Black Pearl

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end." ▲▲▲▲ #

[yurixout]

— ooc;

[jungsoup-deactivated20141003]

[yurixout]

▌tracker;

[yurixout]

「 OPEN PARAS 」. 「 PLOTS PAGE 」.「 AIM 」. 「 NOTES 」

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[tiffkyu]

[keyxout-deactivated20150319]

Key always woke up early. No matter where he was, or how hard he was sleeping. He always loved the morning. That soft almost silence, and the air that came with it. Only a few things had started their day, and that was the way he liked it. Even living in the endless fear he had, it was something about the morning that made him calm. He wished it could stay this way forever.

[yurixout]

    Yuri wasn't sure what had gotten into her that morning, but it didn't make her little attempt at rebellion feel any less rewarding. Leberating-- that was the word she'd been looking for and wanting to embrace. That was what motivated her to sneak out in the dawn lights of the April morning, when fog still clung to the rooftops of Seoul's long abandoned buildings. She wandered leisurely around Yongsan, hypnotized by the fluffy white tufts dissolving into soft hues of pink, orange and grey that swirled in brilliant harmony. Made her think of smoothies and ice-cream for some reason. Perhaps she should consider turning this into a habit; it was proving to be worthwhile, despite the obvious dangers and threats. Uh-oh, thought the female, suddenly reminded of the bleak reality.

    Streaks of gold bruised the sky, indicating the fair amount of time that had passed before the scenery began to very gradually change from familiar buildings to strange, open spaces. She paused, pivoting her head around to better absorb her surroundings as she came to the realization that she wasn't even in Yongsan anymore. Though it didn't matter to her in the beginning, the technician worried that her absence wouldn't go undetected. This would bring about gratuitous lectures, those concerned looks she absolutely loathed, and questions of the worst kind. In other words, horrible stress that would call for a 100 more secret excursions. With a disappointed huff, shoes screeched against cement as she swiveled her body to the direction she had came from. And that's when she saw him. Instantly plunging into panic mode, she dove to the closest thing to her - an elaborate fountain long left to fend itself against nature and its doings, and ducked low in its deep basin, almost knocking herself unconscious in the process. Is he dangerous? Did he follow her here? It felt as if she had just overdosed on adrenaline as questions wrecked havoc in her mind, the most important being whether or not the man had spotted her.

[yurixout]

▌tracker;

[yurixout]

「 OPEN PARAS 」. 「 PLOTS PAGE 」.「 AIM 」. 「 NOTES 」

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[yurixout]

▌tracker;

[yurixout]

「 OPEN PARAS 」. 「 PLOTS PAGE 」.「 AIM 」. 「 NOTES 」

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[yuri-aholic]

[yurixout]

❝— Make it Stop ; open

Note: This is a flashback para, having occurred before Yuri joined the Fox clan. This was also meant to create some IC drama, so don't hold back on the angst!

    It took ten seconds for Yuri to think her options through, and if she was to be honest with herself, ten seconds were hardly enough to scrape at the edges of reason. A collective gasp echoed between tired walls, every pair of eyes in the room gouged out and glued on the trembling female who was ruefully cradling her fist. "Don't you ever dare, you scumbag," she spat before sucking in a ragged breath. Blood dribbled down quivering features and soaked an already smudged shirt, reds and browns against an off-white canvas, as bodies swarmed around the conflicting pair to barricade them from each other. It was admittedly the rashest and stupidest thing she had done in a long while; she had effectively antagonized an entire group of people both herself and Jitae had been relying on for the past two weeks, or at best diminished whatever little regard they had previously held for her. But that didn't make the fact that she had a very good reason of doing so any less true, of that, she was utterly convinced.

    Dangerously brewing beneath that calmness she had advertised without fail - till that very instance, that is - was a war of unkind feelings. She could no longer veil or varnish Jitae's deteriorating mental health, and fear, if anything, was contagious. She could taste it in the way the other survivors pretended to tiptoe around the issue; supplies were alarmingly low, but there was never a shortage of wary glances and hushed gossip. It was only a matter of time before some insensitive idiot would put the ugly reality into even uglier words. Too far beyond her limits to find her way back, nothing would have appeased Yuri at that point but the sound of a body part getting smashed beyond recognition, and so the argument ended with her fist slamming into a beautifully constructed nose, the gratifying crack reverberating in her head.

    Bitter words, albeit quite labored, slapped against her eardrums with the ferocity of a predator lunging at their prey, as the supposed "victim" rose to their feet, attempting to butt heads once more with their assailant. Yuri was tempted to hit them again. Perhaps they were right and she really was in denial. Maybe he was a liability and threat, maybe it was her fatal flaw to care for him through thick and thin, but none of that mattered. She would not stand by and allow this person, or anyone, to tear down her fiancee bit by painful bit, even when the consequences far outweigh any realistic worth. "I don't like repeating myself," the female tersely declared, struggling not to choke on the tension in the air, "Jitae is just as scarred and depraved as you are...as every one of you. He is not a threat. Do not make this an issue".

[yurixout]

▌tracker;

「 OPEN PARAS 」. 「 PLOTS PAGE 」.「 AIM 」. 「 NOTES 」

—  awaiting:

❝Zan [reply]*

❝Key [reply]

❝Seogeun [starter]

—  owed:

❝Zara [starter]

❝Hyoyeon [reply]

—  plotting:

❝Hyuna [ask]*

❝Jungsu [ask]

[yulism]

[yurixout]

▌Plots;

— Libra;

❝Group para | Not wanting to choose between two good friends, Yuri inserts herself into their ongoing feud and tries to act as a mediator. The outcome is up to the parties involved.

— Ghost of Days Gone By;

❝An old friend from Yuri's drug dealing days finds their way back into her life, and she's not all too thrilled by it. Malicious intent isn't necessary.

— Let the Soju Do the Talking;

❝Yuri discusses the meaning of her life and the universe as she guzzles down a bottle of smuggled soju.

— Mind Reader;

❝This person seems to figure her out very easily, and she isn't too fond of them or the way they see right through her.

— Poisonous;

❝Yuri shares a poisonous friendship with this person, but she chooses to remain oblivious to their shortcomings.

— Walking with Strangers;

❝Unaffiliated with Fox clan | Tasked with repairing a few traps along the Fox territory borders, Yuri takes this rare opportunity to explore Yongsan. As she enjoys a magnificent view of the Han river, she realizes that she's not alone.

[yurixout]

❝— Fixer ; open

    Yuri's head shot up at the sound of shoes squeaking against the makeshift linoleum flooring, project in hand momentarily discarded as a familiar face came into view. A curtain of black framed her face when she nodded briefly, offering her full attention to the approaching individual, whose name she couldn't quite remember no matter how diligently she raked her brain. Odd. Then again, their previous interactions were only limited to a few occasional glances, and maybe even the edges of a pleasant conversation.

    "Can I help you with something?" her gaze quickly fell upon the object in the other's hands, a rather quaint device. The noirette curiously examined the dysfunctional piece of technology, brows knitted into a concentrated frown as she traced its contours with her fingers. Quite the intriguing challenge, and Yuri was never one to pass up on these kind of things. Brimming with excitement, she tried her mightiest to contain herself, not wanting to supply false hope. After all, she was restricted by a multitude of things. "I'll see what I can do, but I can't guarantee that it'll get repaired," she said honestly, pointing to a chaotic pile of wires, metal and plastic, "or if suitable parts are even available".

[yurixout]

❝— Pressure ; open

    She cursed under her breath, forehead resting against the dumpster's metal surface as she struggled to keep her tears from rolling down reddened cheeks. The wind had grown angry and frigid, and the world around her dulled into dreary shades to match her distress. “Why? Why now?”, she croaked despairingly, locked in a state of quiet panic. Many others would have bawled their eyes out and screamed their throats raw had they been crushed under the weight of a giant dumpster for what seemed like half a day. The idea rolled around in the tech's head every so often, who unsurprisingly didn't fancy the thought of being a zombie's next meal. Someone should have questioned her prolonged absence by now; if only her arms were long enough to reach the radio that had accidentally hurled itself out of her backpack, teasing her from just a few feet away. Arm drawn out and fingers pleading, her lithe form stretched towards the fallen device, disregarding the fact that she was about to tear at the seams. That was, until an acute stab of pain sliced through her upper body, shattering the silence. Lips chewed violently, her free hand was quick to provide mild relief as she tentatively massaged the stiffness in her neck. Yuri didn’t exactly know the extent of damage done to her shoulder, but the rattling spasms and numbness that claimed her limb left no doubt in her mind that it wasn’t less than what she suspected.

    She cursed again, channeling her renewed resolve into another push. “It’s not like I have anything better do, anyway," she bitterly hissed, placing the plumped tips of her fingers on crusting metal. Her hand was too numb - so much that she didn’t feel the edge she had gripped bite into her flesh until warmth rivered into the oblique wound. This time, she felt like banging her head against the wall she was pinned against, as streams of red snaked all over her hand. The wound was neither deep or severe, and the amount of blood wasn’t enough for zombies to get drawn to its scent - that was, unless they were frighteningly close. She was equally doomed, either way. Exhausted, her body slumped in resignation, forced to preserve an awkward and severely uncomfortable posture. With a scowl, she eyed her heavy captor, hellbent on somehow hurting and bruising it. And so she did. Frustration poured out in the form of kicks and strikes, loud clangs ringing loudly through the alley before realization slapped her right in the face. She was ringing a dinner bell, practically inviting more trouble. How stupid of her.

    As if on cue, a shadow emerged from the alley's mouth, vaguely silhouetted and molding into the dimness. Yuri froze, unsure of what to do as the figure inched closer with every stuttered breath she took, something bitter crawling up the back of her throat. She struggled to still her shuddering form and so chose to ignore it, pushing herself against the hard surface with the intention of going right through it. It all suddenly felt like a tightening noose around her neck; despite the many things she had seen and done, she had never been so thoroughly overwhelmed by a single emotion in her life. And she couldn't subdue it for the life of her.

[choijungguk]

[23x17]

▪ ▪ ▪ ＲＥＤ ＨＡＮＤＥＤ { Yuri & Zan }

    That’s it. She was going crazy. She had to be. Either that— or someone was stealing all the Percocet right from under her nose. Dark brown orbits scanned the shelf in which a whole assortment of medicine lay, from Tums to Oxycotin, and cough syrup to Opiate. She could it starting in her chest, a tight burning sensation she usually felt when anger seeped itself into her skin.

    “Dumb kids…” she muttered, busying herself by lifting the large white binder up from the desk, flipping the page open to the NEEDED: MEDICINE section, jotting down in sloppy Korean (since Chinese is still her first and most naturally spoken language), Need Percocet? Seekers keep a lookout in any abandoned pharmacies. As soon as her pencil stopped, she heard it: a scuttering of footsteps, the quick inhale of breath. Honestly, no one in the Fox Clan was dumb enough to steal right when the Commander and medic was right there in plain sight, right? Or did desperation cause people to do crazy things?                            — Stupid question, she knew. She could answer that herself with a wholehearted ‘yes’.

    Even though, Zan made no sudden movements. It could’ve been anyone, anything, or it could’ve been her weary ridden body playing tricks on her. A mouse, a dog, a zombie— any of those things. It could even have been someone from the other clans. A quick contraction of her lungs ceased oxygen intake for just a split second, and she began to pant, speedy gulps of air sending her into a terror. The small female wasn’t one to get frightened so easily, no, not in her own territory. But anyone would get scared if they knew something was there but didn’t know what it was? Right? A tremor went through her left hand as she gripped the nearest available weapon, a reflex hammer. 

    No, no, no. What are you thinking, Zan? Shit. Cold beads of sweat produced on her forehead and ran down the small of her back. She was scared. Utterly terrified. “Who’s out there?!” she hollered as she whirled around, pivoting on her right foot, keeping the weapon handy. Taken aback by what she saw though, she gasped and dropped said weapon. “Yuri…? What are you doing?”

[yurixout]

'Yuri-ssi...'

    The twirling tool ceased its drunken whirl, hanging between the niorette's nimble fingers as she recognized the name as her own. Resisting the urge to groan, she curved her lips into the sweetest smile she could afford, complete with a fake twinkle to her eyes. The same old script and the same damn lines, it was best she got it over with as painlessly as possible. Her recent tendency to drift off, unfortunately for her, didn't go unnoticed. She would simply sit there, perched atop her wobbly stool, eviscerated project long abandoned as her mind unlocked worlds upon worlds, an innocent habit had it not been so recurrent - and so depleting.

    "I haven't slept well last night, that's all," a weary hand waved dismissively in the air, smile still ever so cloyingly sweet to seal the deal. Having had enough of those sympathetic stares and ridiculous words of wisdom, Yuri pushed on till she was left alone again to the company of devices and gadgets, their low hums and whirs lulling her back to an interrupted trance. Everyone needed an outlet, and this was her way of escaping a messy reality. Undead hordes, warring clans, waiting for the end and the remnants of the man she loved - Yuri had impressively prevailed over 24 years of hardships, but it seemed like the cracks were finally starting to show. Her thoughts turned dark, did she survive this long just falter now? Now that life was at its worst? Now that Jitae needed her the most?

    And perhaps none of this would have mattered had Jitae been spared. He was all that was left of that fleeting bright moment, and just the thought of what has become of him was enough to bury her soul under six feet of sorrows. "What am I going to do?" she ran both hands through slick strands of black, leaning dejectedly against the rusted counter, her feelings unkind. She wasn't going to last much longer, it seemed, and her eyes flitted nervously to the crumpled bag on a distant bench. Before she could convince herself of otherwise, Yuri found herself rummaging through the bag's contents, heart ready to leap out of its cage. An empty comfort washed over her as soon as her fingers grazed over the familiar plastic surface, but the feeling abruptly whooshed out of her to be quickly replaced with a stab of dread, as wide eyes stared into the hollow container, failing to register the obvious. Hope dwindled with every futile shake and jiggle, and in a fit of frustration, Yuri chucked the bottle across the room, watching it crash into a chaotic heap of broken technology.

    That's how she found herself in the medical tent just moments later, sneaking around like a desperate thief. Well, she was a desperate thief; she had been one for the past four months. The irony of hiding one shame with another pulled a bitter laugh from between her chapped lips. She was quick, fingers gliding across the shelves and dark orbs darting from one section to the other. But she wasn't quick enough. Everything registered in her mind, her name being called and the questions that followed, but that didn't stop her from wishing the situation away. She wasn't ready to face the consequences. "Nothing," she stammered, mentally kicking herself for the weak response. "I was just looking for some...some Panadol for my headache," that overused smile was now plastered across her features, "I didn't want to bother you guys as I'm sure you have more important matters to deal with".

[yurixout]

sᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴅᴀʏs ᴏғ ᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛs: ᴅᴀʏ sᴇᴠᴇɴ

What are your character’s thoughts regarding humanity’s future? Have their opinions on the matter changed over the course of four years? If so, what caused these changes?

The more the days reveal to Yuri about her reality, which happens to include armies of undead abominations, the less she believes in humanity's chances of success. Though scientists had once triumphed over all deadly diseases, rendering them as fatal as a common cold, it was their creation that ironically ended life as known to man. Before it could've been put to proper use, the cure became a precursor to the apocalypse. It wasn't a matter of if to Yuri; she was certain that a few brilliant minds were spared from the onslaught for scientific battles to come, but what the results could entail. She wasn't a scientist, but something more powerful than the original cure-to-all-disease was bound to birth a worse evil should things go awry. She didn't know if she, or anyone for that matter, was willing to take that chance. Their only hope, if such a thing even existed anymore, would be to annihilate the zombies - every last one of them. Sadly, with mankind's sudden plummet to the bottom of the food chain, ambition was a luxury not many could afford.