meera stepped ahead placing the two rather expensive metallic water bottles she had picked up (one colored a deep blue, the other rose gold). Seeing as she had been given a credit card to buy whatever she wanted Meera didn’t plan on being stingy. 

As she stepped outside, Meera spotted the girl she had seen inside. The girl seemed to take in all the senses around her and Meera couldn’t help but ask, “So, are the donuts any good?”

[turnerholly-blog]

She'd seen her before at the initial briefing — the fairer weapons specialist, unlike the lowly janitor, was hard to miss — but hadn't put forth any effort to initiate a conversation, not because she felt as though she had nothing to talk about (she, too, had an affinity for the deadly), but because she damn well shouldn't have. What was a juvenile delinquent — such a harsh, clunky term — turned high school drop-out supposed to know about guns, about knives?

Jack shit. She wasn't an actress like the other woman signed on as a precaution against the impossible, but she'd come to lie as easily as she breathed.

Luckily, though, she wouldn't need to; the raven-haired woman had only inquired about her choice of snack, and even Holly knew how to give credit where credit was due. "Fantastic," she murmured once she'd finished chewing, one delicate finger darting up to brush powdered sugar from her pink lips. "Worth every penny," the brunette cheekily added, clearly pleased with their financial arrangement.

[turnerholly-blog]

WHISKEY — the good (read: expensive) stuff, the kind she'd stolen from her father's liquor cabinet freshman year and tried to down like water (not the first and certainly not the last of her shameful endeavors). She'd plucked one bottle, then two, from the shelf and prowled up to the counter, green eyes gleaming with contentment and anticipation. The clerk had asked for I.D. in true skeptical fashion (she'd always had a bit of a baby face), and the little brunette had smugly supplied it, lips turned up in an easy smirk. 

It didn't have the same thrill now that she was legal, but after years of sustaining herself on the scraps of others, Holly Turner had learned to take what she could get (and return the next night for more). Then, as if she'd just recalled a hunger momentarily forgotten — one that never truly left her — she'd added a pack of powdered doughnuts and sugar cookies to her loot and flashed the employee an achingly sweet smile, which he'd returned with all of the enthusiasm of a man making little more than minimum wage. She might've envied him once. 

But now, squinting in the sunlight that reflected off of the water, she did no such thing. Instead, she relished in the way the sun warmed her skin and tried to memorize the way the ground felt underfoot — solid, stable, like the life her parents had ripped from her thieving fingers. God only knew how long it'd be before she felt either of those sensations, though if she (and the others, she begrudgingly noted) had anything to do with it, it wouldn't be. Nearly smiling at the thought, she busted open the plastic packaging and popped a doughnut into her mouth.

[journeytoatlantisrpg-blog]

HOLLY TURNER - 21 - MERCENARY

“I never meant to be so cold.”

H I S T O R Y  I N  T H E  M A K I N G

Filthy streets, clothes covered in holes and dirt, an old house in the middle of Nowhere, Maine used for shelter. Ever since being thrown out at the age of fifteen for a silly misdemeanor, life’s been a living hell for Holly. Living day to day, she’s had to salvage food and clothes like she might never see them again–and technically, she doesn’t know if she will. At times when she should’ve been worrying about homework and boys, she was digging through dumpsters and lighting fires in trashcans to stay warm. When she should’ve been preparing for a future, she was trying to live through the present. When she should’ve gotten to be a kid, she was utterly and completely on her own.

As she grew older–and after the millionth time on the sidewalk, begging shamefully for a dollar or two–she came to realize existing just wouldn’t do it for her anymore. She had to get work, and she had to get it fast. Unfortunately, the world wouldn’t let her. After being passed over for the tenth job she applied for, and without enough skills to try for more, she was left to continue wandering the streets, withstanding more disdainful glares from judgemental passerby and growing more bitter by the minute for it. By her eighteenth birthday, she felt much older than she was, a ghost of the girl she used to be when she had a home and warm food on the table. So when a man came to her, contract in hand and in need of someone who wouldn’t be missed should the job go wrong, she didn’t hesitate for a second before taking it. This was the break she needed, whether it went south or not, and if she got to take out some of her anger along the way, well…she wouldn’t complain.

It was almost too easy, pulling the trigger and finishing the job. Elated at the cash reward, she asked if he had more work, and he gladly offered her contact after contract, happy to have someone efficient and resourceful wanting work from him. Eventually, she branched out, realizing that there were always people looking for girls like her, hidden in the shadows with green in their pockets. The jobs would become deadlier, but the payout grew in size, too, allowing Holly to have a lifestyle she never had under her parents’ roof. Her work was addicting, and when the line was thrown out for one of the biggest jobs she’d ever had, she packed up her bags and answered the call.

T I M E  F O R  A N  A D V E N T U R E

The job requires a group of people, and though she’s mostly used to working on her own, the reward is big enough to split between the five of them. It would be enough for her to retire and find a different line of work, if she wanted to leave. She’s beyond that now, though, too attached to the thrill and the money to ever see herself doing something else. Getting her hands dirty is no longer a chore, and she’ll do it with a smile on her face. Destroying an entire city might be a new kind of dirty for her, but she’s no less excited to get it done.

The five of them were in the ranks of the crew just two months before departure, and Holly found it slightly amusing that her cover job was a janitor. It’s a good disguise, lowly enough to go by unnoticed, one where everyone will refuse to meet her gaze like when she was a dirty beggar on the street. But her and her team will be the one with the last laugh. If this city even manages to exist, they’ll make sure it remains a myth, a story best left for the books. With the sum of cash waiting at the finish line for her, she’ll find a way to make this underwater city burn.

C O N N E C T I O N S

ALEXANDER BANKS: They were both on the same job when they met, hired by different contractors. She’d mistakenly tried to seduce information out of him, thinking he was someone far more important than he was, when the target became visible and they both went after him. She was the first to the hit that evening, but they’ve spent a lot of jobs racing each other to see who could get the deed done first. It’s created a surprising friendship between them, and it’s the first time she’s felt close to anyone since being kicked out. Holly is hesitant to let her walls down, but she may have already done so without realizing it.

THE MERCENARIES: She’s the youngest out of them all and arguably the deadliest, since some might say her and Dominic have been competing for that title since they met. Though she’s closest to Alexander, and has found a friend in Kaia–despite their differing moral views–she’d smash the head of anyone who tried to hurt any of her teammates. Whether that’s because she’s come to care about them in their short amount of time together, or because it would hurt her chances of finishing the job, has yet to be seen.

KATE KNOX: As someone who had to dig for her food more times than not, it’s strange getting used to someone just giving it to her. Kate’s food is like none she’s ever had before, and the two often engage in conversation while Holly is busy scarfing down mashed potatoes and all the vegetables she can eat. She tries to remember it’s part of Kate’s job to be hospitable, but she has a feeling the girl would give the shirt off her back on any ordinary day. None of that matters though. Holly doesn’t have time for distractions and she won’t let Kate change that.

HOLLY TURNER is portrayed by DANIELLE CAMPBELL and is TAKEN.

              my pain doesn’t make me stronger            it makes me crueler ;

[petticoat]

… she slipped her anger into something silky and attractive, like she was putting on a lacy nightgown.

Martha Schabas, Various Positions  (via luhcrezias)

[dvoyd]

Lord help anyone who stands in my way; for I am not merciful, and I am not kind, and I am not afraid to make you wish that I was.

say your prayers now | m.a.w (via dvoyd)