forum Floating Cities Are All The Rage (OxO//Closed//Dystopian)

Started April 05, 2019 by @Toxic_Persephone group

tune

Stephan flushed when Eddie asked, looking up at the scarred man he had shared a household with for most of his adult life; the one who captivated his attention and drew him in. Atlas was only two or three years younger than him, and the two had practically learned how to survive side by side.
Stephan hid his feelings away. He didn’t wan to drive away the only person he felt he could be completely open to.
“I do… but we’re only close friends. I don’t think he sees me as anything more than someone to trust, maybe as a brother, don’t know which one hurts more.” Stephan admitted, sighing deeply as he watched Atlas’s tanned, olive shoulders move as he walked.
“It’s silly isn’t it? You’d think with a world such as the one we live in I’d be more open to admitting my feelings. We don’t live very long anymore, and wouldn’t it be better to be with the one you love? I guess that makes me a coward in more ways than one.”

Eddie nodded his head, listening closely to Stephan. Eddie himself knew what it was like to lose someone he loves. For a moment his mind flashes back to his uncle, a man he didn't recognize after the procedure. Eddie lost him before he could clear the twisted air with him.
"I advise you to be much more open about how you feel. You wouldn't want to lose something before you even had it."
Eddie grins, thinking about the man he's related to by bond.
"I know someone in my life that I have the same feelings with. He was always out at night. Since I wasn't allowed to have any relations with anyone, he and I kept it a secret. He'd go out at night and I'd fake an arrest and bring him in for questioning, just so that we could spend time together. Since I had nothing to arrest him for, I'd let him go every time, he was back home before sunrise."
Eddie pauses, thinking about him.
"I haven't seen him since a few nights ago, but I hope he's doing well. And I definitely wouldn't want to lose him. Especially now that I have the freedom to be with him."

Stephan sighed deeply, rubbing his neck and smiling softly. “You’ve got a point there Eddie.”
He gently patted the other’s head as he listened, grinning brightly. “Sounds romantic, meeting in ‘secret’ but in plain sight. Want to go find him tonight, to bring him along?” Stephan asked softly. “I’m no good at the fighting kind of things but I’m sure as hell good at support and the care of others.” He winked and then laughed at himself.
He glanced back up at Atlas just in time to catch the other’s eye. Atlas flashed a cocky grin and waved, snickering as Stephan looked away with a blush.

Eddie's eyes lit up as he nodded joyously.
"That's a great idea! He even has a baseball bat, I think he could help us fight. I don't know where he lives, but I know where to find him at night."
Astrid looked up as they approached the Wall.
"Well, it looks like we're here."

Stephan chuckled softly. He liked Eddie’s enthusiasm and excited nature. It brought him good feelings he really hadn’t felt in a long time. Not since Juniper was little and the world below the cities had hope. Not since he and the rest of Sire were abandoned by the government.
“Good, you and I will go find him.” Stephan stated with a grin.
His grin soon faded as they came to the Wall. The scent would usually have been unbearable if it wasn’t for the fact that Sire reeked of death already. Those who lived in it had grown nose blind to the scent.
Juniper scowled at the rotting bodies piled up to at least waist-height. The lower bodies had already decomposed, skeletons scattered and any other parts returning to the earth in a half-liquid state.
It was Atlas who commented first, making a gagging noise and folding his arms. “God I hate this place. The dead should be respected, not piled up as food for those beasts out there. We don’t even have a name for those dreadful Creatures yet.”
“That’s because they’ve just been found, Atlas.” Stephan replied, patting Atlas’s shoulder as he passed him. “Now, come on over here and I’ll boost you all over. There’s another row of bodies behind this one, so that gives us a gap to hide in until the night passes and the Creatures go back into their holes.”

Astrid pulled the top of her shirt over her face to muffle the stench as she followed Roger and Stephan to climb over the bodies.
"They deserve a proper send off." She looks at Roger with a peculiar pain in her expression. "Everyone does."
Roger nods at Astrid, sighing heavily as he assists Stephan. Eddie grins widely due to his new plan for tonight. He was excited to find his friend; the only person that made Eddie feel like he was worth something.

Juniper looked strangely unfazed by the stench, her eyes scanning the bodies. Once settled she checked the pockets of a jacket lying on the ground without an owner, its pockets emptied and ripped open. "Sire is a cruel place… proper sendoffs don't happen. I wish we could give them a good memorial, but unfortunately the Creatures would end us all without defenses."

But Juniper only wished for one thing at that moment; she wished they could have given Jesse… no she needed to stop thinking that way. He was dead now, as much as it hurt. They needed to keep moving, avenge his death by taking down the corruption that killed him.

Stephan gently nudged her out of her thoughts, opening his arms. "Let me give you a proper hug, I haven't seen you in a long time and now you've just appeared out of nowhere with two cyborgs and a new friend. I'm surprised you trusted someone enough to let them get you carried away in this." he teased, offering her an old hard candy from his lab coat's pocket. She took it thankfully and popped it into her mouth.

"Astrid is my friend now, Steph. I'd trust her with my life. Same to Roger and Eddie. They've proven themselves."

Roger and Eddie dubiously exchanged looks before haphazardly nodding to Juniper. Astrid cautiously took Juniper's hand, her eyes turning to Roger for the same purpose. Roger turns toward Atlas.
"Let's go collect some wood for a fire. I hear the creatures aren't a fan of the flames, and it'll get cold at night."

Juniper scowled at the dubious glances but didn’t comment on them. Instead she gave Astrid’s hand a squeeze and nodded at Roger’s idea. “Fire would be best…”

Atlas sighed but nodded and gestured down the Wall. “Let’s go then, better to not waste time”

(desperately tries to force myself to respond to RPs by using excuses anyway i'm back to say that today is Astrid's birthday!! ofc i made a beautiful drawing of ya beautifiul gorlie uwu and also Imma post a response after this >:) )

Roger led Atlas back out to the city to find the means for a fire. Dried wood planks shouldn't be too hard to come by; there were a lot of torn down houses and various remnants of makeshift shelters lying about. Roger glanced at Atlas for a quick moment, wanting to speak but not wanting to be the one to break the silence.

Eddie turned to Astrid and Juniper.
"How did you two meet?" He questioned curiously.

(She’s so coooooollllll!! And I love your art! The colors are so stunning!! Also, welcome back!)

Atlas felt the eyes of the other on him, glancing over at him and flashing a charming smile. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked at the broken road underneath his feet.
“Have you ever been in the Higher Cities?”

Juniper laughed at the question, looking over at Astrid and smiling. “It was by happenstance. She bumped into me, followed me back to my ‘base’.” Juniper glanced at Astrid and smiled. “I’m glad I didn’t chase her off. It’s nice having a friend.”

(hehe thanks !)

Roger inhaled quickly and deeply as the question floated into the air. Thinking back to his time in the Floating Cities provoked him to clench his fist and look to the ground in mental strain.
"Once, but only while they operated on me. I was too busy begging for my life to really pay attention to the sights. They sent me back down here once I was "fully operational." They hoped we would cleanse these towns or something, but all that happened was the guards used their power to take their anger out on anyone that even hints at an opportunity to."
Roger knew he was probably oversharing, but he's never actually gotten any of this stuff off his chest, and it felt nice, so he kept going.
"I killed a lot of people when I was under their control, and there's nothing I want more than to bring those lives back. They had families. They were just trying to survive."

Astrid grinned, looking in the direction of Eddie. "She's lots of fun," She added after Juniper finished.

Atlas listened to every word, letting Roger vent as he pulled a few boards from a rotting house. He turned to look at the other male, patting his shoulder.
“Don’t think too much about it, alright? What’s in the past is done. We can’t change it. But there’s no use regretting. Live your life better now, strive to be better.” He offered a small, reassuring smile.
“You have people around you now who have forgiven you, who trust you, focus on them.”

Junipers grin widened. “Who me? Nah. I’m nothing special.” She chuckled lightly, smiling happily. “But I am really enjoying getting to know all of you… I guess I needed friends more than i thought I did.”

Roger smiled sadly at Atlas when he pat his shoulder, helping Atlas pull apart the boards.
"I guess you're right. I'm still confused on why I'm helping Eddie out. He treated me like shit when we were working together. I guess to an extent I understood where he was coming from. He only did what he did out of survival, even if he didn't realize it."
Astrid looked back down to the ground.
"I didn't have any friends for a while. It was just me and my brothers. Then it was just the two of us when Roger disappeared." Astrid pushed back the flashing memories that seared in her mind of Jesse's last moments. She felt nauseous just thinking about it, and the stench of the bodies didn't help. She's glad she got to bury Jesse properly rather than throw him onto one of the many piles; she couldn't stand to look at his corpse again.

Atlas laughed at that, nodding his head to show he understood. “Stephan was the same way when I first met him. You’ll warm up to Eddie, he seems like a good kid. Both of you have been through hell and back and I’m sure they tinkered with both of your minds. Those kind of scars are the hardest to heal, the mental ones.”
Atlas moved to the next board, studying the nails that held it in place. They were rusted enough he could probably pry the wood clean off with just a small tug.
“We’re all assholes towards everyone because of our want to survive. It’s funny we think we can survive better on our own, when in fact, larger groups of people survive more often than single people do.
Juniper gently squeezed Atlas’s hand, looking sad. “It’ll be okay, we have Roger back, and a group to help us… we won’t forget Jesse either… we can’t. He’ll always be with us in spirit.”

Roger nodded. "He went through some shit I didn't even know about. The more I think about what that organization did to him, the more I realize he's just as much a victim as I am. I just wish he'd figure it out before it was too late."
Roger holds several planks and boards under his arm as he uses his other arm to grab more.
As Juniper spoke, Eddie's heart drops, along with his expression.
"Wait…Jesse?" His voice shakes as his eyes widen in denied confusion. "What happened to Jesse?"
Astrid looked towards Eddie, furrowing a brow. "Did you know him?"
Eddie's throat tightens as he swallows the lump in his throat. "He was my…he was my friend. I loved him. What…what happened to him?"

“He’s been through a lot… so have you…” Atlas paused for a moment, sighing gently. “Don’t we all wish we would have realized sooner?” He sighed softly, rubbing at his scared arms.
Juniper felt her heart drop into her stomach.
“Jesse was killer by the officials…” she murmured, looking down at the ground and biting her lip to keep from crying.
“He’s gone… I’m sorry Eddie.”

Roger nodded, thinking back to what he saw in Eddie's memories. He wondered what Astrid could have seen when she tapped into him: something Eddie's kept buried for a long time. How much did Eddie bury?
If Eddie could catch his breath, he would have gasped; instead he placed one hand on his stomach and the other on his forehead, bending forward as his eyes grow vacant. The world fell of it's axis as Eddie's overwhelming emotion threw him into a pit of dizziness and frustration. He broke his fall with his knees as he let out a heart-wrenching yell.
Astrid placed a hand over her mouth, as if she would do the same if she wasn't careful. Tears already started to form.

(Sorry for the wait! College stuff is kiiiillinng meee)

Atlas touched Roger’s arm, his eyes hardened, knowing, concerned, even pained.
Atlas himself understood the trauma of becoming a victim, and he really understood the anger and frustration and worry that came with understanding and helping another victim.
Stephan was his companion and perhaps something a little more if Atlas ever got the courage to make a move. But Stephan was so deeply scarred, so quiet from his trauma, that he was afraid.
“Make sure you’re there for him, alright? He’ll need it. But if you need someone to lean on, come to me.”

Juniper turned her face away from the grieving Eddie, her own heart wrenching for him. She felt the tears prick the corner of her eyes but didn’t let them fall. She refused to cry. Crying wasn’t good… crying over someone… it just… it wasn’t…
Juniper wrapped her arms around Eddie, pulling him in tightly. The first tear she shed rolled down her cheek and onto the grieving male’s head.

(Me: *doesn't post for almost a month
You: *dares to take a full day to respond and apologizes for the wait
Me: haha yeah,,,,,,
LOL jk bro it's totally fine u know i'd rather u take care of urself first:) )

Roger let out a saddened smile as he nodded at Atlas. Conflictions and frustrations twisted around his mind, but he wouldn't let them get to him.
"We've got enough firewood, right? Let's get back." Roger inhaled sharply, turning away before he allowed tears to fall.
Eddie dug his fingers into the dusty dirt as he sniffled, leaning heavily into Juniper's embrace. His breath shaky and his voice broken, he spoke in sobs.
"I never questioned my authority, or what they told me. I was confused all the time, and I didn't understand when people around me contradicted their words."
He wiped his nose, looking intently into space, eyes vacant, but constant.
"Jesse was the only person I understood. He was the only consistency in my life of confusion."

(XD XD Thanks man. The same goes out towards you. Make sure y’all take care of yourself!)

Atlas stood up straight and adjusted his jacket, nodding. He wouldn’t press. Roger had a lot going on. Atlas respected that.
“Yes we should have enough, let’s hurry back.” He replied in his usual rough, confident tone. It was almost sad to realize that it was all just a front.

Juniper ran her hands soothingly through his hair, hushing him softly. If the world would have been normal, Juniper would have made a really good comforter and caretaker. But they didn’t live in a normal world.
“He was very grounded. I noticed that too.” She murmured, closing her eyes.
“He acres rough and tough didnt he? But he was such a softie.”

(Ofc ofc! My friend and I have been marvelling at your response quality and speed and when you said u had college stuff I thought, "man I'm not even in college and it takes me weeks to respond,,,,,,," :') anyway hope ur doing well love u!)

Roger walked firmly as he found himself lost in thought. He'd had his suspicions against the people he was working for, but he was afraid of defying them because they had manipulated him to stay loyal. Even Eddie, under their control, made Roger feel like he was lucky to be alive, despite his awful circumstances.
Even now, he doesn't know why he decided to help Eddie. He knew Eddie was a victim, but he still said some nasty shit to Roger; why did he help Eddie?
After some time, Eddie had calmed down, but his eyes still swelled with tears, circles forming under them. Eddie sniffed, standing up slowly. Without making eye contact with anyone, he walked to the wall, murmuring something about wanting to be alone, but not caring if anyone heard him or not.
Astrid looked at Juniper, curious of many things but unable to find the words to bring them up.

(But y’all are forgetting your responses are super good too!!! Tho I am flattered you think so highly of my responses aha. And don’t worry about it! It’s okay to not answer if you’re not feeling it or if you’re busy.)

Atlas returned just as Eddie was walking off, his eyes following him carefully.
He glanced around to find Stephan, who was sorting through his medical supplies and items and making sure they were 100% in place. Stephan hated not knowing where things were.

June watched him walk off, frowning deeply. She stood not as defensive, and almost looked rather relaxed.
Her soft demeanor fell the moment she noticed Astrid looking at her, but she still had that caring and concerned light in her eyes.

( :') ur so amazing haha aawww thank u )

Roger dropped the pile of firewood onto the ground, huffing a relieved sigh as he gazes at Astrid, who looked lethargic.
"Alright, looks like we're set for the night. How are you guys holding up?" Roger suddenly noticed the absence in the group. "Where's Eddie?"
Astrid emptily pointed in the direction that Eddie disappeared, causing Roger to shoot a glance in Stephan and Atlas's direction. Despite only truly trusting one person in this group, Roger didn't know what to think about what may have happened while he was gone, and wanted to go after Eddie, but wasn't sure if he was okay with leaving Astrid.
He gave Astrid a worried glance, but she merely returned with a cold lack of eye contact.

(NO UUU also, np np :D)

Juniper spoke up to explain the situation, her voice cracking a little.
Jesse's death had shaken everyone who had met him… And June felt somewhat responsible with his death. If she had made them them a different route, if she had only convinced them to stay away from large groups, maybe then he wouldn't have died…
But then again, they wouldn't have gotten Roger back or have met Eddie.
It was all too complicated and Juniper was overwhelmed with a flurry of new emotions and old habits come back from the grave.
"Eddie knew Jesse…" WAs all she managed to get out, closing her eyes.

Atlas looked over at the group and frowned deeply, folding his arms.
"Jesse was the one who died, correct? The brother? Eddie knew him? How?" Juniper shrugged and Stephan hit Atlas's shin angrily, growling a soft warning to 'be more considerate of other's feelings.'
It was ironic considering Stephan had literally no idea what others felt towards him.

(So uh i accidentally wrote a fat response,,,,,,i actually had to refrain from writing more bc i got too excited abt what i have planned,,,,,,,whoops,,,,)

Seeing Juniper's gentle but deep care for his siblings, Roger clenched his fist and began shuffling quickly in the direction of Eddie's trail. He knew he had to go fast, because he wasn't sure how far Eddie had gotten, and how much further he'll go. Fortunately, after a few minutes of running, Roger saw Eddie. As much as he wanted to call out to Eddie, Roger noticed that he was walking somewhere with intent. Curiosity overtake Roger as he kept quiet, following Eddie at a distance. After a few turns and twists, Eddie slowed down, reaching a field-no, as Roger got closer, he realized it was a cemetery.
Eddie walks down the rows until he pauses in front of one stone, turning to face it, and simply staring. Roger squinted his eyes to see better, and nothing could have prepared Roger for what Eddie did next.
Was he…talking to the gravestone?

Astrid found a spot to sit and curled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on her left leg as she stared emptily at the ground. A repressed memory found it's way back to the front of her mind, replaying without her permission.
I was drawing at the time, a common coping mechanism after our parents were killed, and an easy, non-violent way to take out my frustrations, even if I did end up having another breakdown, scribbling madly, ripping the paper, and even breaking pencils, Roger told me it was okay to be mad, as long as I don't hurt anyone, including myself. In this moment, I was calm.
Roger shuffled in shakily, bending to his knees to be at eye level with me, who sat on the ground. He seemed in a rush, or maybe even distracted. I couldn't make eye contact with anyone at this point in my life, so I only looked up at his chest.
"Hey, Astrid, I need to talk to you." He muttered, getting a little close, but left enough distance for my comfort. He knew I wouldn't respond verbally, so he continued. "I need to leave for a few days."
This news sparked intense panic into my bones, and I squeezed my fist tightly, eyes widening as I started breathing quickly.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." He breathed, his voice calm and nurturing, "I'll come back, I promise. I just need to look into something about our parents, okay?"
I tried my best to slow my breathing, but my skin crawled and my chest tightened.
"Here, I'll even let you have my jacket as collateral. You know I'll come back for that."
Roger removed his army green jacket and placed it gingerly on my back. I grinned quietly, my heartrate slowing to a calm speed. Roger looks at me.
"I promised you something, so you have to promise me something in return, okay?"
I turn my head to look towards him, my eyes dancing everywhere but his face.
"Promise you'll take care of Jesse while I'm gone. I know he's taking this whole thing pretty hard, even if he doesn't show it, but I know you'll help him get through it. He respects you."
Back then, Astrid was so caught off guard by the idea that either of her brothers respected her that she didn't even realize that Roger asking Astrid for that promise was evidence of how much he respected Astrid too. She always assumed that everyone looked at her differently, like she was special in all the wrong ways.
Astrid blinked back into reality, realizing she had dug her fingers into the dirt below her. She relaxed her grip, sighing heavily.

(You’re okay! Write as much as you’d like!!)

Juniper frowned deeply when Roger went off after Eddie. She didn’t want the two to get caught… she couldn’t handle losing more of her new group, of her new friends.
Yeah.
Friends.
People she felt comfortable around. People who she wanted to be with.
It was all so foreign but she was enjoying it far too mich even if the ache of losing one of them was enough to send her over the edge.
She missed Jesse terribly, but she still had Astrid and the others to look out for.

So she sat next to Astrid and closed her eyes, fiddling with her clothes as she thought back on her life.
June was still young and yet she had witnessed so many horrible things already…
The writhing mass of limbs and bone and body was the first to come to her mind, churning her stomach as she recalled how it smelled as it burned. The shrieking voices got to her the most; their wailing and shrill voices far too pained to make out.
Juniper never went back to the labs and their territory after that, vowing to stay away from the area forever.
She couldn’t handle the elimination of so many like her, and yet that seemed to be what the labs were doing…
Maybe the whole upper world wanted the lower cities dead… maybe that was the plan all along: kill the rats that lived below in muck and filth and sadness and poverty.

It was the sound of Astrid releasing the dirt that brought Juniper back into the land of reality, landing her right back where she was seated, in the dust surrounded by the dead.
“Do you need to talk about it?” She asked suddenly, looking Astrid in the face.
“I can tell something’s bothering you.”

(I love how I’m rpint as Juniper but I’m getting super excited to see what Eddie and Roger are you to)

(Haha thanks! Also lol here we go>;) )

Roger watched Eddie closely, noticing his softened face. As much as the curiosity ate Roger up inside, he wanted to let Eddie do his thing. That is, until he saw Eddie reach behind him-
No, I didn't know he-
Roger watched in horror as Eddie revealed the handgun he had, and as Eddie pointed the gun upward, his chin resting on the barrel, Roger's heart dropped.
"Eddie?" He began, stepping closer, eyes widening as the pieces fell together and he realized what was about to happen, "Eddie!!" He shouted, thankfully causing Eddie to drop the gun and turn to Roger, even hiding the gun, and pretending like he wasn't doing what he was doing.
"Eddie, what the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you-" Roger turned to the gravestone he stood in front of, confusion manifesting in his expression as he turned to face Eddie. Eddie's eyes were puffy from crying as he spoke.
"I don't know if you have the luxury of restoring all of your memories," he began, struggling to speak through his rough sobs, "but I only have the ones that hurt."
Roger furrowed a brow, inhaling deeply. "Eddie, who is this?" He uttered, gesturing to the gravestone.
Eddie shook his head, attempting to blink the tears from his eyes.
"Remember when I told you that I don't have dreams?"
Roger nodded at his question. Eddie continued.
"I was lying. Everytime I closed my eyes I'd see this fucking name on this rock. Even back then, even when I was under their control, I'd see this, and it would hurt. And I didn't know why."
Roger, confused, gazed at the years engraved on the stone. It was at that moment, he did the math, and realized.
"Eddie…"
"My entire childhood has been robbed from me. The moment I broke out of their control, I remembered this name. But it doesn't even matter. I don't have any of my memories of my father, so why do I have to remember his name?"

Astrid looked up at Juniper, a sad smile escaping her troubled face. She inhaled shakily, giving away any attempt at hiding her pain as she shrugged her shoulders.
"I…I couldn't…" she began, unable to get her words out. "I promised Roger. I promised him I'd protect Jesse."

(:0 EDDIE NOOOO BBY!!!!!!!!)

Juniper offered her hand for comfort, a pained look in her eyes. "And you did, for as long as you could." She murmured, clenching her teeth to keep from crying or breaking down.
"I-I'm sorry…" The words were near a whisper.
"I should have made you guys go the other way… I should have done something to stop it. I-I should have left instead of stayed with you two… If I wasn't here none of that would have happened." She leaned into Astrid, her head aching from the pressure of tears held back.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Jesse deserved better! He shouldn't have died! Why wasn't it me instead!?"