CAUGHT

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Feb 9, 2021 3:19:56 GMT -6 Quentin Smith likes this

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Post by The Legion on Feb 9, 2021 3:19:56 GMT -6

Susie didn't wander off much, she knew a few things about each survivor. Things she picked up from trials, that Laurie was polite to a fault until you threatened her or got too close. (Susie learned this by getting stabbed). Ash was willing to take hits to protect others, even coming out of nowhere to do it. Kate could lead her around windows for forever, she thought. Élodie stayed in pallets... Susie learned the painful way not to pick someone up if they stood in one. It was a good way to get wood to the face. It was as easy as frenzying over it, breaking the pallet as she vaulted but it still hurt. She still cried after most times. Not because it hurt really, really bad, just from the shock of being stunned. And how if pallets didn't get broken, Yui just... Put them back up. It was always insulting to see her doing it, knowing that she'd be too slow to stop the biker.

All little things that didn't matter at the end of the day, and that's what was most frustrating. She didn't know them at all. She didn't think she deserved to, but every time she left the Ski Resort, she'd always get closer to the patch of darkness that sounded like crackles.

A campfire, she could recognize that. They had to start many of them in the lodge. The orange glow in the endless night was comforting, and more than anything, she yearned to get closer to it.

Sometimes she got too close, and the Entity's whispers overtook her thoughts. Overwhelming, almost painful even. Still, she could get close enough to listen to conversations most days.

It was just as good as being there, she had to believe that.

It was one of those times where she got too close, it felt claustrophobic. The strap over the back of her head felt too tight, she fell to her knees, swiping the mask off her head, leaving pink hair jostled and out of place. Words that didn't make sense filled her mind, whispers of the Entity. Survivors were near, and she was encroaching on their safe place, away from trials. She knew the Entity cared for her survivors, perhaps arguably more than the other side. Survivors should be seen as disposable, but really they are her most precious creations, Susie thought. It's what made the most sense.

Her thoughts of the Entity's favourites stopped as a headache came on, it was odd. She knew it hurt, but because of being in the dark, so close to the campfire... She couldn't feel it. She stayed sat where she was, it was unlikely any survivors heard the noise she had made. Rustling of grass, the presumably heavy thud of her falling, her mask being thrown to the ground... Then again, maybe someone could have heard...

She quickly made the attempt to scramble to her feet, fearful that she'd be found and it'd be assumed that she was preying on them to make some kind of attack. What would she gain from attacking them in the comfort of the campfire?

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Feb 9, 2021 20:20:24 GMT -6

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Post by Quentin Smith on Feb 9, 2021 20:20:24 GMT -6

The other survivors were great, really. Quentin would be lying if he said he hadn’t grown to love them over the who-knows-how-long time he’d spent with them--they were all each other had, and they had become a messy, tight-knit sort of family. It was hard not to, of course. Fighting and dying for the same people over and over and watching them do the same for you was a guaranteed way to forge a bond. Even if he hadn’t divulged all his past to the others, he still felt as if he could trust them with the information should he ever need to or feel like telling them. Having people to keep fighting for was one of the few things that fueled his resolve in this hopeless realm.

That being said, sometimes they could be a bit much. This wasn’t entirely their fault--Quentin’s own exhaustion and less than ideal interactions with Kruger were more than enough to put him in a shitty mood--there were certainly times when the campfire could get a bit rowdy, or the group as a whole could be more or less difficult to be around. Besides, being around the same group of people for eternity left some privacy to be desired, even if it was just for a moment of respite. It wasn’t unusual for a survivor to step away from the others for some alone time, and it was typical to not pry so long as they seemed alright.

After a particularly frustrating trial, Quentin didn’t feel much up to talking with others. The damn cannibal was always a pain to go up against, and they had been taken to Badham to boot. Quentin was sacrificed late enough in the trial that he had already stood hopelessly by and watched as his friends were picked off. Whether he lived or died didn’t matter much to him—if the others made it, it was worth it. That’s why trials with outcomes like that were so demoralizing: Quentin had to face the fact that people died because of his own failures. Even if Jake did manage to find the elusive hatch after Quentin frantically waved him away as the Cannibal approached their shared hiding spot, Claudette and Kate still died, leaving him in a sour mood.

A simple greeting and a short apology to Claudette and Kate was about all he gave to the others before he headed off into the dark, dense forest that surrounded their cozy clearing. He needed a break, God damn it--a moment to himself, maybe some time to process all the recent happenings. Despite the seemingly infinite downtime (between trials, of course), it wasn’t often that Quentin had a chance to be on his own. Most of his time was spent sitting around the fire, sleeping and consequentially running from Freddy, and going on supply runs. This was much overdue.

The walk through the forest was part of the experience for him. It felt nice to wander around some place without the fear of some maniac killer spotting him and making chase, so he took his time on the walk to his destination. While the forest air was chilly, it was also refreshing. Quentin missed the jogs he’d go on with Jesse in the cool fall mornings to train for swim practice, no matter how much he used to dread getting up at five A.M. just to exercise. Even if he wasn’t jogging now--God knows he got enough of that in trials--it stirred up bittersweet memories.

As he trudged through the thick underbrush, Quentin allowed himself to take a deep breath. Even if it was only for a short time, he could finally relax, away from all the others and everything that hurt him. The forest was peaceful, really. The only noises were that of disturbed crows, the rustling of leaves, and-

What was that?

Something hit the ground near him. Something heavy, from the sound of it--not a pine cone or some odd item the crows got a hold of.

Hesitant, Quentin started walking in the direction of where he placed the noise. Pushing through the thick leaves, he eventually stumbled upon… a girl? Not one he recognized, that was for sure, but the bright pink hair was oddly familiar--her hair was about all he could see with her hunched over the way she was.

Shit, is this a new survivor?

Quentin got closer with that thought--anyone new here needed all the support they could get. It wasn’t until he got through the last small layer of leaves that he saw a broken mask held together by metal discarded on the forest ground beside the girl, who was trying to get back on her feet after whatever knocked her down.

Fuck.

The hair, the mask, the plaid skirt, and the oversized hoodie were all things he knew too damn well, and the person they belonged to was not supposed to be here. How the hell did killers even end up in their forest? Sure, the survivors could roam the other realms, but Quentin figured the killers were more or less restricted to those realms, not free to wander into the survivors’ safe haven whenever they pleased.

“The hell are you doing here?” Quentin bluntly stated, more or less forgetting he was speaking to someone whose sole purpose in this realm was to torment and brutally murder him in the shock and annoyance of her being here in the first place and interrupting his moment of peace.

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Feb 11, 2021 0:20:28 GMT -6

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Post by The Legion on Feb 11, 2021 0:20:28 GMT -6

Susie's breath caught in her throat, forcing herself to her feet at the sight of a boy. She scattered backwards, as if she was more scared of him than he would be of her. "I- I-" She stuttered out as tears welled up in her eyes, trying to make sense of the Entity's babbling and how she'd been found.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
"I'm not going to hurt you," The killer pleaded softly, holding her hands up. "I promise." Her words held no weight, and somewhere she knew that. She just wished they would be good enough. It wasn't as if the boy could do anything, but neither could she.
She didn't know how to answer his question, she knew that she was in the wrong no matter what, too, so she couldn't pretend.
She still continued to take steps back away from him, though they were as small as possible.
Enough to maybe stay long enough to ease his worry about her being here, maybe to make anfriend, but far enough away to appease the entity and stop her babbles of displeasure.
"It isn't easy to get over here," She assured, looking back towards the orange glow that some part of her longed for.
Susie realized she had left her mask closer to his feet than to where she was currently standing. It was too far now for her to try and grab it to slide it back on. He'd seen her face, no matter how dim it was. She felt exposed without her mask, so now she was avoiding eye contact as well as the question at hand.
What the hell was she doing here? She picked at the nail polish on her fingers, Julie would have to repaint them for her soon...
"I like hearing your conversations," Her mouth worked faster than her brain and she answered quietly, as if she was a child being scolded.
She was.
"Um, not just yours, I just mean... Everyones. I never tell, or repeat anything," Again, her hands went up into a defensive position, showing her hands in a display of faith. She felt like she needed to keep them in his sight.
And with every passing word that spilled out of her mouth she felt like she was going to cry more and more. Maybe Frank was right - survivors wouldn't be her friend, even if she had the option.
She had killed them too many times to be forgiven...

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Feb 11, 2021 18:55:14 GMT -6

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Post by Quentin Smith on Feb 11, 2021 18:55:14 GMT -6

Quentin wasn’t sure what to think. What, this girl just “liked hearing them talk”? The same girl who chased him down and killed him whenever she saw him? He did have to admit, she looked a lot more human than he ever thought she would. Looking closer, she even seemed to be around his age. She had a young, heavily freckled face, pink braces a little darker than her hair, and black eyeshadow all around her eyes. Her fingernail polish was chipped, and her ears were pierced--between her face and her outfit, he could have seen her in the school halls and not blinked an eye. In fact, she reminded him of a girl he used to partner with in English. It was strange.

She seemed so scared too--genuinely scared. There was such a disconnect between the girl who was shaking before him with traces of tears in her eyes and the killer he was used to, brutal in her pursuits as any other. How could they even be the same person? Seeing her like this was bringing too many uncomfortable questions he had been avoiding asking to the forefront of his mind. The killers were bad; they did bad things, and that was the reason they were here. He tried convincing himself of this as he listened to the girl speak, struggling the more she frantically elaborated.

After she finished her blurb, Quentin didn’t know how to respond. What was he meant to say? ‘It’s alright, I understand’? None of this made any sense. He had competing voices in his head, one trying to reason that she may not be as inherently evil as he always figured, while the other argued any good person would never do the things she had done.

What if she doesn’t have a choice?

The thought had crossed his mind more times than he would like to admit. The killers were exactly that: killers. Sick individuals lacking morals. These thoughts were usually dismissed—it was so much easier to look at things without nuance, as simply good and evil. Himself and the other survivors were good, and the killers were evil. Quentin’s dad had taught him that nothing was ever black and white and there was no such thing as “good” or “evil”, but this wasn’t the real world anymore. They were separated in two groups: murders and people just trying to survive. But… he would be lying if he hadn’t noticed inconsistencies—moments he could swear he felt the killer hesitate before putting him on a sacrificial hook after he resigned himself and ceased struggling, or times he was almost certain the killer turned a blind eye as he tried to muffle his sounds of pain in a desperate search for the hatch. Would someone with no sense of right or wrong show him that mercy? The thought that the Entity had some sort of hold on them wasn’t too unrealistic, not with everything else she had done.

Quentin brought himself back to the situation at hand. The girl was still standing in front of him, shaking like a leaf and looking like she wanted to be anywhere but where she was.

That makes two of us.

He wanted to trust her, he really did. She looked so genuine, had such emotion in her voice, that it was easy to forget who she was and where they were. Even still, Quentin knew full well that those with the worst intentions hid behind honeyed words, and he wasn’t about to let himself fall victim to some ploy. He didn’t want to be rude though, especially not if she was being genuine, so he chose his next words carefully.

“Okay,” he started, drawing it out. “I… I’m not entirely sure what to make of this. Why do you want to hear us talking? Don’t you have your own place to be? And isn’t your whole shtick that you hurt me?”

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Feb 16, 2021 5:37:52 GMT -6

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Post by The Legion on Feb 16, 2021 5:37:52 GMT -6

The only thing racing through the Legion member's mind was the word fuck on repeat. Frank and Julie would find out about this, and she'd be in trouble... All because she wanted to take a few steps closer than she normally did. There were so many things he could be thinking about right now.
Susie could only imagine the worst, the way that he could turn the tides on her, make her a real victim. She wasn't now, since she was in a position of power but if Frank found out she'd been over here... Well.

It didn't matter, no survivor would approach her brother -- let alone know they're related, right?

She furrowed her eyebrows when he acknowledged her again, both of them seemed to come out of thoughts. Out of horrible contemplations,
"It's shitty, I know. There's no real way that this looks good," Susie spoke, picking at her nail polish again. "You all just... Seem so serene at the campfire, I think it is, sometimes." She looked over to the crackling. "It isn't that nice in Ormond," Oversharing, maybe, but it was true. It sucked to be in Ormond most days. Julie and Frank at each other's throats, Joey out with his new friend, Rin.
"I... Guess it is." Shaking her head, she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palms. "If I had it my way, I'd get to come over here pain-free," The way she said it was so... Childish, as if it was just some silly fantasy and not incredibly morbid that she, a sixteen year old, didn't get to be around people her age, and didn't get to just not commit murder without being in a massive amount of pain. "But I don't have it my way, so. Yeah, that is my schtick I guess." She lowered her voice again, mumbling.

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Apr 3, 2021 10:26:44 GMT -6

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Post by Quentin Smith on Apr 3, 2021 10:26:44 GMT -6

The feeling that the killer was just so normal wouldn’t shake, making this whole interaction a lot more complicated than Quentin wanted it to be. All her little quirks, the inflection of her voice, her words… they were that of a teenager. It made no sense though--she had ruthlessly killed him more times than he could count, driving her jagged blade into his back without mercy. She picked at her fingernail polish the same way Kris used to when they studied for an upcoming test, a nervous tick that always left her needing to repaint. He wondered for a moment if she had more nail polish back in Ormond, if she had to redo her own nails from how much she picked at them. Those musings were better left for when the killer wasn’t standing right in front of him though, so he dropped it and focused back on the subject at hand.

“I-” Quentin began, but his thoughts were so jumbled he didn’t quite know what to say. Ormond being an assumedly bad place to stay surprised him, especially since the four members of the Legion seemed to be friends. The lodge was pretty well kitted out in terms of what locations were available in the Realm between the firepit and the mattresses, but he reminded himself that apparently, not everything was as it seemed. Asking her why probably couldn’t hurt, and it would quell his curiosity. “Why don’t y’like it in Ormond? I figured it’d be like- kinda like how it is here, y’know? I mean, you’re with your friends. Seems nice.”

Her next comment confused him. ‘Pain’? It made sense after he thought about it.--only moments early when he stumbled upon her, she seemed to have collapsed. Quentin hadn’t thought much of it at the time, primarily out of his own shock at a killer being so close to their safe haven in the first place. Why would she be in pain, though? Was it some mercy from the Entity, blocking any killers from entering their bit of the forest so they could have some reprieve from the constant persecution? It seemed almost too nice of her, but it wasn’t too surprising if true.

“Why the hell would you keep coming out here if it hurts? Our conversations or- or whatever you’re here for can’t be worth bein’ in pain,” he asked, now a bit more interested in hearing her out. He had never really thought about the Entity’s influence on the killers beyond letting them know what to do--the idea of her inflicting pain to prevent them from doing what she didn’t want them to wasn’t something that had ever crossed his mind. Really, killers doing anything the Entity didn’t want them to wasn’t something he had considered either.

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Apr 7, 2021 19:23:35 GMT -6

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Post by The Legion on Apr 7, 2021 19:23:35 GMT -6

Susie was uncomfortable, thinking about telling someone why she disliked Ormond. It never dawned on her that it wasn't blatantly obvious to other people — she felt like everyone in the city knew she was miserable. Everyone looked at her with such pity in their eyes (they didn't, they had never considered her but... She didn't think of it like that). It was idyllic, you get to spend the rest of purgatory with your beloved brother, and your two 'best friends', right? Even at the cost of endlessly murdering people who you'd never get to meet, and someone you had met?

Julie was horrible to Susie, she'd never really forgiven being made to stab the janitor. It was a memory that Susie would never be able to totally wipe from her mind, and Julie had to have known what she was doing.
And Frank, who thought he was protecting her... He didn't do anything for her, he made everything worse. Maybe he was the cause of her problems.

"Not really." Susie's quiet reply, "Nothing like how it seems over here," She glorified it, of course. There had to be fights at the campfire, people who got on each others nerves, people who thought that they knew best but... She couldn't fathom that. She had to choose her words carefully, because like how she didn't tell fellow killers about the survivors conversations — it went both ways right? She couldn't tell him about how much in-fighting happened in the Legion, how tense it got on the worst days.

All days felt like bad ones to Susie in Ormond now. She never got why Julie wanted to leave so bad, before they went missing.
She gets it now, more than ever. She wants out of Ormond.

Why didn't she like it in Ormond? That was the question he asked. "My friends are the problem," Simple enough. It wasn't untrue, either. Frank, and Julie were the problem. Joey less so, but the way he went along with Julie still made him an issue. "Not so nice when you can't be away from each other for weeks at a time," She tried to joke about the fact that friends didn't usually live together for the rest of their natural lives. Sure, they could get away from each other. Susie came here, Joey went to the Yamaoka Estate, Julie kept sneaking out (thinking that no one noticed her), but it was never a comfort. It never brought the relief of post-social interaction.

"I-" Susie started, looking back down at her mask. She'd picked all of her polish off, looking down almost sadly at her nails, running a finger over to check and make real sure that she got it all off. "I don't know... You all seem so, close an' I don't usually get hurt like... That." She waved towards where she'd fallen, crossing her arms under each other now, hugging herself. "Don't usually get caught either, so... Entity 1, Susie 0." Thoughtlessly, she gave her name away. There were rules on why she shouldn't do that, it ruins her 'anonymity'. If she had that in the first place, with the bright pink hair. She was shocked Frank never made her dye it.

Wait.
She gave her name away. Fuck. She'd just begun to calm down, be able to hold a conversation. Maybe he didn't hear, maybe he wouldn't notice?

"U-um, anyways, it's just... I don't know, there's nothing I say that'll make you believe me. I'm just here to like, kill you or whatever," She tried to push out something, something to take away from how she said her own name. Panic, of course, did seep through her frantic redirection of the topic, back to what he'd initially asked.

"Don't you ever get curious 'bout us?" Nice. Diverted, for sure.

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Apr 7, 2021 22:15:20 GMT -6

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Post by Quentin Smith on Apr 7, 2021 22:15:20 GMT -6

Susie. Her name was Susie.

Jesus fucking Christ.

This was getting a little ridiculous. She was just a girl, almost certainly his age if not younger, with braces and smudged makeup and chipped nails. Her name was Susie--shit, she had a name in the first place. It didn’t compute well with Quentin that she was no longer some nameless, faceless killer to be feared or at least loathed. She had friends--something he already knew, or at least assumed--and she fought with those friends, needed breaks from them, everything from a normal friendship.

Susie was human beneath her mask, and Quentin didn’t know how to handle that.

“It’s not the greatest over here either, y’know,” he replied after gathering his thoughts. It was best to continue on without bringing too much attention to how conflicted he was feeling--if she had mal intent, letting his guard down was the last thing he wanted to do. “We fight an’ shit sometimes. I mean, y’can’t expect twenty-odd people to just get on like that when spending all their free time together.”

Quentin paused a moment before tacking on, “It’s not too bad, though. We’re all pretty close with how much we have t’protect each other from all of you.”

It felt rude, but what was he meant to do? Pity her? Act like she didn’t hurt him and his friends beyond belief? Even with the war going on inside his mind whether to trust her or not, he wasn’t going to let himself seem weak or easily manipulated. Susie could have anything planned and not be letting on yet.

What she said about her friends resonated with him. It was familiar and relatable in ways he didn’t really want to admit. “I- I get that, though,” Quentin said, tone a bit softer than it had been with his previous accusatory statement. Memories of the week-long sleepovers he used to have with Jesse when either of their parents were out of town and long, sleepless nights spent with Nancy flooded his mind, making him feel an uncomfortable mix of nostalgia and melancholy. Regardless of how close he was with the both of them, arguments happened at a higher frequency than usual when they spent that much time together. Things were generally good and nothing lasted very long, but it only took a single misstep to start a fight. He pushed those memories aside and finished his thought, “It’s nice t’get away from the fire sometimes.”

Quentin glanced to where she gestured, remembering just how hurt she looked when he came across her. Killers feeling pain hadn’t been something that crossed his mind, at least besides when the survivors themselves inflicted it through pallets or shards of glass, but Susie had looked to be in agony. “That’s… I can’t say I’d do the same,” he crossed his arms loosely over his stomach, still edgy but ready to fight back if push came to shove. She could be lying, and he knew that. This could have been the first time she even came near their campfire to try and learn their weaknesses for her sadistic purposes and she just didn’t know what would happen. But, she could be telling the truth. "Sounds too risky t'just- just get some look at the other side."

God, this is confusing.

“Curious? I mean, not really,” Quentin replied, not willing to admit any of the thoughts that he had spent hours pondering since arriving in this realm regarding the humanity of the killers and certainly not everything he had been thinking since their conversation started. Instead, he elected again to harden up, go on the offensive to show her he wasn’t going to be falling for any tricks. It made him a bit uncomfortable to be so harsh, but it wasn’t like he could just treat her like any other person. Doing so could put him in danger. “I know what kinda people you all are--killers. That’s all I need t’know.”

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Apr 7, 2021 23:56:53 GMT -6

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Post by The Legion on Apr 7, 2021 23:56:53 GMT -6

"I guess. You still have more people to go to, even when you're sick of a group of five, though." Susie pointed out, a lot of the killers were...significantly older than her. "And teenagers." That was a big thing for her most days, now.

Why did she say things like that? Didn't Frank's words mean anything to her?
She wanted to be comfortable, even to this boy's hostility — she didn't blame him for it, either. If she was him, she'd be pissed too... That's why she stayed out of sight out of mind, usually. His next words processed, and she broke eye contact again, focusing on the bark on the tree. Maybe she would just... Disappear. Go into a trial, something. Something, something, something to get out of this situation. She should have stayed, listened to the silence of Ormond, the crunch of the snow, the crackle of the fire there. It wasn't the SAME.
"Sorry." She said softly, resigning herself to silence for the moment. What could she say? 'It's not my fault, I don't want to be here anymore than you. It's not my choice, I hate it here. I hate everyone here.' No, because he wouldn't believe her anyway. She couldn't tell him that, Frank would be so mad. So, so mad.

Susie hugged herself tighter when his tone was softer, at least there was some reprieve from the hostility. She nodded. "Yeah." A quiet agreement. "S'pecially with it just being the four of us, so it's just... So much worse." So much for her vow of silence. She's really bad at that.

"Well. Nothin' really worth over there," She said softly, "You've seen it all over here, an' no one's really talkative. Um, the- The bunny woman. She's nice. But she doesn't stay at the campfire." She didn't know the Huntress' name. Oops. "I'unno. If I was you I would have tried to steal a peak by now," Unrelated to this scenario, entirely. This was different, somehow. This was yearning, not sole curiousity.

Once again, Susie bristled and hugged herself tighter, swallowing hard. "Yea," She wouldn't disagree — how could she? She was a killer, and she'd brutally killed the boy in front of her more times than she would ever know, or count. She didn't even remember, how fucked up was that?

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Apr 10, 2021 13:12:29 GMT -6

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Post by Quentin Smith on Apr 10, 2021 13:12:29 GMT -6

If the killer’s goal was to make Quentin feel bad about her despite everything she had done to him, it was working. Susie managed to look even smaller than she had when she was hunched over on the ground, avoiding eye contact and speaking with barely enough volume to be heard. He was still apprehensive, ready for her to switch moods in a heartbeat and stab him in the throat, but some part of him was starting to believe that her demeanor was genuine. Was it so hard to believe that a killer could be a good person, or at the very least one who still had their humanity intact?

This was too confusing. Every thought of Susie being a normal person with a heart and conscience was rebutted with reminders of Freddy and how he seemed like a normal person at the start too. Trust didn’t come easily to Quentin anymore, not like it did when he believed there wasn’t a single thing that couldn’t be solved with a kind word or offer of support. Had he been faced with this girl back before he remembered where trusting someone really got him, chances were he would have done anything to hear her out and help her. Now, though…

He couldn’t risk it.

“Yeah,” Quentin replied, having let the silence between them settle a bit too long, “Yeah, it’s nice havin’ people around my age. Makes things feel a bit more normal.”

There was more he wanted to say, details he wanted to give that felt like too much to let her know. He wanted to talk about his friends from before they were all killed or taken from him, say how much he missed them even with the new friends he had made here, confide in her after so long of keeping all his thoughts to himself. He didn’t trust Susie, not any more than he trusted the other killers--if he was going to tell anyone about everything he lost, it wasn’t going to be her.

The ‘sorry’ was small enough that he glossed over it. An apology with any substance wasn’t something Quentin had anticipated, and he didn’t want one. It wasn’t like an apology could change the situation they were in or stop the inevitable killings in the future. Still, Susie saying sorry at all was a bit of a surprise. Quentin wasn’t sure if her clear discomfort was from being confronted by her actions or resigning herself to apologizing.

Quentin didn’t know how to respond to her confession about her friends. He figured their infighting was nothing more than the typical teenage friend group problems, but the way she spoke about their troubles felt much more severe than that. It was concerning, though he didn’t want it to be. A part of him wanted to be glad there was some sort of suffering she had to go through in return for the suffering she inflicted on his friends, but it felt insincere, as if it was what he wanted to feel but he just couldn’t.

“I’m, uh- I’m sorry you guys are havin’ problems,” he decided on, feeling a bit odd making an attempt to comfort a killer, “It’s good you’re gettin’ away from ‘em, even if it’s just for a bit.”

The topic change as Susie continued speaking was a relief, moving away from the personal and back to the more objective. “Bunny woman?” Quentin asked, wondering for a moment if Susie was talking about a real person or not before he realized who she may be speaking of. “The Huntress, y’mean?” It didn’t come as a surprise to hear that she was particularly nice as opposed to the other killers--she was one who seemed to grant him the occasional mercy be it through giving him a bit of a head start or just killing him quickly. Even then, it felt strange hearing that she was ‘nice’, even if the kindness was directed to another killer.

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Apr 10, 2021 16:49:43 GMT -6

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Post by The Legion on Apr 10, 2021 16:49:43 GMT -6

Susie nodded. That sounded so nice -- It wasnt that Frank, Julie and Joey were so much older than her (like, if they were in their kid 20s? That'd suck.) but it was that they were 19, and 18 respectively. It was hard to connect, and harder still to be listened to and included in a way that she wanted.

No amount of gifts, or stolen trinkets would make a change in that. Susie was almost disappointed that he didn't say more, she knew little bits and pieces. But the fact that there were teenagers at all for survivors. It made her jealous, in a weird way that built up in her chest every time she thought about it. Sure, there was younger people here but... They were all so much more mature than her, or so, so angry (justifiably). It made everything so much more difficult.

"I imagine," She forced herself to speak after a moment, this was the most "normal" interaction she'd had in years. Even outside the fog, probably. And still it was so surreal.

Susie nodded, shrugging. "Guess I should find somewhere else to go, now that I've been caught," She offered as a joke, tagging into his hostility -- It was deserved, so she wasn't going to downplay it but... Damn, if her feelings werent hurt by it.
"Thank you, though." That was polite right? That's the appropriate response when someone says "I'm sorry" to something they didn't cause, nor could they fix?

Susie squinted, so they had titles for the killers? Susie hummed, "I guess, yeah. Big, buff woman. House has animals strung around it." Yeah, Susie. He got the point.
"Does everyone have titles like that? I um, I know why we're- I'm the Legion. Julie's bullshit idea, and the trapper...named after, you know. But 'Huntress'?" Susie questioned, genuinely. There were other titles that could be obviously guessed. Clown, Nurse, Doctor, etc, but the ones she couldn't guess she just assumed that they got referred to with 'that one'. That's how she did it, anyway. She knew survivor names, evesdropping did that for you.

Killers... Not so much. She didn't care to evesdrop.

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Apr 13, 2021 16:39:45 GMT -6

Quote

Post by Quentin Smith on Apr 13, 2021 16:39:45 GMT -6

With how consistently genuine Susie was acting, Quentin was starting to believe she really didn’t have some elaborate ruse in place so she could catch him off guard to torture and/or kill him. While he didn’t want to admit it, he couldn’t deny that her personality living up to her appearance wasn't completely impossible. Besides, even if the Entity wasn’t forcing her to kill, she had three friends with a seemingly rocky relationship who could be pressuring her some way or another. Even if Jesse had never tried getting him to murder someone, Quentin couldn’t deny that he had done some dumb shit at his prompting and had convinced Jesse to do the same. Their friendship had been a healthy one, so he could imagine what a group of dangerous people could get someone to do.

The killer’s demeanor was so difficult to clock as anything other than discomfort, her feeling of being out of place made clear on her face as she shifted her gaze and kept herself small. It was how she should feel, Quentin reasoned, seeing as she had wandered far from her own group to look in on his own. There was a thought that came alongside that one that he couldn’t quite shake, though. Maybe she felt just as out of place with the other killers as she did here.

Fuck, she was getting to him.

Don’t let her win, dumbass.

“I won’t say anythin’,” Quentin said without much thought, barely able to save face before he crossed his arms over his chest and flippantly elaborated, “It’s not like you’re botherin’ anyone uh, listenin’ in or whatever it is y’do. Just, y’know, stay further back next time.”

Whatever it was that was changing, it had to stop. Quentin was getting too invested and he knew it, the typical unshakable wall he built up slowly crumbling with each word the girl before him spoke. Giving in like this wasn’t something he often did, especially not when the person he was giving in to had already proven they would hurt him. Susie was just too familiar, too much alike to the people he spent his time with back before everything went to shit, a reminder of when his life was normal and happy. How the hell was he supposed to fight against it?

The next question that came was much easier to focus on than his wavering will, especially with the mention of who he assumed was another member of the Legion by name. It felt odd having this much information about people with who his only interactions prior to now ended in bloodshed.

“Uh, yeah,” he responded, dropping his arms to his side, “I dunno how all of ‘em came to be, they just… they feel like the right names if that makes any sense. Like, the uh- the one with the bell who goes invisible? That’s the Wraith, ‘cause they're kinda like a ghost. It’s just what we call ‘em. Sometimes it’s somethin’ one of us’ll come up with and it just kinda catches on, but sometimes the title comes with ‘em, like with you guys in the Legion.”

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Apr 14, 2021 15:02:48 GMT -6

Quote

Post by The Legion on Apr 14, 2021 15:02:48 GMT -6

He wouldn't say anything? Why not?
Susie wanted to believe him, but she didn't. How could she? He had every right to tell, and sure, she never told anyone about the things that happened on this side of the fog but... It's different, for her. For her not to tell is just. Common decency! For him not to tell is insane, in her mind.
Insane, but really, really appreciated.
What could possibly be going through his mind? To let her get away with this?
If a survivor tried this, Frank would make them pay for it three times over for threatening his friends "safety".
She let her shoulders relax before she spoke, if he was going to be kind, even a little, maybe she should stop making herself look small, and 'unapproachable', like her dad would say when she was guilty of something.
"Don't worry, I will," She laughed nervously, definitely. She wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. "You'll never know I'm here," Her eyes flicked back down to her mask. Well, maybe someone would if he didn't move away from her mask. She had others, and they always came back for trials.
"Er, wait... Bad um, wording." She looked back up at him on the realization, no sign of being hostile or making ill-intentioned jokes in her face.

"The Wraith," Susie repeated, "Cool. That's fun." She hummed, "I didn't think a lot of the others uh, 'came with one'." She wouldn't have assumed anyway, "Doesn't really seem like any of the others came together?" She could totally be wrong.
Oh, there was the French ones- That didn't count to Susie, though. The baby was like... Lodged into her chest.

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Jun 4, 2021 12:38:21 GMT -6

Quote

Post by Quentin Smith on Jun 4, 2021 12:38:21 GMT -6

Quentin noted that Susie seemed a bit less… high strung. It felt nice to see for some reason, a want he didn’t know he had for her to feel comfortable around him being fulfilled. Maybe it was because Quentin wasn’t used to anyone being uncomfortable or unsettled around him, rather it being the other way around, or maybe that was just an excuse to ignore that he might actually care about the girl he was talking to the same as he did for the survivors.

“It’s okay,” he reassured her, smiling past the concerns he held, “I know whatcha meant.”

“Hm,” he hummed, wracking his mind to try and think of any killers that may have entered the realm at the same time as each other. Nothing came to mind, there being a healthy gap between the killers and when they arrived as opposed to the survivors who would occasionally come in pairs and, of course, the Legion. “I… I don’t think so, nah. Y’guys are the only ones that come t’mind, comin’ with a name and as a group an’ all. It was a diversion from the typical for sure.”

There was a pause as neither of them spoke, standing somewhat awkwardly across from each other. Quentin looked down at his shoes, making abstract shapes in the dirt as he twisted his foot to and from. It was hard trying to process everything that had happened in barely any time, and Quentin honestly didn’t feel much like doing it at that moment. Thinking too hard about all the misconceptions he apparently had and the things he learned about the girl before him wasn’t going to do any good, so he wracked his mind for something to say.

“Susie,” Quentin said, speaking practically without any thought, “Look, if y’ever wanna have a conversation for real and not just listen in, I wander the forest sometimes. You can find me.”

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Aug 23, 2021 4:56:21 GMT -6

Quote

Post by The Legion on Aug 23, 2021 4:56:21 GMT -6

Susie laughed. She felt herself allow herself to laugh in relief of Quentin's reassurance. It felt good to have some kind of acceptance, no matter how weak.
And especially from someone who viewed her as a threat, when that was the absolute last thing she ever, ever wanted. She wanted to be admired by her peers, and especially someone so close to her age. That wasn't something that she got much of anymore; back in Ormond she could interact with people her age and be socially rejected and be able to bounce back from something like that.
In the fog, it was much more detrimental. Especially when everyone her age wasn't a cold blooded killer, and they were actively afraid of her for actions that she barely even wanted to commit. She hadn't known what she signed up for five years ago when she moved out of her foster mom's home, and into Clive Andrews'.

"Guess there's not many teen gangs in the Entity's sight," It was only partially a joke; she didn't like to call the legion a gang... They were just a group of friends.
Emphasis on were. Susie didn't really consider anyone but Joey a friend anymore. It was hard to after everything. The arson, Frank giving her a scar, the murder... Only so much could be brushed past.

The silence felt like it dragged on for forever for her, her eyes were focused down and away from Quentin. To her mask. She could hear Frank's words ringing through her ears to get out, get the fuck out and to focus on this kid every time she was in a trial so that he could never, ever use this moment of weakness against her.
She couldn't follow through with the Devil Frank on her shoulder, though. She wanted this more than anything, and if it took a moment of being vulnerable, of being weak...
Was that such a big price to pay, for friendship?

And anyways, she was ripped from her thoughts when the boy said her name. Her eyes widened, a small (but genuine) smile crossed her lips at the offer. It was offered so...Effortlessly.
This was the same boy who had been so aggressive to her, right? Not that she blamed him for being aggressive. She would be, too, if she saw like Ghostface, or someone hanging around her comfortable (and safe) survivor's campfire. That'd never be something she dealt with, though.
She'd always be stuck as a killer, being Frank's sister doomed her to that fate surely.
"You mean that?" She questioned hesitantly. It wasn't that she thought he would rat her out to the others, she believed him, but she just... Couldn't believe that he would extend such a kind offer to her.
Susie would be stupid to take him up on it, but she knew she would.
She knew herself better than anyone else, and when things got tough at the lodge she would skulk her way back to these woods and hope to run into Quentin.

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Aug 23, 2021 18:28:13 GMT -6

Quote

Post by Quentin Smith on Aug 23, 2021 18:28:13 GMT -6

The “gang” comment led Quentin down a few branches of thought. What was the Legion, anyway? He knew the general concept of them: four killers that entered the Realm more or less simultaneously, all connected in some way. Admittedly, they didn’t know much about the individuals of the group, just that trials with any of them were never fun. Well, more so than the average trial. Little thought had been put into the group over the time they had shared the Realm, Quentin seeing them as nothing more than some more people trying to kill him.
Perhaps they should have, though. If Susie was like this, he couldn’t help but wonder what the other members were like. She had mentioned a Julie, one of the other three members of the Legion. How did they meet? Why did they turn out like they did? What the hell could they have done as teenagers to earn them this fate?
“Hm, prolly. Unless y’count myself and some other survivors back at camp,” Quentin replied, meeting her somewhat-joke with one of his own. Now wasn’t the time to ask her those questions, no matter how much they wanted answers. Maybe further down the line, assuming she would ever want to talk about it.
Hearing Susie laugh for real, not that nervous chuckle from earlier, made Quentin feel a lot better than he had any reason to. They didn’t know why making her comfortable around them had become some unconscious goal, but the more she opened up to them, the more they wanted to know her. Probably because they were starved for interaction with someone his age again, but even still. It wasn’t like there weren’t other teens he was close to that weren’t at risk of killing him, so why did he decide that she was the one he wanted to know?
Maybe it was because of how much of an enigma she was--a teen girl that wouldn’t look out of place in a high-school English class whose prerogative every time she saw Quentin up until now was to kill. Never in a million years would they have expected her to be as shy as she was, so detached from anything he thought of the killers that he was slowly realizing weren’t as inhuman as he had judged. They had to admit--things were a lot easier when he could judge the other side as a whole rather than actual people.
Quentin couldn’t say when he flipped from wanting to keep Susie as far away from them as possible to wanting to understand her and her story, but the change had taken place. For better or for worse.
After she spoke once more, they paused for a second. What was he doing, just trusting her outright? Inviting her to talk to them in the future? This could end so badly in so many ways. She was still a killer, still more than capable of hurting them.
No, Quentin cut off that train of thought, She isn’t a threat.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding with a smile of his own. “Y’seem cool, Susie. Not gonna pass up the chance to get t’know a new person.”

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Aug 23, 2021 19:10:44 GMT -6

Quote

Post by The Legion on Aug 23, 2021 19:10:44 GMT -6

Susie laughed again at their joke. Half joke. "I don't think I'd count you guys," They all seemed so normal, maybe a little skittish and paranoid (for obvious reasons)... But she didn't believe that any of them could comfortably do the things that her friends had. That was the hard part of being around other teens, now, is that she couldn't tell what was normal, and what wasn't.
All of the Legion stuff had become so painfully normal to her that it meant nothing to think about assisting burning a building down, to think about the breaking and entering, and living in an abandoned ski lodge to get away from her abusive dad.

Susie dug her shoe into the dirt at her feet, there was already a small hole there, her feet felt like they'd go numb if she kept standing here in front of them so stiff, so motionless. It was hard to stay still, to be as unthreatening as possible.
(In normal circumstances, she wouldn't be so worried about being a threat to them — she was five foot two, and had bright pink hair... These were not normal circumstances, though!)

Seeing him smile made Susie feel some kind of a way — it'd been so long since she had made friends. The last one was... Dean was his name? Frank had scared him off, convinced him some crazy bullshit about Susie having a crush on him and it scared him off. It still hurt her feelings, but she didn't know the full story surrounding that. Maybe it was for the best she didn't stay friends with him.
There was still some part of Susie, though, that wanted to call Quentin on his bullshit — that he was just saying that so she'd be nice (which, it would work), or just to flatter her. To keep her from coming back.

Why would someone show kindness, offer to talk at any time, compliment someone, if they just wanted them to go away? That made no sense.
It was hard to rationalize the fact that maybe Quentin did want to be her friend.

"You also seem pretty cool." Susie kicked dirt again, fussing with a bandage on the back of her hand. Not that she needed it, but they still had some in the ski lodge and so she littered herself with them in places that she had gotten hurt. Sometimes she would get splinters from going into Dead Dawg and touching the tables. That was mostly what she used the band-aids for now. "Thank you for being nice." She offered softly; wishing more and more that she had her mask. She didn't like to be without it, and especially not while being vulnerable.
She used it as a way to hide the scar that Frank had given her sometimes. Now wasn't one of those times, but it was something that was lurking in the back of her mind. Now it was for hiding the obvious emotion on her face, the nervousness, the excitement.
Maybe it wasn't immediately visible, but Susie felt like an open book right now.

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Aug 23, 2021 19:41:20 GMT -6

Quote

Post by Quentin Smith on Aug 23, 2021 19:41:20 GMT -6

Having Susie laugh at a half-assed joke they made had Quentin feeling unreasonably content. At this point, his own relief brought upon by Susie’s shouldn’t have been a surprise, but they couldn’t help but be caught off guard every time they found themself wanting to figure out how to get her to laugh again and let her guard down.

Hopefully ‘m not comin’ across as bein’ on guard to her.

Quentin wasn’t sure why he wanted to seem comfortable in Susie’s presence, especially since they had every reason not to be. She had to understand; it wasn’t like she was unaware of the inherent dynamic that was held between survivors and killers, a simple fact of life in the Realm. Some rebellious part of him wanted to get rid of that and be on even footing with the girl in front of them. Was that even possible? He didn’t know, not for sure, but he wanted it to be.

“Hm, yeah,” he replied with a soft laugh, trying to imagine himself and the other teenagers back at the camp trying to navigate a trial in the killer’s shoes. The amusing mental image quickly fell away as they imagined having no choice but to hurt their friends, whatever smile that had been on their face dropping to a soft frown.

That wasn’t something that had crossed his mind as he mentally aired his doubts about talking with Susie. How would it be for her if Quentin actually got close enough for her to care about them? It wasn’t like she could give any survivor special treatment, and he doubted that the Entity would just keep him from ever being in a trial with her as the killer. Was it even fair to Susie to try to get to know her? Maybe killers and survivors stayed away for a reason.

Shit. What am I gonna do? Quentin wondered, picking at some of the loose threads that hung off the worn sleeves of his jacket. They wanted so strongly to keep talking, now and in the future, but couldn’t help but feel guilty at the idea of Susie having to hurt him if she ever did begin to consider him a friend.

Fuck. When the hell did they start thinking of them being friends as a possibility? Jesus, he was getting ahead of himself. Chances were, their worries would amount to nothing since they doubted Susie would ever consider him more than an acquaintance.

No harm in trying, they figured. If they ever got too close, Quentin would cut it off to save them both some grief. At least, he told himself he would. Whether or not they would actually be able to do it if the time came was another question and something they would deal with later down the line.

Quentin let himself shake off that whole train of thought and smile, finding the way Susie fiddled with her bandaids and nudged dirt around with the tip of her sneakers to be somewhat endearing. “Yeah,” they replied, twisting one of the threads around their finger before watching it unspool. “‘Course. No reason not t’be nice to ya, not when you’re nice y’self.”

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Aug 23, 2021 22:45:28 GMT -6

Quote

Post by The Legion on Aug 23, 2021 22:45:28 GMT -6

Maybe, though, just maybe, it wasn't bad to be an open book.

It was something she hadn't gotten to be before, something new. Wasn't that such a rarity in the Realm?
Unlike Quentin, Susie's thoughts never once wandered towards the fact that after this meeting she would have to hurt him again. She'd have to brutally murder him, and hang him on a meat hook like a pig in a packing plant.

The thought would come to her though. And it would demolish her.

Fort he time, though, Susie enjoyed their laughter. It was nice. All of this (minus the initial meeting, maybe) was just... Nice. Even in Quentin's hostility, just being around someone like her felt normal. She never expected people to be nice to her, so the hostility was fine.
Quentin's expression dropping didn't go unnoticed, he had been smiling and as soon as it was there it was gone. It couldn't have been something she did but...What if it was?
What had she done?

They spoke again, and she was pulled from that train of thought. She was nice herself. Yeah, right. She thought. Yet she didn't say it. She wanted to trust what he had to say, and she wanted this friendship more than anything.
Maybe it wouldn't be a friendship to him, maybe not even an acquaintance thing...
She just wanted this kind of interaction more often. Even if it meant she'd feel like she'd walk on eggshells sometimes; that was nothing new for her.

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Aug 23, 2021 23:13:27 GMT -6

Quote

Post by Quentin Smith on Aug 23, 2021 23:13:27 GMT -6

It was hard trying to rationalize all the new information that had come Quentin’s way in the past few minutes. For the time being, they didn’t really think it was that important to try and rationalize it. He’d cross that bridge when he came to it--maybe not the best method of dealing with difficult tasks, but it wasn’t like he was hurting for time. If there was anything they had a surplus of in their new life, it was time. Even if he didn’t quite know what was going to happen with his newfound… whatever Susie was to him (friend? Acquaintance? Co-worker?), there would be time to work it out.

That wasn’t to say he didn’t want to understand. Quentin had never worried themself too much with always knowing the answers, but he had to admit that he preferred knowing to not.

Doesn’t matter, he thought, feeling real hope for what had to have been the first time since they found themself in the Realm. Shit’ll work itself out.

As they contemplated the future and what it held, Quentin’s gaze had drifted downwards. His eyes danced along the random patterns that covered the ground near the both of them, doodling in the dirt seeming to be a mutual absentminded habit. As he followed them, they were drawn to the mask that had been settled in front of Susie since he first came across her. She had kept it in her sight for most of the time they had been talking, always looking a bit nervous. They couldn’t say why, but if they had to guess, the item provided some form of comfort for her. It made sense really--masks kept emotions inside instead of putting them on display at all times.

What he didn’t quite understand was why she hadn’t tried to pick it up yet. Was she too nervous? Maybe she didn’t trust him enough to lean down and fully lose line-of-sight. Either way, it had seemed as good a time as any to grab it for her.

“Hey, ‘m gonna grab this, yeah?” Quentin announced as they stepped forward, getting closer to the girl than he had been up until then. It felt strange being this close to her and not feeling fear, but they couldn’t say they didn’t like it. He leaned down, grabbing the mask gently off of the ground and handing it to her with a smile. “Dropped this. Figured y’d’want it back.”

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Sept 6, 2021 15:01:15 GMT -6

Quote

Post by Quentin Smith on Sept 6, 2021 15:01:15 GMT -6

PART II

It was cold. The light jacket draped over Quentin’s body did little to keep out the frigid air of the ski lodge, their hands shaking as they hugged themself in an attempt to warm up. Ohio had its cold fronts, but Ormond was just different. Winter’s chilly grasp held tight to his bones, piercing his skin and freezing his blood.

Hope she’s got a fire goin’. Or that I can even be by the fire.

This was the first trip to Ormond Quentin had ever willingly taken. Susie had taken their offer of returning to the forest and chatting a number of times following their initial interaction, but it had all been on neutral ground. Quentin never entered her realm, and Susie never entered their’s. When his newfound companion mentioned offhand that he could always find her on the upper floor of the ski lodge, Quentin had been apprehensive. The other survivors had no idea that they had become something close to friends with Susie, and they doubted that the rest of the Legion had any inkling that Susie had been sneaking to the forest to talk to them. If any of them found out about him, he had no clue what would happen to him or Susie.

The invitation stood, and Quentin eventually decided it was worth the risk. Susie was quickly becoming a real friend, even if their conversations hadn’t gone that much further than surface level. If someone did find out, they could easily act like they had snuck in to Ormond to steal some supplies or something like that. Nothing new or out of the ordinary, so he doubted anyone would bother to investigate, and even if some of the other Legion members tried to hurt him, at least Susie wouldn’t be in trouble with them.

As they approached the looming structure, Quentin shuffled through the snow to take shelter behind a tree and made a game plan. He had come up with some cursory routes that would give him the highest chance of making it in without anyone spotting him. Susie had given them a location to find her at and an idea of what time to come when the others were busy, so at least they had that to go off of. After some deliberation, they brushed away the snow that had gathered along their eyes and prepared to make their way through the lodge and to Susie. His beanie was secured on his head, pulled tightly down over his ears. Even with the limited wardrobe, Quentin had gathered whatever he could to keep the cold away. The tightly knit beanie was about the best thing they had, pulling its weight to fight against the winter air.

The gnarled tree that harbored them was parallel to a door they knew lead to the bar area, easy enough to hide behind in case someone was there. The staircase was a bit of a distance from it, but he could always wait it out if need be. With a deep breath, Quentin delicately crossed the short distance to the lodge, crouched low to the ground as he approached. Soon enough, they breached the threshold and took cover behind the bar, fairly certain the coast was clear. They hadn’t looked too closely, but there had been no immediately visible figure nor any voices, so they liked their luck.

Catching their breath, they prepared for the next part of the plan. Reaching the staircase was going to be much simpler without any worries of being caught by someone on the ground level, so he figured a quick sneak up it would prove to be alright. From there, all he would need to do is find his way to the room Susie had described to him.

Easy enough… hopefully.

With that in mind, Quentin made their way up the rickety stairs and into the hallway. There were still no signs of life which he hoped meant the other Legion members were absent or otherwise preoccupied. Even still, he didn’t feel much like lingering out in the open, so Quentin looked for the door Susie had described and made his way to it.

Here goes nothin’.

Sending out a quick prayer that someone else wouldn’t be in the room with her, Quentin quietly knocked at the door and waited.

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Oct 25, 2021 3:13:45 GMT -6

Quote

Post by The Legion on Oct 25, 2021 3:13:45 GMT -6

Sat in her room, alone. It was something Susie was familiar with — it wasn't often that she spent much time with the Legion anymore, it'd lost it's fun years ago.
Maybe it was weeks, or days ago.

Susie didn't know anymore. She flipped through CDs that she no longer had a player for, humming songs that she remembered, and trying to flip through the lyric books for the one she didn't. It was a hobby she'd always had, but it was much more... Melancholic now, the way that she had no way to listen to these.
She was glad that she had swiped a few tape players, to share with her friends. Even if they had gone unused, the technology still whirred to life in the Entity's Realm.
Maybe it was her hope that whirred it to life, the Entity sure didn't understand it. That was what always confused her, when she saw technology still work. So many things didn't work here, yet precious few things did.
In her thoughts, she picked at the stockings she wore, the holes in it prior were from the same action. She'd ruined less pairs of them then one would think, but still a few did get ruined.
She couldn't dwell too much on it, and even if she wanted to... Her thoughts drifted off, to her friends.

To people who she wanted to be friends with.

She wished she could tell Julie and Joey about Quentin. They would love him, surely. Joey, especially...
It was hard to envision them in the same room, because that meant Frank had to be there. The thought made her stomach churn. Frank would kill him. In a heartbeat, without hesitation once he figured out what was happening between her and them...
It would be done for him. Susie believed that he could hold his own though, and he had friends of his own that surely could out-number Frank. He wasn't some mega-crazy body builder, full of muscle mass.
He is an average 20 year old. She had to remind herself of that sometimes.

Still, it never stopped her from being intimidated by him. She hoped Quentin didn't feel the same, but...
She had a funny little feeling that being killed by someone repeatedly didn't really make you any more comforted by their presence, huh?

She tapped against the plastic of the Green Day album — Joey's, naturally, but he had no use for it now — it wasn't something she'd ever gotten a chance to listen to. Joey lent it to her, and she'd been so excited. He lent it to her a few days before they went out...
Before they were never seen again. He dropped her off at the Ski Lodge, and gave it to her.
He stayed the night at the lodge. He never did that. She supposed he didn't want to face his mom.

Pulled from her thoughts by a knock at the door, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. What was this? Some kind of prank?

"Frank, this stopped being funny already..." She pouted, standing up slowly. She was sure he'd slam it open once she got near it to make her jump, and he'd laugh and laugh and laugh...
And she would try not to cry.
"I'm coming to it, don't slam it okay?" She cautioned, "Or else I'm gonna tell Joey, and he's gonna be pissed because you keep doing this!"

She swung the door inwards, pulling it as hard as she could.

Instead of seeing a tattooed neck, and the familiar, uncomforting red varsity jacket, it was Quentin. The familiar beanie, pulled down to keep them warm, and their thin flannel pulled closed. It was endearing to see.
Just the boy she had been thinking about.

Dazed, she stared at him for a long moment. He'd come to see her.
She offered, but she'd figured he wasn't crazy enough to actually do it.
She wouldn't have blamed him, obviously. She wouldn't have done it if she were him. She would have been too scared.
"Quentin." She finally spoke. Though, still dazed she didn't move. She just stared stupidly.

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Dec 8, 2021 22:59:00 GMT -6

Quote

Post by Quentin Smith on Dec 8, 2021 22:59:00 GMT -6

It rubbed Quentin the wrong way to hear Susie respond to the typical knock with apprehension. Even if he still didn’t have the fullest understanding of what the whole dynamic between the Legion members was, they had learned enough to get an idea of what could have happened to get her worried like that. He had to admit that it pissed him off, but it mostly just made him want to make it so Susie didn’t have to think like that anymore.

That had been a trend in their interactions as of late—Quentin had grown fond of her despite himself and his apprehension, and they found themself trying to think of ways to make her hell a bit less, well, hellish. There wasn’t much he could do really, seeing as her typical antagonist was in a position in which they had much more power over him than vice versa, but the little chats he had with Susie were just the beginning of his hopeful attempts to bring a bit more comfort into her life.

Seeing Susie in this new setting rather than the middle ground of the forest felt strange yet fitting all the same, the slight peek he got at her room from the open door looking so indicative of its resident that Quentin couldn’t help but smile. The sight was somewhat bittersweet, memories long since faded of his own room filling his mind. How long ago had he even seen his room outside of dreams? An eternity, it felt, and it might as well be an eternity before he would be able to see it again with how things felt. Even still, it made them happy to know that Susie at least had some of the comforts associated with a room, even if it did look a bit bare-bones at first glance and wasn’t in the greatest location.

It was still fairly early into his friendship with the girl and there was plenty that he didn’t know about her and she didn’t know about them, but this new step made him hopeful that their bond would only grow. The way Quentin had started to care about her was something he never anticipated developing, but it wasn’t necessarily bad. Complicated? Sure. They had been lucky enough to avoid any trial run-ins so far, but their luck was bound to run out sooner rather than later. It was an obstacle they could deal with when it came though—now, Quentin planned to take advantage of the chance to spend some time with his new friend while they could and put future worries on the sidelines.

Remembering their location, Quentin directed his attention to Susie and gave her a small wave. “Hey, Susie,” they replied, pausing a moment before gesturing with their head in the general direction of her room. “Mind if I come in? Cold as hell out here. ‘m almost certain no one saw me, so ya don’t have t’worry about that.”

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Dec 10, 2021 3:18:45 GMT -6

Quote

Post by The Legion on Dec 10, 2021 3:18:45 GMT -6

The girl beamed in front of them, the sound of the way they said her name — it delighted her especially as they got closer to being friends. Or maybe they were friends now? She wasn't too, too sure what they considered from her.

"Yeah! Yeah, yeah yeah." She stepped out of the way, allowing him into her 'room'. "It's not much of a room anymore, but it's mine." She offered, not particularly worried about if someone saw him. She was fairly sure everyone was out, she never really left unless she was sneaking to the woods now. "You look cold. I have a uh, I have a jacket or two in here. One of them is Joey's, it'd definitely fit you. He's tall." Quentin probably knew that, but she was rambling. She hadn't had much interaction with her friends as of late. She turned around to give the room a quick sweep, before stepping over to the big black jacket, and turning around to hand it Quentin's way.

Joey wouldn't mind.

Probably.

Even if he would, he wouldn't find out so Susie deemed that as an okay enough risk, and the boy in front of her obviously wasn't used to the cold, and his shirt didn't look like it would protect him too, too much.

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

Quentin Smith
First Hook

Gotta believe in somethin', y'know?

Posts: 41

CAUGHT Feb 13, 2022 11:17:46 GMT -6

Quote

Post by Quentin Smith on Feb 13, 2022 11:17:46 GMT -6

The bad feeling they had gotten from Susie’s initial reaction was nullified by the warm feeling in his heart as she met him with excitement. At least they had each other, even if their friendship was still in its earlier stages and admittedly a bit unconventional.

Stepping into her room, Quentin took a moment to look around. Even though his standards had definitely been lowered by their time spent in the Realm, there was something about the space that felt so… homely. It felt like Susie, filled with various personal effects including a variety of CDs that made his heart hurt to see. God, how long had it been since he’d listened to music? Before the realm, that had been his lifeblood, something he always counted on to bring them out of whatever they were going through.

With his mind wandering as he took in the new space, they almost missed when Susie offered a jacket–Joey’s jacket, to be specific. Joey was someone Quentin only knew by association; their interactions were few and far between, boiling down to the occasional back-and-forth during a trial, so their opinion of him was more or less based entirely on what Susie had said about him. That was enough to make Quentin less afraid of him than the rest of the Legion (besides Susie, of course), so the idea of borrowing an article of clothing from him was equally less worrisome. Not to say it wasn’t worrisome–Quentin had never had an interaction with the guy that hadn’t been at least semi-violent, but they trusted Susie to not put him at risk.

“Sure, thanks,” Quentin smiled, taking the bundle of fabric from Susie and shrugging it on. The thing was comfortable, much thicker than any of the clothing he had ended up with in the Realm which immediately made him feel warmer.

Now better prepared for the climate, Quentin shut the door behind him and took a step further into Susie’s room. It had been ages since he’d gone to someone’s house, but he still remembered the etiquette. “Y’mind if I look around?”

"NO!" - QOES2010, 19:04

The Legion
Second Hook

there's no getting out of this now. we're too good at it.

Posts: 50

CAUGHT Mar 8, 2022 7:20:39 GMT -6

Quote

Post by The Legion on Mar 8, 2022 7:20:39 GMT -6

"No, go crazy!" Susie hummed, walking further into the room again to find something to show off -- most of her prized possessions didn't end up in this room, but she had a few. Some of her clothes, her music and tape player. Those were the things that really mattered in a time like this .... Well, there were definitely more pressing needs in life.

But she's sixteen, and different than other girls her age.
"Is that too big on you, or is it ok?" Susie turned around to see them in the coat. It didn't look uncomfortable to her, she liked oversized. It was her favorite way to wear clothing. "I have other jackets if it is!" Came her follow-up offer. She wanted to keep him warm, so he could stay without becoming a Quentincicle...

smartasses always get killed. we'll see to that.

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