argumentative antithetical dream girl

vera crowe

[jericho-chapman]

Jericho's face immediately softened. A fellow vagabond was always a welcome reprieve from the usual Harbor Ridge fare, who had been here for generations on end. "No shit," he replied. "Where from? I'm originally from Portsmouth." He blinked, suddenly aware of the question. "Sorry. You don't have to answer. Not everyone's... as thrilled by outsiders as I am. Just nice to know there are some of us kicking around."

[vera-crowe]

"Fall River, 'round the outskirts," she lied easily. It was her usual alibi; the Providence area had always been decent for scavenging, so she'd made multiple trips to the area. Recognizable, but regional enough to hold plausibility she was from there. "Not that I've been home in a while, been up and down the coast the last couple'a years." She offered him a warm smile. "I'm glad it's not just me. I was starting to think it was just... what do they call themselves? 'Legacies?'"

[edenfishers]

open starter.

Spring was coming, eden could smell it. The morning air was warmer, and boy if that wasn't welcome. She had her morning chores regardless of the weather, but doing them in a young sun's warm glow was much better than stepping through snow. Now, at least, it was rain.

"Beautiful day for market, isn't it?" Saturdays had markets, and Eden was there snow or shine. But this saturday, it was warming up. sales would be better. more to bring home. "I missed the sun. Do you need some eggs?"

[vera-crowe]

"What's the asking price?" Vera asked, opening up her pouch of salvaged goods from a town over. She'd spent her free day scavenging for just this. Vera didn't need eggs (she worked on the goddamn farm), but she did want social currency, conversation. "I got some pencils-- the good kind. Some socks without holes. Ohh, I have some tinned peaches, too. Haven't found one of those in a while, it's the kind that's good forever, but it's not really my thing, so I'm willing to part with it on the cheap." For friendship. Also, she had three more stashed under her bed.

[gabbihart]

"In a way, I'm sure she is. She's always hungry." That was a part of how it worked. She was hungry for so much. Obedience, good behavior, fealty... The residents of ridge harbor were far from perfect, but they could give that better than most. "She doesn't have a notebook we could read. We use our sigils to speak with her." Gabbi pulled her left hand up, showing the scar carved into the back of it. "We get these. when we are of age. We get sigils on our backs when we are born, although those are drawn in dirt, not blood. This was just another sigil."

[vera-crowe]

Cool. Always hungry. That didn't sound ominous-- or deliciously intriguing. Her mouth fell open at the sigil scarred in a thin white ridge over her hand. "What's it mean?" she asked, reaching out with a curious, imploring hand, wanting to examine it closer. She couldn't help herself; this Veiled One sounded both terrifying and like a culty scam, but to be marked as belonging, as part of something... the thought made her stomach flip with longing. She could pretend to like whatever hungry goddess if she could sate her curiosity for these people, be let in.

[eveirvine]

"See, wasn't that easy?" Eve relaxed, allowing her arms to cross over her chest. Vera seemed to have a reputation that she couldn't pin down - something about staying with the Langelys didn't track for this strong of a personality - part of her wondered how the hell she even ended up here. To Eve, it felt like Vera fit in Ridge Harbor just as well as Eve herself did (which was to say poorly but making it work).

"Anyone at the tavern see you?" Eve followed up, not that she wasn't sure Ms. Langley wouldn't be a good witness, but a lot could happen from the tavern to the farm, "I'm not looking to pin this on you if you didn't do it, kid."

[vera-crowe]

Vera shrugged. "I mean-- plenty of people, but I just got here. It's not like I know full names or anything yet. Barkeep, maybe?" She supposed she'd just have to hope that he had a good memory for faces, because she wasn't sure she'd been particularly forthcoming with her identity either. "Look, I'm a lot of things, but I ain't a killer. Look at me." She gestured to herself-- five foot two, a hundred pounds soaking wet. She could take down a grown man if she had the element of surprise, but she sure didn't look it, and that had to count in her favor, right?

[jericho-chapman]

Jericho dusted his hands off against his jeans this time - for whatever reason there was some sort of slick that wasn't quite leaving him alone. He swore he hadn't used any grease himself for the door, and there wasn't any logical reason there should have been.... but whatever.

He turned to Vera, one brow quirked. He hadn't quite pegged her for the "husband's at work, mother is at play" type, but he ran into plenty of them in his line of work. He gave her a once over. She was cute enough, but ultimately - he was tired.

"Safe enough, I suppose," he replied, his voice gruff and no smile on his face. "Just keep the doors locked." He furrowed his brow. "You new in town? I don't know that I've seen you around."

[vera-crowe]

Vera nodded, counting herself fortunate that her brief time in the jail hadn't branded her a criminal among the regular townsfolk. Yet, at least. She didn't doubt that gossip traveled quickly in this town. "Came in from the East, I... got separated from my family. Needed a place to hunker down for a little bit, maybe make a little money. So," she gestured to the farmland around her, "I see why people stay here, this town is nice." Murders aside.

[gabbihart]

"You probably haven't seen her." Gabbi answered, because vera seemed to have a misunderstanding about who the veiled one was. "You've been here a bit, haven't you? Have you heard of our goddess? She goes by many names. The entity, the veiled one..." Gabbi had to stop there, because some names were not to be spoken with outsiders. "She lives in the forest, in the storm, in the river, and especially around us here at ridge harbor." There were many places people felt connected to her, Gabbi could give her some examples. "I'm sure you've heard her. or felt her. I like to think she looks out for all of us. but the devout especially, she loves sending us messages. This was just one of them."

[vera-crowe]

Vera turned this over thoughtfully, slotting this information into a few gaps, though far too many continued to glare black blankly at her. "So... okay, what sort of a message is a dead body with something carved into it? Is she hungry or something?" She didn't intend to be insensitive, but she did wince as it left her mouth. "I mean-- all I mean is that it's a really extreme way to send a message, does she not have a notebook?"

[ronniescruz]

Ronnie looked at the girl just down the bar from her. She didn't seem scared. But then, the young never were. There was an invincibility that came with youth, right up until it didn't. "Why?" Ronnie asked, after a moment. "Does this sort of thing happen often around here?" She wasn't about to show her own fear to this girl, but the whole thing unsettled her.

[vera-crowe]

"Wouldn't know. I'm new around here. You too?" she asked. Though she'd never admit to it, she felt a tightness release from her shoulders at the thought that she might not be the only newcomer and outsider. Not that she had any issue with being one, of course. The idea of companionship was simply... nice. "I'm Vera," she added. "Been here..." She trailed off, ticking off the days on her fingers. "Nine days. I think. A couple of them might have blurred together in jail."

[gabbihart]

Gabbi snickered at that, unbidden. "She really has, hasn't she? I suspect she'll have something to show for it, but that's not it." Gabbi knew it. She looked up at Vera, the way she came closer, the angles on her face. "Curiosity lives in your eyes, you know. It shines bright today."

She'd heard of vera. it was hard not to. Curiosity felt like an encompassing theme, having met her now. It wasn't a good idea to feed into it too much, she knew that. But if she didn't, they'd have eve and vera poking around, causing a stir, scaring the townspeople.

"The veiled one sent a sign. There was a reason. Soon enough, the twelve will share it. They always do, in time."

[vera-crowe]

Damn. This lady loved to speak in riddles. It was the sort of thing nobody back in her band of scavengers would have had any patience for; if Vera had tried to be so cryptic, she'd be told to speak straight and cut the bullshit.

Of course, the novelty of it only spurred Vera on further. "The Veiled One," she echoed, feeling like finally, finally, she was getting somewhere. "Who's that? Can I see them? Where do they live?"

[still-faulkner]

"Probably," Still answered flatly, glancing sidelong at the other girl. It was true, they probably should've been scared. Is this how people in town died? By accident? By foul play? By ritual? Is this what happened to Merit? It was a death with only answerless questions. Did that put them in danger too? Still pulled in her cup, wrapping it between her palms like she half-expected the glass to warm them. But no, the glass was chilled from the honey wine inside it. It was merely a thing to busy her hands for a moment as her mind fleetingly recited a mantra about the dangers of leaving them idle. Is that what had caused this— idle hands? "I dunno. Maybe don't hang out alone after dark," she suggested halfheartedly. "Think we'll ever know what happened?"

[vera-crowe]

Vera offered a half shrug in answer, noting the other's preoccupation. There was a distance behind her eyes, like she was remembering something. Vera needed to know exactly what.

"Too late," she snorted dryly, gesturing to the darkened windows behind them. "I like to think we'll find out what happened. Don't you? Secrets don't stay secrets very long in places like this. Sooner or later, someone will have seen something, maybe even save a life by speaking up or making a connection. Right?" She leaned in, arching an eyebrow-- the question was not rhetorical.

[jericho-chapman]

"That should just about do it," Jericho said, giving the door a little shake to make sure it hung on its hinges properly. He dropped his wrench into the small tool bag on the ground. He turned to face the other person, wiping his hands on the front of his shirt.

"This one's on the house," he said, interjecting before they could mention payment. "It was a quick enough fix, and I was already in the area with my tools. But if you've got anything else you need help with, I've got a bit more time before I have to be back at the tavern?"

[vera-crowe]

Vera, admittedly, had knocked farmhouse door off its hinges, just for an excuse to talk to Jericho. Bartenders knew things, she'd learned that in her travels, more than even mayors and keepers of the peace. She batted her eyelashes, beaming as sweetly as she could muster. "Oh, you're sure? That's too kind," she replied, voice pitching high. "It's just... you know, I wanted to make sure we were safe here. With everything going on, of course."

[gabbihart]

"Okay." Gabbi agreed, because a place of understanding was always a good place to start. "I'm sure you have. The world outside ridge harbor isn't a very kind place." She could only imagine growing up in that savage landscape, far from the Cailleach's reach. She was lucky to have been born here. "I think it would be natural. to fear not knowing what the meaning is. but there is one. All will be revealed. We just need patience. are you a patient person?"

[vera-crowe]

Vera wouldn't know patience from a hole in the ground, but she kept that particular piece of information quiet. Especially when bribed with such juicy a morsel as all will be revealed. Vera's eyes gleamed. "Oh?" she continued, as nonchalantly as she could manage while leaning in several more inches. "Revealed by who? I was under the impression Eve had already interrogated the whole town."

[eveirvine]

"You know that isn't really painting a good look for you on this one, right?" Eve asked cocking her head to the side. She had no cause to believe that Vera really had done anything but it was always better to rule out those she could before she could shift her focus toward the Twelve, who she believed were, well, really the people behind it all. "I'm not even, like, fucking arresting you or anything, I was just asking you where you were last night, not last week, just between sundown and dawn," she argued giving a raise of her brows.

[vera-crowe]

Vera's nostrils flared, and she considered the words carefully. As much distrust brimmed in her gut for the woman, it was true that it would be in her best interest to attempt to establish her alibi. Even if she didn't really believe anyone in town would have much interest in corroborating her story, if it came to needing a scapegoat. "I was at the tavern, then I went home-- to the farmhouse. Outside of town. They've got me sleepin' in one of the barn lofts. Got my own mattress and everything, you can check. Ms. Langley might've checked on me or seen me at some point when I got back, I don't know."

[gabbihart]

A day later, and Gabbi was making herself available. She often spent time in the tavern, both to enjoy company and to steer inebriated ideas back on track. People could come to some crazy conclusions when their blood turned to alcohol. It was important to hear them out and steer them away from the truly outlandish.

"Are you?" she turned the question back at the young woman, wanting to hear her thoughts first. It wasn't a challenge, a dare for bravery. it was an honest question.

[vera-crowe]

"Of course not," she said immediately, chin tilting upwards. This was a particular point of pride for her, something that had defined her most of her life, secured her meals and shelter. "Nothing scares me. I've seen it all. One little dead body ain't nothing."

[faithraines]

Faith did not lean in. Instead, she regarded the other woman in the same way she always looked at people when they spoke - head tilted slightly, gaze steady, carefully considering the question before weighing her own words as cautiously. Her fingers traced the rim of the glass that was placed in front of her, "People are always scared of the wrong things," she murmured at last, voice soft but certain, "If fear was the right response we'd know by now."

[vera-crowe]

Very mysterious. Intriguing. "From who?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. She couldn't resist the urge to dig in further, to question and pry. "Who's the once that's in charge of telling us if we should be scared or not? How would we know?"

[zelda-byrne]

"We probably should be," Zelda replied, with a tone that held just as little fear as Vera's. "And yet, I sense that you're happier than ever to be in Ridge Harbor." She knew most everyone's comings and goings throughout town, and she knew about Vera — that she had stolen from the Matriarch, a bold thing to do; that she was working off her debt. That she seemed to enjoy herself here.

[vera-crowe]

"Am I that obvious?" The corner of her mouth cocked upward into a smirk, unable to help but confirm the woman's suspicions. Yes, yes she was happy to be here. "I hope you don't take that as an admission of guilt. I just like... excitement. New people. That sort of thing."

[eveirvine]

"No, no hey, I'm not accusing you," Eve said, throwing her hands up to her sides in some vain act of defense. Evidence gathering was arduous with this society – with how these people were avoidant with giving her a direct answer, with how they simply refused to give something that wasn't hidden behind the veneer of their religion.

Eve shifted foot to foot and gave a sigh, allowing her arms to fully drop to the side, "Look, it's just about making sure I have all the facts, make sure we can rule people out, I'm not pointing fingers at you, I just want to know where you were last night, okay?"

[vera-crowe]

"I don't have to tell you anything! I know my rights!" Vera didn't know any such thing, but she certainly knew a lot about getting in trouble. She hadn't murdered the local (she wasn't that sociopathic), but Vera knew just how dangerous it was to be an outsider at a time like this. The outsiders were the easiest to target. Fortunately, most people liked to believe in the idea of rights, even if they were ill-defined and unofficial. It tended to give anyone in authority enough pause for Vera to work her way into a reasonable excuse. Especially if she had done something. Which she hadn't.

[vera-crowe]

"Think we should be scared?" Vera's voice held anything but fear, only excited interest at the recent turn of events in her new home. People died. That happened. But people dying in such interesting ways, a town reacting so strangely? She ate it up. Her eyes sparkled in the low light of the town's tavern, leaning in over the bartop to the companion who had just joined her.