forum •Sounds of Someday• [one/one]

Started Mar 25 by @Dayzed forumand Confused

tune

An order was given out. Make these seventy-three people disappear. It's not that the experimentation process had gone wrong, in fact, it had gone very well, and they had succeeded. For the first time in human history, they had engineered a human whose blood contained a special element. Something that would be the beginning of chaos among everything living. It didn't seem like anything at first, but as they continued to monitor how it carried from one generation to another, it was clear that they had done it- or well almost. They had kickstarted the body into generating more of itself when something vital was lost. If they continued to cultivate this newfound project, they could do so much more. They just had to get it right this time.
In studies done prior, they had rushed the process which resulted in failed attempts- those, they were all killed so no trace was left of what had happened. The lone survivor of that line of experiments was kept locked up, he was the only one who had come close to the finishing product, yet it was trial and error. He was kept almost as a….sentimental piece. To remind them of how close they had gotten, and to see if his state would improve. Till this day? Nothing.
So they started over. Not entirely from scratch, they kept certain things the same. Now that it was over, it was a new beginning. It was time to take the next step. For that, they no longer needed the other subjects, only the one that had made it to the finish line of the first step.
Catching wind of this, the people who were kept in the secret facility, revolted. The whole thing went upside down and a few broke out, one of them being your character- the successful experiment. The rest were slaughtered by a special group, and some were still hunting the remaining left which had escaped into the world.

My character's task is to hunt and capture your character. They have to bring them in alive, death is not an option.

I uhhh think I can handle another rp. Maybe. We'll see. The thing I've written above comes from my story, kind of. I haven't really fleshed out all the details so some things are a bit vague. I wanna see if I can develop this further, hence the rp. Everything's up in the air right now with certain things, but I wanted something fun to write while also working on my story.
Not sure if this one'll bang, but if someone joins, know that this will contain mature themes. Violence, maybe a bit of gore, mental health struggles, that kind of thing.
Also prolly will go into more detail in dms just to clarify some things and not have this be longer than it already is.

=RULES=
•I want experienced writers for this, as I tend to go overboard with my writing sometimes and it just makes it more enjoyable if you give me more than three lines.
•Don't be a dick, always gotta put this one in cause you never know.
•Swearing is a-okay, but also, do not go overboard with it.
•Sexual themes (?) uuuhhhhh, there will be none because I'm not used to writing smut, and also I feel a little uncomfy doing that with someone new.
•Please have good grammar, though if you make a mistake that's alright.

Here's the character I'll be playing:

Name: Chernobyl Melanie Lovette
Other Name(s): Cherry, Cerese, Mels, Love
Age: 28
Gender: Cis Female
Pronouns: She/They
Sexuality: Androsexual
Race: Human, Spaniard/Caucasian

Appearance: Cherry has big round hazel eyes, a chestnut brown color taking up most of the space in her eyes towards the middle but mixing with the deeper green on the outside. She has dark eyebags underneath and no matter how much she sleeps they never seem to go away, so she wears makeup to cover up that fact. Cherry plays around with eyeliner a lot, sometimes making sharp fancy wings and other times just smudging it around the outer corners when she doesn't have time. Cherry has soft kind eyes, something that people often tell her a lot. Whenever she talks you can see the brightness that lights up behind her eyes since she's a very animated person. For her hair, she rocks a shoulder-length shaggy mullet that's fluffy with soft bangs. Their hair color is a dark brown that is naturally fluffy and thick, making it difficult to tame if she's going to a place where she has to be presentable and formal. She alternates from a really short boyish haircut to a mullet. Sometimes she uses a curling iron to make her hair wavy or just to add texture and accentuate the layers which you can't really see if it's in their natural state. Often times she doesn't have to do anything to it and can wake up with a really good hair day, others, she struggles a lot.
Cherry's nose is almost a square shape, it's long and medium-sized, sort of resembles a button nose, but not quite. Her face is very round/sort of squarish as she has a soft baby face with freckles. Her mouth is 'pouty', she has full lips and makes them look just slightly bigger than they are by adding lipstick around where her actual line for her lips are.
Her body type is a mesomorph, has a bit of muscle to her but her frame is small, almost an hourglass shape, though she does have a bit of fat on her stomach even though she works out. She eats healthy to keep her shape and didn't start worrying about her appearance until she got to high school. She got top surgery as soon as she was out of school and going into college. Cherry has several tattoos, one being on top of her top surgery scars, it's a barbed wire type of deal. Has "XV" tattooed on her wrist and a verse of a Sanskrit hymn on her other arm.

Clothes: Wears huge t-shirts over skirts with bell-bottoms, sometimes adds a corset to make her waist look better (in her opinion), will wear pants with an off-the-shoulder soft shirt but her wardrobe is mostly skirts and dresses and t-shirts. Is known for wearing jewelry such as coin jewelry, silver coin earrings with helix piercings on both ears and an eyebrow piercing on the right, silver coin necklaces, rings, and bracelets, which has sort of an Egyptian/Greek style. For shoes, she wears stompy boots. Likes the alternative grunge look, and mostly looks like a college professor who went clubbing and then slept on the streets. Very much wears expensive clothes as she comes from a semi-well-off family, bordering on rich, but she doesn't really like to tell people that.
(https://s3.amazonaws.com/notebook-content-uploads/content/uploads/original/3b2d5fc4-198a-470e-8db3-5c9242c09b4f.jpg?1650410126)

Condition(s): Mild Depression, Cigarette Addicted

Personality: Cherry is very kind, she has a soft spot for people who match her energy. There's a lovestruck look permanently on her face at all times and falls in love very easily. Grandmas mainly have told her that she has such a good personality but for others her age she may seem intoxicatingly sweet which may seem annoying or "too much". Truth be told she's a very sad person who often indulges in love poems and letters, books that leave her crying overnight and rom-com movies that leave a bittersweet feeling inside of her. She chases the depressing side of things as it is addictive to her. Is very hyper and bright and animated, and likes to cheer people up even if she herself isn't feeling it that day. Her love language is gifting other people really expensive things. An example of this would be if she messed up with a friend, she would buy them something for their forgiveness which could be seen as her thinking she's better than everyone else but she only does this because this is the way her parents showed her love since a young kid. She has yet to learn that money can't buy forgiveness and has lost lots of friends because of it. Cherry is always seen surrounded by people as she is very popular with everyone, especially the guys, but secretly she has a greater connection with the girls, sometimes developing deeper emotional relationships with them that don't necessarily have to be romantic. A fault of hers is that she expects people to reciprocate those feelings or love back, and ends up disappointing herself when they don't. She has very high expectations of everyone. She is quick-witted and impatient, and is very picky with who she wants to date, though, she can't control who she ends up having feelings for. Gets bored fairly easily, and is generous.

Background: Cherry comes from a very rich family. She has gone on to have a good life since she was a kid, her mother and father loving her dearly and doing the best they could for her. The only sort of depressing thing that has happened to her is getting dumped by the lovers she's had in the past. She doesn't know what it is, but it makes her feel unlovable. Cherry has no siblings, only friends who she calls part of her family, as they would do anything for her and she would do anything for them.
After the death of her husband, Cherry sort of snapped. The once cheerful personality turned sour and it was only then that she got really involved on the darker side of things. While she does still carry her original attitude towards things and people, there's something a little more depressing about her state now.
Cherry had gotten recruited in the past by an organization when she hit sixteen and because it was an opportunity for her to join the big leagues, she accepted. She didn't know what she was getting herself into until it was a little too late. She had had a normal life up until now and resisted being anything for anyone, but as the things in her life slowly came to an end, she found that the only way out, was by accepting the task that had been assigned to her. Not because she was fond of doing those things to people, but because it was the only thing that gave her purpose at this point. If she had no purpose, she had no will, and that meant that her life would come to a tragic end. She didn't want that. So at least now, she's surrounded by this new family provided by the organization. Maybe the things she has done weigh on her, but as the years roll by, they get lighter and lighter.

Other: https://pin.it/6e7wvMK

Here's a bit from a hypothetical alternate ending of a story I'm working on rn :) My rp style and my writing style are the same.

If he'd been asked, Buck would have told the VA that he'd rather go back into the battlefield injured than move back in with his family. But he hadn't been asked, and everything had been so confusing and moved too fast, and no one had answered his questions and suddenly he was back in Texas, holding a tiny bag of the most essential things, staring into the eyes of a father hadn't spoken to in years.

"Buckley. Welcome home." His father's words were surprisingly warm, and he pulled Buck into an embrace. He instinctively hugged his father back, and immediately hated himself for it. Mixed emotions swirled around his head, years of religious trauma and emotional neglect warring against the desire to melt into a hug he'd only received three other times in his life.

"Hi, Dad," he managed, frozen until his father pulled back, holding Buck's shoulders and looking him up and down with a kind of wonder.

"I thought you were supposed to stop growing. How tall are you?" his father said. Buck knew he hadn't grown, but he was half a foot taller than his father, and he supposed that he probably seemed larger after almost a decade of absence.

"Six ten," Buck replied awkwardly. His father shook his head.

"And thirty years old…It's been too long, son."

Buck bristled at that. In all the years since he'd cut contact with his family, only one man ever called him 'son.' He'd grown to see Captain Hodge as the father he'd never had, and the word had become special. It wasn't supposed to come from anyone else.

He wanted to go back. His discharge from his company had been abrupt and traumatic, but Hodge had been at his side for as long as he could, trying to help Buck prepare for civilian life again.

It's going to be hard, son. It's going to be hard. You hold on now, you hear? That's an order, you hold on, and you muddle through it, and you remember all of us here are thinking about you, and as soon as we're damn well able to we're coming to see you.

And then the medics were shooing Hodge away, and he had been forced to let go of Buck's hand. The last thing Buck had seen before being loaded into the evac helicopter was Hodge pulling his hat down over his eyes and turning away.

“Buck.”

He blinked at his father, his heart sinking as he realized Hodge was gone, he was never going back to his company, and he had nowhere else to go but back to the ranch that had ruined his childhood.

“Let’s go,” his father said, and Buck wearily limped after him. His father didn’t offer any support and Buck didn’t ask for any, fiercely refusing to stumble.

SCREAMING RN THIS WAS MY SAME REACTION- i'm literally sobbing i love your writing style so much !!! the little details !! i enjoyed reading that so much dude, i'm high key invested

OMG THANK YOU RRAAHHHH I DO LOVE MY GAY MILITARY MAN <3 He's my favorite, I've invested so very much time into him and his little gay romance :) (He has extreme internalized homophobia and the entire book is him just realizing slowly that God isn't going to strike him down if he admits he really likes that cute fighter jet pilot)

ANYWAY
yeah go ahead and give me a template, I can fill it out tonight before I go to bed ^^

(and here it is, no rush to get it up under a certain amount of time, just whenever you can :)

Name:
Nickname:
Age:
Gender:
Pronouns:
Sexuality:
Race:

Appearance:
Clothes:

Condition(s) (if any):
Personality:

Background:
Other:

(raahhh I would LOVE to share pieces of that book, the brainrot is realllllll haha And we should 100% have Kohen and Buck meet sometime!! :D Sounds like they'd get right along lol)

Aight here's my boiii!!! don't mind me I'm in my German era rn
Name: Julian Morgenstern (Yulian) (Morgenshtern)
Nickname: He just goes by Julian, he doesn't have any nicknames he likes (however, he has been called all sorts of things, from mispronunciations of his name, to the most common monikers assigned to him by the scientists: Version 1.0, #48, Alpha Test, The Sentiment
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Pronouns: He/him
Sexuality: literally whoever and whatever the other person is/is down for.
Race: Human-alter, Caucasian

Appearance: Julian is 5'10" and stocky. He's built well, with dark blond hair he keeps at a ragged but short length, and a beard he also barely manages to keep under control. It's short, but there's no clean trim here, he just doesn't have the resources. His eyes are dark brown and alert, always watching, but shadowed and constantly red and tired looking. He was a fan of tattoos apparently, and sports several: a bird on his stomach, a wolf on his left shoulder blade with the words Jetzt Laufen (now run), and a skull with a sawblade in its teeth on his right shoulder with the word Fleischwolf (meat grinder). Since his escape, he's also reestablished a few of his old piercings, because why not. He's got a bridge of the nose piercing, tongue piercing, and helixes. His smile is a fleeting thing, and he'll catch someone's eye and flash his teeth and scrunch up his eyes and nose and kinda snarl affectionately then it's back to your regularly scheduled programming. He has a few scars from where the scientists removed unwanted spare body parts. Notable ones include: A scar under his left eye where another eye had been forming, and a scar running straight through the Jetzt Laufen wolf (kinda fucking it up) where they had cut in to prevent and remove bone growth from his spine and scapula.
Clothes: He's got a rugged jacket, and tough, many pocketed pants he stole from somewhere. The pants are dark grey, the jacket's a dull green, and they are just simply what he is getting by in. He wears good boots; he put time and effort into getting good shoes. They're well-fitting, have good treads, and offer plenty of support. He prefers to keep his hood up, and the front of the jacket zips up just high enough to sorta hide his face if he ducks his head. Underneath the jacket, long sleeves are a must, but the material is lighter in case it ever gets too hot for the jacket. His shirt is greyish like his pants. He definitely favored dull, neutral colors when 'shopping.'

Condition(s) (if any): Oddly neurotypical. Disturbingly so even. No one should be that…normal. He's able to heal on his own, faster than the average human, and can regenerate lost limbs, though very slowly, and it's not guaranteed that the limb will be 100% correct. he also has a strong aversion to anything medical (doctors, needles, hospitals, etc), but it's not to the point of phobia.
Personality: The above makes the moments where he is just a tiny bit unhinged all the more off-putting. Julian is a calm, emotionally aloof, yet outgoing and friendly individual who seems to hold no grudges or get angry about much of anything. He put effort into friendships, never raises his voice, never freaks out about anything, he's very level-headed, and generally content with life. He comes off as quite happy almost no matter the circumstance. Patient and tolerant at all times. Not because he’s actually that internally patient and tolerant (though the younger you are, the more likely that is to be true). He has a very advanced sense of survival, and he will not be getting into trouble, thank you very much. If he’s in a situation where someone is being rude, annoying, or otherwise untoward, and he thinks a fight with this person would go poorly, he will put up with a LOT. Passive aggressive + sass + snark tho. Internally, if he doesn’t say it out loud. Really he just cares more about his own survival than anyone or anything else. This does not mean he doesn’t care about anyone or anything else. He will just not ever put anyone or anything else over his own life.

He really doesn't understand mental health at all, but he tries. “Do you want a hug?” he asks uncertainly as you cry. (He also doesn’t really know how to hug). His giving love languages are gift giving and acts of service, though until he knows for sure what someone likes, he won't get them any gifts (mild rejection sensitive dysphoria). But he'll just do things for you, because he can. Receives love through words of affirmation and acts of service. He's deeply philosophical, and he’s good to talk to when there are problems, he’s thoughtful and go-getting and will tell the truth bluntly. Refuses the bullshit. Won’t have it. He’ll press someone if they’re indulging in the bullshit.

His form of physical affection is through shoving. He likes being shoved. He'll just randomly shove his friends, with whatever body part is closest. Hand? Yep. Foot? Yep. Face? Why not. Big fan of headbutting people. The more he likes someone, the more this comes out, he gets very playful. Hip check? Shoulder check? Forever and always. "Hey I see you and I like you," thats what it all means. He likes it when people pretend to get angry and get in his face about it. It's a great way to make his smile stick around, and it's also a great way to get headbutted. However, he dislikes physical contact in it's longer form, like hugging, or snuggling, or even walking too close together. He has a personal space bubble, and he diligently maintains it except for those brief moments where he will lower it to wrassle a little bit. SOMETIMES he'll be in the right mood to cuddle. SOMETIMES.

All of this, and sometimes he'll just casually say or do something that reveals a little bit of the feral side, like, “Did you know you can make someone have a stroke if you twist their neck just right? Yeah…I know how to do it, too :)" or just casually admit that jar in the freezer is actually filled with home-made nerve gas, or something outlandishly absurd and horrifying like that. It slowly becomes clear to anyone who knows him for very long that his morals and sense of ethics are very, very not right. He will never show you anything but kindness and friendship, be your best friend, and then the first second he has to do something to preserve himself, he will even if it means killing you himself, no matter how close you once were. he may not want to, and he will not enjoy it, but that simply won't stop him.

Background: Julian was born in Munich, Germany, and grew up in a Christian cult. His parents were unimportant cult members who were involved at a very limited level, so Julian never really got the full cult experience, but it was enough of his life that it left a lasting impact and turned him anti-theistic. He ran with a group of very rowdy kids in his early teens, and got into his fair share of trouble, but generally tried to keep his head down and gain the most benefit with the least harm from any given situation. He enlisted in the military at 18, training infantry/paratrooper with additional training in wilderness survival and tracking. When he hit 23, he was loaned to an American task force to aid with a rescue in the arctic of a mission-gone-wrong with several downed pilots and hostages. After the mission's success, he stayed on with the task force, signing a contract to work for the American military for a few years, but he never got the chance.

Instead he went MIA after his own mission-gone-wrong. When he woke up, he was in a lab somewhere, and he'd already been, in his eyes, mutilated, making him the 48th person to undergo experimentation out of the original 73. The experimentation left him with what the scientists at first thought were symptoms of all the other destined to fail experiments, but something was a little different about him. Where the other experiments went full on sideways, his regeneration never took over his body and turned him into a mess of extra limbs, eyes, and what not. The scientists, seeing that his condition was progressing much more slowly than the others, took him into intensive care and put him into a coma while they battled to get his regeneration under control. The coma reduced his stress levels and allowed them to get his regeneration not only under control, but more or less functioning correctly. When they woke him up, he went into an intensive recovery program that slowly tested his regeneration's limits until they were certain they understood the thresholds of his stress levels and what could possibly cause the regeneration to go haywire again. Julian is also very aware of these parameters, and while he is genuinely disgusted by what they did to him, and hates his 'powers' with all his heart, he also sees the usefulness, and understands the advantage it gives him over other people. As I mentioned earlier, Julian considered even the initial experimentation mutilation, and despises his body. But he'll still use it. And while he'll never be glad for it, he won't hesitate to take advantage of it in any way he can.

Though he tried to escape several times, he was never able to get far until a full-scale revolt occurred. He slipped away in the chaos and has been on the run ever since, relying on his old skills from the military to keep him safe and out of sight.
Other: PLEASE LMK if any of this needs changed!! :D And here's his tattoos:
Bird: http://nextluxury.com/wp-content/uploads/badass-eagle-tattoo-ideas-for-men.jpg
Wolf w/out words: https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrEpMPoOSFko4od3342nIlQ;_ylu=c2VjA3NyBHNsawNpbWcEb2lkA2I3NjBiYmRhNTZmOWI2NmI1OTUzYzI0MGUzMTA5ZWI3BGdwb3MDNDgEaXQDYmluZw–?back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3Dwolf%2Btattoo%2Bbadass%26ei%3DUTF-8%26type%3Dsrc_chrome.c_none.r_none%26fr%3Dyhs-gladly-001%26fr2%3Dp%253As%252Cv%253Ai%252Cm%253Asb-top%26hsimp%3Dyhs-001%26hspart%3Dgladly%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D48&w=1024&h=1024&imgurl=media.istockphoto.com%2Fvectors%2Fisolated-badass-angry-wolf-head-vector-illustration-vector-id1277292938&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.istockphoto.com%2Fvector%2Fisolated-badass-angry-wolf-head-vector-illustration-gm1277292938-376539341&size=125.8KB&p=wolf+tattoo+badass&oid=b760bbda56f9b66b5953c240e3109eb7&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Ai%2Cm%3Asb-top&fr=yhs-gladly-001&tt=Isolated+Badass+Angry+Wolf+Head+Vector+Illustration+Stock+Illustration+…&b=0&ni=250&no=48&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=8cEe81dxJVzP&sigb=uzeU1pf85QTV&sigi=rQb_vLORYt.7&sigt=l5nQB8zqgYdQ&.crumb=biTuV0XVOMj&fr=yhs-gladly-001&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Ai%2Cm%3Asb-top&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=gladly&type=src_chrome.c_none.r_none

Still couldn't find the skull lmao

(yessss i can't wait!! and dude that would be so interesting to see!! Kohen and Buck, i can only imagine the chaos that would happen haha
I AM IN LOVE WITH YOUR CHARACTER OMG he's so perfect!! i am really excited for this !!! and don't worry about writing out long profiles !! i really enjoyed reading that and caught myself laughing a few times XD it shows that your really put a lot of thought into this boi and he seems so real with all his little quirks, i can't wait to see him in action >:))
sjdhbfhjdkf YES HOLD ON IMMA DM YOU IN A BIT)

(Here it is finally! I realized he probably wouldn't know where he was, if he hasn't ever been outside the lab, so if you have a preference take it away, otherwise I'm imagining Yellowstone. ^^)

Julian spent a week longer than he wanted in the city, but the unfortunate reality was that he couldn't just have everything he needed at the snap of a finger. Thievery took time, and staying under cover took even more. But at last he left the city lights behind and fled into the countryside, taking with him what he'd need to survive off the grid for the rest of the summer. A knife, rope, sleeping bag, one water bottle, a flint and steel, and sturdy clothes made up his entire loadout, and he was alright with that. It might not be the most comfortable experience, but he was certain he'd survived worse. Either way, the call of the wild was just too strong to resist for very long, and it hadn't taken him long to find his way to a big, beautiful forest. Some sixth sense had drawn him to it, he felt, and he felt it was the perfect place to call home. He yearned for solitude and peace, a luxury he hadn't been granted for years. He had almost forgotten what the outside air tasted like. That thought alone was enough to drive feral, and once he left the city he didn't stop walking until he'd completely lost himself in the wilderness, with no intention of ever finding his way out. At least, not for a very long time. Eventually winter would come, and his plans would have to change, but the sky was bright and warm, and he didn't worry about that now.

He'd been free for one and a half months by his count. He had to admit his…abilities were useful. He hadn't othered stealing a med kit when he'd run, knowing his body could heal from almost any trauma, and so far he hadn't been let down. Minor cuts healed before they could become infected, and when he'd caught his wrist in a branch and snapped the bone, the break healed three days after he set it. Still, he was careful not to let than happen again.

"Out of practice," he'd excused himself. To be fair, it had been six years since he'd been allowed to roam a space larger than an auditorium, but internally he knew he couldn't go around making those mistakes left and right.

He'd shifted to a largely nocturnal schedule. If he'd had to guess, he would have said he stayed awake from seven pm to roughly noon. It was still too hot to do much during the day other than doze, and the night time air gave him a sense of comfort and security he'd been missing for a long time. It felt nice to be in his element again. During his sleeping hours he'd adopted a pattern of sleeping lightly for short periods of time, rising frequently to ensure no-one was watching him. The feeling of eyes on the back of his neck never really left.

He'd been asleep by midmorning on this particular day. His daily tasks of setting up his new camp were trivially easy, and he still had leftover food from the previous day's hunt, a rare comfort. The sun trickled through the trees he'd holed up under, granting a pleasing warmth to his light slumber. As always, his senses were fine-tuned to his environment, ready to stir at the first alarm call of a bird, or the slightest snap of a twig. Despite this, he was as relaxed as he knew how to be, deeply enjoying his time.

(yellowstone is cool with me!)

Cherry would have never gotten involved with this organization had the things that happened a few years ago not happened at all. Sure, she had volunteered in the past and they had called on her for an interview, but she hadn't shown up, doing everything to avoid Nexus, the organization responsible for the disappearances of many people in the country.

When Takuma had gotten heavily injured trying to escape the manor he grew up in, there was no hope for him as the damage done was fatal. Nexus, keeping tabs on everyone they contracted, even just possible candidates, found out about this, they struck a deal with Cherry. Join Nexus and we will do everything possible to keep him alive. In Cherry's mind, there was nothing more to think about- she signed the contract on the spot.
That was seven years ago.

Cherry, in the beginning, wasn't supposed to be an active member. All she had to do was be a patron. In other words, just sit there and look pretty, but things got a little more complicated than that.

The tobacco of the cigarette burned, consuming the filter and paper around it alike as it was inhaled. Her legs were crossed as she leaned forward to rest her elbow on the leg that was on top, cigarette between her fingers.
Cherry watched the people walk by, focusing on faces as if looking for someone.
Right now she was in the city. The place was nothing like her home which was full of skyscrapers and shiny buildings packed so tightly, it was almost like it was designed as an escape route for criminals that ran away from the cops. This place looked smaller, older, warm.

She turned to look at the map on the bench beside her, it was open all the way as she tried to figure out where to go from there. There had been nothing, no sign of the lab rat that had escaped. He did good on covering his tracks and it was driving Nexus mad. So they sent her. Not the best use of their resources as someone better could have easily taken her place, but everyone who was on a contract was busy doing one thing or another.
Two weeks ago. There had been a sighting here- Nexus was spread out and got information from people you would least expect it from. Number 48 had been here, but where? That was yet to be known. Cherry also had yet to ask around as she had just arrived at the city airport and knew next to nothing about the place. Strangely enough, she didn't stick out in this place and fit right in.

(Arright!! Sounds good ^^)

Julian rose as night fell, waking as abruptly as he'd fallen asleep, ready to move the instant his eyes opened. The night air maintained the pleasant warmth of the day, and he was in no rush as he carefully returned his camp to nature, leaving virtually no sign of his existence as he set off into the trees. Ever deeper. He didn't think about much as he walked, focused largely on traversal. It was nice to let his mind be blank and free of stress. He liked his meditative routine: wake, return camp to nature, leave with no trace, walk all night wherever his instincts and whims took him, or hunt if he had no food, then find a new camp when the sun grew hottest and walking was no longer comfortable, and eat, and rest, until night feel and he would do it again. Sometimes he worried about wildlife, but he wasn't stupid, and he knew how to avoid bears and wolves and moose. And if he were to die to one of those creatures, so be it. He would be returned to nature himself, and melt away into the stomachs of the predators, the scavengers, and the forest itself. He liked the idea of dying alone. It would be his own personal end, private, and just for him. No one else had to see. He'd never have to be seen again, if he kept this up.

No, he almost wanted to die out here in these woods, but not yet. He wanted to enjoy them while he was still alive first. He would have to make a decision once winter came, because then the wildlife would be looking at him a lot more hungrily, and he would have to take more risks to ensure his survival. Or he could leave, risk venturing back into civilization just for the worst days of the winter months. Surely, they would have forgotten about him in half a year.

His thoughts drifted back to Germany. Maybe he could sneak back. There were plenty of places he could hide there, and maybe he still had a few friends who would take him in and be trusted with his secrets. Maybe. Maybe it would be better to stay on his own. He could only really trust himself, after all. If everyone else thought he was dead, it was probably best to keep it like that. After six years, he was sure they did think he was dead.

He paused at the edge of a stream, and, on a sheer whim, leaned down and left a handprint in the mud. He stared at it for a second, frowned and abruptly then shifted a rock with his foot, causing it to fall onto the handprint and crush it to oblivion. Leave no trace.

For a moment he'd considered leaving the handprint, in the off chance it would last forever, showing a small mark he could leave to show the universe he'd ever existed at all. But the longer he'd stared at it, the more the thought unsettled him, until he'd decided he didn't want the universe to know he'd ever existed at all. He loved the idea of being forgotten. No one watching, ever again.

As the day progressed Cherry did indeed end up talking to the locals and getting a little more information- vague, sure, but nothing was solid and she had to take chances. She had checked almost all the possible places where the subject could have hidden, going even to places where he would be unlikely to be found at, like a busy hotel building. You never knew, if this guy was really as smart as they had told her, then no rock could be left unturned.

There was no mention of the guy having taken any form of transportation, which meant he was on foot, which also meant that even though he had been gone for a while now, they still had a chance. Someone could have traveled a long distance on foot, but even humans needed a break, everyone slept, he wasn't a machine even though he wasn't quite human now.
Cherry pulled out her phone and opened a text message she had gotten earlier. They had wanted her to check Yellowstone Park first, but Cherry had a mind of her own, she wanted to be absolutely sure that she wasn't skipping over something important that would lead her to him.
Thing was, they had done a sweep in this state and in a few others where they thought he might have been, but they couldn't simply deploy huge aircrafts and military personnel to locate one singular person. The public would want answers, answers they couldn't give. So they had sent others before her to search the woods, places they couldn't reach. No one had found anything.
This was their final attempt in this area. If they found nothing more, they would move on and search elsewhere.
Fine. She would rest tonight and tomorrow she would head for Yellowstone. She would buy a few things first before she headed out, but for now, she needed to find a place to sleep.

The day had gone just as it had started and with that came the next day. She woke up to the sound of birds and the sun seeping through the window of the hotel she had stayed in. It was warm out and she had a long day ahead of her. First thing first, getting ready for the day and buying the equipment she needed.
Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a forest, a guy speaking to her about the possible dangers and how he should come with her, but Cherry wasn't having it. Strapped to her back was a sniper rifle and on top was a backpack to contain the necessary things she would need for a few days. She planned to spend maybe a week searching around, maybe a little less depending on if she ran out of water quickly. She hadn't planned on doing a half-assed job, but she doubted the man would be here, especially if others had already searched. Still, just to make Nexus happy she set for the forest and began her journey.

It had been four hours before Cherry decided she needed to rest. She dropped down and sat on the grass. It was way too hot for this, and she missed the air conditioning in her room. She looked cranky and pissed as she thought about how she had gotten herself involved in this, but she didn't blame anyone or herself, it was just the way things had played out.

(Slowing Julian down a little bit so Cherry can catch up with him easier, but no rush :D)

If Julian had ben paying more attention, he would have realized the handprint was his first and only lapse in his single-minded mission of invisibility. Had he realized that, he would have noted that his thoughts must be more muddled than usual, which would have been the first sign that he was getting sick. It happened so slowly he hardly realized his thoughts were slowing, his mind working harder and harder to maintain coherence throughout the day until he was abruptly informed his sickness by a nearly fatal error. He’d judged the drop to be thee, maybe five feet. His lack of exactness hadn’t bothered him. Not until he realized he was still falling three or five feet later, and then that realization was too late, and he had to skip it in order to plan his landing, but that thought came too late, and he had to skip it and just land, or try to without breaking every bone in his legs. He managed to catch himself, but he couldn’t really roll, the rocks were too sharp, so he had to fling himself forward and let his legs crumple exactly right, and the rocks cut right through his left pant-leg and he didn’t notice the pain until he stood up and almost collapsed.

It was a bright night. He could see the blood soaking his knee, his shin, and feel it leaking into his boot. Then he realized he wasn’t thinking clearly at all, because if he was, his first thought would have been about how stupid he’d been to jump down a cliff in the dark with only a rough guess of the drop. Instead his first thought was of the damage to his pants. Only after his relief at finding none, did he realize what should have been his first thought, and then realize from that how clouded his brain was. No matter how he tried to shake it, it refused to lift, and eventually he just sort of walked away without really thinking about it, because he’d forgotten what he was thinking about. He only remembered when he came to the other end of the gully. Realizing he wasn't going to be able to climb out of the ditch with his injury, he finally got a good notion of his own illness, and the full force of the fever crashed down on him like a weight. As his head began throbbing, muscles growing weak, hot and cold flashes washing over him, he slunk to the nearest overhang in the gully and curled up underneath it, eyes tightly shut and willing himself to sleep. He tried to think where he might have caught a fever, but the options were endless and enigmatic when out in the woods, and it could have been anything from a bug bite to the fact that he hadn't had a proper shower since he'd escaped. There was no point wondering, it just made his head hurt more. He buried his forehead into the cool soil to relieve the heat, while at the same time shivering with cold chills. He let his mind drift, and eventually, fell asleep, counting on his regeneration abilities to have him healed when he woke.

(haha thanksss)

Leaves brushed her face as she ran by, she shoved branches out of the way with her hands, the brisk motion giving her small cuts on her arms and hands. After about another minute of running Cherry stopped and bent over, hands on her knees as she caught her breath. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with an irritated look, teeth clenched as she tried to pull in as much oxygen as she could with her mouth. It did not look good on her. She was sweaty, hot, and the burden on her back felt way too heavy at this point. She was on a deadline to find this guy and they had been clear about that. They were so sure he was here and failure was not an option. Course, if she failed to find him, there would be consequences, if she lied and said she had looked then found out later that he had been here….well….it would not be a fun time for her. So she ran. Despite the sun beating down on her and her body protesting with the heat and lack of water she was giving it. She hadn't planned to run, hell, a nice stroll through the forest sounded nice and relaxing, but she wasn't here on vacation. The consequences of not doing a top-tier job motivated her- as it motivated everyone who worked for Nexus. They were not known to be kind to their workers, especially when they had gone through all the trouble of training them. It had to pay off somehow.
Fifteen minutes. Cherry looked down at her watch. She would take a fifteen-minute break, then continue to run for about thirty to forty-five minutes. It was a long time to go without a break and she wasn't sure her lungs could take it, but the fear of the repercussions was enough to keep her running.

It took nearly all day to get to where she was and she was in deep at this point. She still had a lot more ground to cover, it would be a sloppy job as she would be the only one searching, but it would be something, at least enough to appease Nexus.
Hair stuck to her face and neck as she stopped once again to catch her breath. She pulled a hair tie from her wrist and tied her hair back in a short and low messy ponytail, some strands of hair still sticking to her as she did a quick job of tying her hair. It was basically evening at this point and the colors of the sky were leaning more towards warm golden, the sun reflecting on the clouds as blue chased the orangy color, creating a magenta hue in between.
That was day one, and she still had six more days to go, the thought filled her with anguish. Six whole days of running- or at least trying to.
Cherry sat down on the ground and took her backpack off, relief washing over her as she did so. She opened the bag and fished a water bottle out and drank it with such hunger, she didn't notice when she had downed the whole thing. She huffed. She was still thirsty but she couldn't just drink all the water she had brought with her all at once, she needed to save some for later.

A thought passed her mind, keeping running or well, walking until the sky reached a point where she could no longer see. Tempting (not really), but that was probably a bad idea. She dug through her bag again in search of some type of sustenance to eat. A granola bar. That's what she had brought. Nexus hadn't exactly given her instructions on how to survive in the woods and on her own, but she had done some research and stocked up on what she thought was best. She was good at physical combat and a great shot when it came to weapons, but this, on the other hand, was not something she had been trained for. They didn't need to, as most of their jobs were done in the city, and hunting down certain individuals was easy there. No criminal in their right mind would book it for the woods and attempt to stay away in isolation, though it was a pretty darn good plan. It sure was giving Cherry a workout.

Julian slowly fought his way back to consciousness. For a moment he was utterly disoriented ,unsure where he was, or why, or what had happened. Hi mind skipped rapidly between options, trying to fit his current position, temperature, and what little he recalled about his location into various points of his life. For a moment he was certain he was in Germany, in the woods doing a training exercise. Then he remembered the scientists. No, that facility had aggressively rejected any signs of nature, even the lightest film of dust. Finally his mind settled on the present, and he groggily raised his head, letting himself relax as the warm sunlight spooled over him, chasing away the last chills of the sickness. his abilities had done their job, and the sickness was gone, leaving him slightly shaky and weak, but well. He didn't know how long it had been, but as sensation slowly returned, he realized how desperately hungry he was. It could have been days.

He drew himself up, passing a hand through his hair to push it out of his eyes. He needed to cut it soon, it was getting too long. Not right now. He needed food right now. He shouldered off his backpack and dragged it in front of him, fumbling with the zipper and trying to think through what else he might need. Water. He was dangerously dehydrated, or so he feared. Any dehydrations was dangerous in the wilderness. He pulled himself deeper under the bank, slowly unpacking the last of his current stock of food. He'd need to go hunting tomorrow, which meant staying in this place for at least another day or two. Whatever he caught he'd have to dress and prepare as well, and all that took a long time. The thought of staying in one place for so long filled him with anxious energy, but he knew travelling further unprepared was just as dangerous, if not more so. He comforted himself with the knowledge that even if someone was tracking him, he had been doing his utmost to cover his tracks, and had no consistent route or direction, often zigging and zagging miles multiple times in a night. His trail should be nearly impossible to follow. He took a moment to eat and calm himself, testing out his injured leg as he slowly finished off his meal. The injury was gone, leaving only a dried blood-stain in the pant leg. He would be fine to walk.

After he ate, he began to hunt for the river he'd been following since his escape. He never drifted more than a mile or two from the water source, and he remembered it being maybe an hours walk west of his current position. He followed the ditch he'd fallen into, not read to climb out until it deviated from his route. He realized it would probably lead him straight to the river, it seemed to be a dried up riverbed itself. He kept as close to the bank as he could, letting the dried out layers of clay and peat cushion his steps, leaving behind virtually no tracks. He would find the river, set up a more permanent camp, and recover a little more. Then he'd fix his sleep schedule back to nocturnal, and carry on his way. It would be fine.

It was the third day of walking in the godforsaken forest. Cherry looked forward, eyes heavy. The first night sleeping in the forest had been….peachy. She rolled her eyes at the thought. Sleep had been minimum, waking up to faint rustling in the trees and bushes. Still, somehow she had managed to sleep for a full six hours. Last night had been rough though. Her body wasn't used to sleeping on the ground and it ached like hell, not to mention she had stared at the branches swaying overhead all night. The uncomfortableness paired with the thirst and hunger was enough to keep her up even though you would think that a day full of running and walking would knock her right out. Right about now she was missing her parent's home and her room filled with soft blankets and puffy pillows. Course, she didn't live with them anymore, she lived on her own, but her parent's home reminded her of a time when things had been just fine. Not great, not terrible, just fine.

The day went as planned: walk, stop, take a break, drink water, walk, stop again, eat something, keep walking, and walk some more.

Night fell once more and Cherry felt like she had covered a lot more ground at this point, she had no idea how much she had traveled, but she felt like she was doing something at least. A small part of her prayed to whatever gods were out there that she never found the guy, not because she didn't want to find him, but because it was going to be a pain in the ass to get him to come back with her. The whole time Cherry was picturing this huge fight playing out. She was a good fighter, but this man- well, he was bigger than her and had a lot more strength as well. Not to mention she was not in the top condition to fight anybody.
Cherry was 5 foot 6 and while looking over the guy's profile before she came over here, there was one thing she had noticed right off the bat. He had been a military guy fresh out of high school. That was what? Five? Six years in training? Close to what she had gone through. Part of this search made her nervous. She had her sniper rifle, but that was only useful for a long-distance target, which meant she had to find him first before he noticed her at all to even have a shot of taking him down. Then she'd leave the rest to Nexus when they got there.
Day four came and went and Cherry didn't think much of it until she heard a faint trickling of water. She paused and looked around. She didn't see anything, but that meant that a water source was nearby….and if there was a water source nearby maybe, just maybe the guy would be somewhere around it. She didn't get her hopes up though, the forest was vast and he could be anywhere, even if he was somewhere nearby the stream, it could be miles down the forest or he could even be keeping his distance from it just in case. Cherry took that though. She searched around for a bit even though it was nightfall and she should get to rest.
Once she found it she sighed, a sort of relief washing over her even though the search was only starting.

(I love how Julian is out here like 'the forest!! I love it!! I love hiking!!! I love hunting!! I love camping, and survival and I'm so happy right now!' and Cherry's like 'this fucking sucks I wanna go home I hope he isn't even here so I can go home' xD Two kinds of people. Also I"M FREE I'M SO READY TO BE DONE WITH SCHOOL HAHAHA)

Julian found the river a few hours before nightfall. He paused to rest for a little bit, his built up urgency fading as the sound of running water soothed his anxieties about staying in one place for too long. The part of the river he stumbled across was perfect to set up camp for a couple days. There was a shallow dell just off the riverbank, half-flooded, half dry, and the perfect little shelter. An old, gnarly pine tree offered easy climbing, and the branches were broad enough to sleep on. He found a split branch near the ground and curled up in it, using his backpack as a pillow. He could doze for a while, then start his hunting after the sun went down. Maybe he'd fish a little bit. Or maybe he could catch a nightbird. He wasn't picky about his food. He'd eaten everything from rat to coyote before.

Once the sun went down, he roused himself, taking a moment to drape over the branches like a cat and let his eyes adjust to the dark, take in the ground below him, and ensure there was no danger before he started to move. When nothing presented itself, he swung down to the ground, breathing in the night air and taking in all the sounds around him. The wildlife was active, and it made him want to hunt even more. He abandoned his fishing idea in favor of stalking through the trees along the riverbank, searching for the best place to wait and ambush an unwary animal as it came to drink.

A small pool formed by a slight divide in the river's path offered itself as the perfect place to set up his trap. Hoofprints and pawprints and clawprints along the muddy edge indicated the place's status as a frequent watering hole. He climbed another welcomingly broad-branched pine and settled down to wait, knife in hand. He wasn't picky. Deer, fox, bird, or rodent, anything he saw he would move to kill. The act of being alert kept him awake and eager. He'd found out long ago that his abilities made it easier for him to sit still for long periods of time. Any muscle cramps or discomfort was perceived and smoothed over by his body's insatiable need to heal itself. He wouldn't have to shift at all for the rest of the night if he didn't want to.

(XDDD yeah, it's literally so fucking funny cause Cherry isn't used to these kinds of situations, you really threw me for a loop here XD and yay!!! I'm glad to hear that !!)

It had been the first night in a while where Cherry had not been able to sleep. The ground was uncomfortable and she felt more sensitive to it after having slept on it for days. She was sore. She did not understand how someone could survive out in the woods like this. The guy was a madman if he was actually here. The combination of running and exhaustion and lack of sleep was really taking a toll on her. How they expected her to bring this guy back was beyond her. The guy was smart. Picking the one place where it would be more than difficult to get him, even if they located him.
That night Cherry had tried everything possible to sleep, but the sounds of the wild were driving her crazy and she tossed and turned. God. She really wanted a proper bed by now. With all the complaining she was doing to herself she really did not seem fit for this job, but Cherry was more than skilled to carry it out.
"Fuck this, this is useless…" She muttered to herself as she got up. If she couldn't sleep she'd keep going. The thought of the guy traveling by night never crossed her mind, because who in the actual hell would do that?
A person who was running away from something, that's what.

Cherry packed her things up and walked along the riverside. At this point she had no goal in mind on where to look, just to take in the scenery of the moon illuminating the water. It wasn't every day she got to see this and a small part of her felt free at the thought of being out here alone with no one else, even if everything felt heavy at the moment.
Cherry hadn't been expecting it, but the more she strolled down beside the river, the closer she had gotten to the small set-up the guy had made for himself. She couldn't see that well, so when she spotted something in the distance she thought it might have been a small animal wandering around. It wasn't until she got closer that she realized what it was. She stopped before she got too close, the outline making it clear what it was if she had any doubts before.
What was something like this doing way out here? Realization hit a little too late and her blood ran cold. Cherry immediately took off the sniper rifle from her back and held it in her hands. Maybe it was nothing, but maybe it was everything. She scanned her surroundings before she retreated slowly in the direction she came from. She'd stalk this area for the next few days and see if it meant anything. Though, something told Cherry that this was exactly what she had been looking for.