some sort of gay soap opera

Death. Destruction. Damien!

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-=Ooc=-

-=Ic=- Damien looked between the two, wanting to make peace but knowing they would probably have to deal with it on their own; after all, that was how they had fixed it last time. They were good at getting in fights, but they were also good at healing them. He wasn't sure how good of a trait that was.

Rex rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly; he had never been good with infighting, just physical fighting. His forte was not communications, and while he wasn't stupid, he was smart enough to recognize this as a fact. Instead he slung his arm around Puck's, admittedly weighing him down a small bit, and led the way out of the courtyard.

Everett followed Rex and Puck out, holding the door open until Chris reached it, and then letting go and walking beside him. He could tell Chris was incredibly annoyed, but he wasn't really bothered by it. It was a cute look on Chris, which was good, considering the fact that from what he had heard it was probably Chris' permanent look. But he knew not to try to solve the problem, so instead he decided to just let him vent. "Need someone to talk to about it?"

Everett had let go of the door right as Damien was walking towards it. Of course. Things like this had happened before when Everett had a crush, so Damien just shot out his hand to stop the door before it hit his face and kept moving. He had dropped back to walk beside Jared, who was clearly upset that Damien had not taken his side. "I'm sorry that I didn't defend your point. It's just that I don't want to promise you something that's against what I was taught. I wouldn't send anyone else with your level of fighting experience out into the field, much less someone whom I... whom I love. I can't risk losing you again, and while I'm not going to hold you back if you're properly trained, you have to actually be properly trained first. And I can promise you I will train you."

//don't think he's actually confessed his love for Jared before TO Jared
figured now would be a good time; he'd want to do it before he had a chance to lose him again

Death. Destruction. Damien!

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-=Ooc=- *squeals internally b/c they've finally confessed their love and i wasn't going to make it a big deal but it's still super cute ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh*
also, FOUR MORE POSTS
i recalculated and i think it's going to be me who hits the 200 mile marker
i forgot to subtract one of your bumps from the previous thread

-=Ic=- Everett frowned; it upset him that Chris felt like he was being abandoned. He knew the feeling; before he had learned what Damien was like, he had often felt upset when Damien wasn't willing to connect or was just tired of people. However, to him it just seemed like Jared was learning to be independent. Wasn't that a good thing? "Hey now, I don't think Jared's abandoning you. And anyway, even if he does, you have new friends now." He slung his arm over Chris' shoulder, winking at him.

"You mean Rexy and Puck? Aw, I've known them forever. Rex's family was always super close with mine, so we pretty much grew up with each other. Puck, well, honestly the details aren't really clear because I was maybe six or seven, but I think we were gonna beat him up for being a loser, and then he turned out to be pretty cool so we befriended him instead. He's just kinda been with us ever since. Rex adores him and treats him like his child, and for some reason Puck puts up with it... We're kind of like a family, 'cause Rex and I really mother Puck. Hey, you can join our little family if you want; you can be my luscious boyfriend on the side." Everett grinned at Chris; his flirting never really stopped, but it was an honest invitation. Chris seemed like he needed a good family to love him and care for him.

Damien smiled and blushed when Jared replied; he hadn't really mean to let his feelings slip out so easily, but it had felt right. And the fact that Jared loved him back was like a miracle come true. He kissed Jared on the cheek and bumped shoulders with him, walking close in companionable silence. He hadn't really expected Jared to respond that he loved him as well, and so he was pleasantly surprised. Damien didn't speak for awhile, as he felt like he had dissolved into a bubble of happiness. When he finally emerged, he realized something; almost no one knew. "What are we going to do after the war? Especially since we won't be able to just erase all the prejudice between both our groups with one quick war, it'll be hard for us to be accepted. I just... I don't want to have to hide." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at Jared's beautifully messy hair.

Death. Destruction. Damien!

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-=Ooc=-so muCH SHIPPING AH

i was reading back to make sure my calculations were right and I saw that again and i was like 'perfect'

-=Ic=- "Good! We'd be glad to have you. Well, Rex might not be, but he can deal with me cheating on him." Everett laughed good-naturedly. "So, important questions to ask; can you play poker and would you willingly? Because it's a lot of fun when you're betting with stupid stuff instead of actual money, and we need somebody new to keep it interesting." Ev swept his hair out of his face with his free hand and smiled.

Damien looked at Jared and smiled wanly. "What I want to do is cede the Northerners to someone more capable, retire with the plenty of money I have saved up, and live in one of my better safe houses. With-with you, if you would like to do that.

I.. When I was a kid, I used to dream, I used to bow to my whimsy instead of my teachings. That... That was before my father abandoned me, my mother died, and my two brothers betrayed me. But when I dreamt, I dreamt of a little house, with a large yard. I don't really remember all of it, but I remember the peace that came with dreaming of those niceties. I have enough money to pay to fix up one of my newer ones, and I've always wondered what the peaceful life is like. And... As soon as we got to know each other, it kinda made sense. Y'know, having you in that life. But that's only if it's what you want as well."

Damien finished it off hurriedly; he had opened up a lot in the past few days, things he hadn't discussed or admitted to himself in a long time. It was easier, with Jared, but it still felt complicated. And he was hesitant to push Jared into things his love might not want to do; he had seen how well that went with Chris, and he really only wanted Jared to be happy. If Jared was happy, he supposed he could be okay with living on his own. And anyway, they had really only been together for a few days. He supposed things were moving rather fast, and he was okay with it, but he didn't want to jump all over it.

//revealin' some past
think i'm gonna write out his past now after I finish this post

that's right they have weekly family nights
and most of the time they play poker
since they basically live together they just kinda trade items, like forks, or stuffed animals, or random shit like that
and YEAH THAT'S RIGHT Everett and Rex both also have stuffed animals
i mean with Puck it's kind of obvious but Everett and Rex also have some

Death. Destruction. Damien!

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-=Ooc=- AHH 200 POSTS AHH *pops confetti everywhere*
*suddenly, balloons*
*pops cork out of bottle of sparkling grape juice b/c that shit is delicious*
i may or may not know who the secret (or not so secret) fan is
in other news, hey look at that i made it canon due to not knowing how to respond to the Ev/Chris interaction

-=Ic=- Everett grinned wildly. "Oh ho ho, trust me, it is. There was this one time where Puck got super confident that he would win, so he placed a bet with his favorite stuffed animal, except he lost almost immediately to Rex, and then tried to steal it away from Rex later that night. It gets pretty wild, and it's always a lot of fun."

"Well, you're welcome to share it with me." Damien blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. He was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't really care. For the first time in a very, very long time, his childhood dream seemed like an actual reality; one that he could truly enjoy. It was a nice moment, but unfortunately- and especially lately- those moments never lasted. Damien couldn't wait for this god damn war to be over.

"...They're going to ruin everything we've been trying to accomplish because they're fucking idiots. I've read their file. We have to hurry, then." Damien ran his hand through his hair, pissed and annoyed, if one can be both at the same time. "Where are they?"

//i thought it said kylo and ren at first
good job me

Death. Destruction. Damien!

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-=Ooc=-

-=Ic=- Damien's mouth gaped and he bristled quietly as Chris described what some of his gang members had done. He let out an angry curse when he heard the screaming and quickly turned to Everett. "We need to get out of here and fast. You know that quick way out, the one I showed you a few years back? We're going to head there. Follow us and make sure nobody goes after or accidentally wanders into us. Rex? Cover our front, get people out of the way. We've got to hurry. Don't act suspicious, make up some lie about Puck or something. Puck, go with Everett."

Damien turned away from the three as Rex raced off and looked at Chris and Jared. "I know the fastest way out of here. Come on."

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Death. Destruction. Damien!

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-=Ooc=- warning this post probably won't be all that great
Timeskip to when they reach the Northerner compound? or do you want to roleplay Chris having a panic attack?

-=Ic=- Chris takes meds? It was Damien's first thought and reaction to hearing Jared's voice, but he shook off the wandering thought. I suppose it makes sense, considering what's in his file. You'd think they would make such traumatic experiences less public. Rosario really was an ass.

They reached the exit and Damien turned around, letting Chris and Jared go past him into the tunnel. He waited a second for Everett and Puck to catch up, then spoke. "Stay here, around this area. I don't want people to follow us because if they find out that there are Northerners here, in the main compound... I don't want to think about how that will go down. I trust you, okay?" Damien looked desperately at Everett; he knew if one person found them they would get others and Damien couldn't fight off a whole crowd. Everett nodded resolutely, and Puck grinned at him, giving a half-salute. "Don't worry Damien, we've got this. Come on, Everett, let's go do some traffic control."
"You know Puck, I think that's the stupidest thing you've ever said." Puck sneered at Everett and they walked off, bickering.

Damien ducked into the tunnel, closing and locking the door behind him. He ran down the familiar hallway to catch up with Jared and Chris. It was an old section of the building that lay mostly forgotten; they had made renovations a few decades ago, and if you went too far from the main compound it turned into the older areas that they hadn't had the time or money to finish renovating. The rest of the project had been put off until it was forgotten about, and few had the energy or care to explore the old, barely lit, dusty hallways of the original compound.

It was silent, and the lights flickered as Damien's footsteps echoed quietly on the linoleum. He walked just ahead of the other two. Back when he was in highschool, Damien had explored almost the entirety of the wreck and knew his way quite well around the passages. Because it was so old, there were several hidden doors and secret passageways that few had discovered, and he planned to use these now to his advantage.

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Death. Destruction. Damien!

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-=Ooc=- okay cool
it's pretty great, i know XD
every now and then i get thischorus stuck in my head
secret, aaagent man
i don't even know what it's from or where i first heard it
but every now and then those three words pop into my head
random tidbit about me for all those who don't give a crap

-=Ic=- Damien turned when Jared started pleading with Chris. At first he had not noticed either; he had been lost in reminiscing and, in all honesty, had not been very worried about them getting caught. After all, he probably knew these halls far better than anyone, except perhaps Puck and Rex, who he had often caught exploring the ruins or just hanging out in one of the roomier areas. Now, however, Chris had become a liability. Damien shook off his natural instinct, the one he had been taught, to leave behind any and all those who were holding them up; his new morals and love for Jared prevented him.

Damien walked back to the two; one crouched against the wall, the other squatted down and pleading. "Is there any way to stop him from having this, uh... panic attack? Because if you can't calm him down in the next two minutes I'm going to have to carry him. He'll probably hate me for it, but we've got to get out of here, especially if we can get him to somewhere where he can calm down." Damien rose his voice a bit when Chris started screaming, so that Jared could hear him. He squatted down beside Chris, looking intently at his newfound friend's wild, unfocused eyes.

"Not everything is your fault, Chris. Except perhaps the fact that Jared is so happy; you're the sole reason he hasn't been thrown headfirst into this chaotic, wartorn shit load of politics and things no one wants to deal with like we were. And if you don't calm down, everything you've done for him will go to shit, because you can't protect him if you're locked away. Please, please, stop screaming. I need you here, so that we can get out."

It was a last-ditch attempt to calm Chris down; if it didn't work, Damien was prepared the sling the freaked-out man over his shoulder, even if that made it worse. They could feed him meds when the three were safe. Please, Everett, Puck, distract them somehow. Keep them from following the screaming sounds.

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Death. Destruction. Damien!

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-=Ooc=- dang it i did that to taunt you and you turned it against me
oh well
it's still not true and never will be

i'm thinking they get taken back to Benno and they try to explain and Benno's like 'i dunno about this, i'll think it over, we'll see, blehbleh for now you guys spend your time locked up BUT because i'm not altogether sure you're traitors and our enemies i won't separate you'
or something like that

-=Ic=- Damn it, Ev, I'm going to kill you if I don't die first. He hadn't had time to feel a sense of relief when Chris stood up; almost immediately he had heard the footsteps and drew himself in front of the other two. Chris was weakened, Jared untrained, and Damien knew these people, knew their families. He couldn't bring himself to hurt them, not when his mind was in control.

Damien stood stock-still as the first few came into the room. A few gaped in surprise at the appearance of their forefighter protecting and defending the Northerners, but most just looked determined and angry. All in all, there were about twenty; fifteen from the side nearest to the compound, and five from the direction they had been headed. Damien saw Everett and Puck standing helplessly at the back of the crowd and sighed inwardly.

"Damien Onyx Ashe. I never expected you to be a traitor." Nikada Vihtori Keith stepped forward, and Damien narrowed his eyes slightly. He had never liked Nikada. "One of the most well-liked, well-trusted members of the Southerners, and he's a traitor. I saw this coming." Mutterings filled the group, and Damien cleared his throat. Thankfully, despite their mistrusting glares, he still commanded attention.

"I'm not a traitor, nor are these two your enemies. I- what happened, just now, that wasn't supposed to happen. You've got to believe me. I've worked alongside all of you for years and I can promise you that what just happened was only the fault of two people, and they will be strictly punished. I don't want war between the two groups. This might be confusing, but I'm just not up to explaining for the third time what's going on. Benno trusts me; won't you all?"

Nikada snorted. "I don't know where I heard about your 'convincing' address' and your powers of speech, because this just sounds ridiculous. I say we take him to Benno. How can Benno trust him if he's helped these... Southerners," Nikada spit the word out, "try and escape? Let Benno decide."

"Let Benno decide!" The crowd was swept up by Nikada's argument, and Damien rubbed the back of his neck. This wasn't going to be easy. He raised his eyebrows at Everett in the back, who looked worried and kept silent. None of them quite knew what to do and Damien was too tired to fight back against the angered crowd. They had every right to be angry, but it just wasn't... Wasn't directed at the right person.

Damien felt his thoughts slowly become more discombobulated and despite the tense situation they were in, he had to subtly pinch his arm to keep himself awake. He had gotten four hours of sleep the night before, and then so many things had happened today. Damien knew he wouldn't last much longer, but he had to stay awake, stay strong. He was their only chance at surviving this.

//Nikada (nee-kay-da) is like the Trevor of the Southerners, except Benno never trusted him enough to allow him to become a high-ranking member, so he's even more vicious and annoying
it doesn't help that i was tired and so damien's speech doesn't even sound convincing, just kinda desperate
wow that was a long post

SOME NOTES on the story because I was reading back through
When/If they go to the jail cell, they should spend the night there because like half of our story has been this one day. The span of this story has been maybe two or three days? I thought it was at least five but apparently not so we seemed to have totally missed that lmao
AND NOW SOME QUOTES b/c they gave me life

ripped pants. wrote:

[align=center][font=constantia]ooc: I don't even know Chris is p much 50% useless and 50% jerk

he still is but at least now we love him for it

ripped pants. wrote:

[font=constantia]but there are a lot of reasons why Chris likes Jared, and Jared's probably the last person he'll ever fall in love with.

hahaha suuure that's happening uh-huh yup definitely

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Death. Destruction. Damien!

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-=Ooc=- just keep lying to yourself, friend

-=Ic=- Damien felt the handcuffs click around his wrists, and he resisted the urge to free himself and tear open Nikada, who dangled the key with a sardonic grin. No one was near enough to hear him when he leaned forward and whispered to Damien, "Even if you are innocent, which I severely doubt, I'll make sure you never get a position of power here again. Your spot is mine, sucker." Nikada turned away as if he had done nothing, leading the group as they headed back to Benno.

Damien watched as the man locking Chris' handcuffs sneered at him before turning and heading forward. Someone replaced them, eyeing them closely as they walked. Damien couldn't help but sigh; he had gone to school with most of these men and women, and now they were turning against him on the flick of a hat. He supposed he should have expected this; there was only so many people a person that lived this kind of life could become attached to. Otherwise, they'd have a whole horde of people that they would be worrying about, night and day, who were almost always in life-threatening situations. Damien didn't really blame them; a few days ago, he would have done the same thing had the situation been reversed.

Damien noticed Everett out of the corner of his eye, slowly and subtly making his way over to the three prisoners. Puck followed just behind, his eyes wide and scared; contrasting with the vicious looks of his gangmates. Damien gave a small shake of his head; don't come near. He turned to the front and kept walking, occasionally bumping shoulders with Jared lightly.

At the front, Nikada punched the wall they had run into. "This place is like a maze! How are you supposed to find your way out?" Someone chuckled behind him, and he whirled around, his anger evident. "Who laughed?" His voice rose into a shriek, and someone else let out a laugh. "Who was that? Speak up, or I'll find you!"

Everett coughed to hide his laughter, nudging Puck to shut him up as well. "You know, as amusing as it is to see you look like a fool, to save us time can you please get someone actually capable to lead us? I'd like to get out of here sometime this year."

A ripple of laughter went through the group and Nikada shook a fist at him, eyes narrowed. After a second, he picked someone who knew the way back to lead. Soon, they were on their way again, Nikada muttering curses at the still-grinning Everett, who felt pretty proud of himself at the moment. Damien himself resisted a grin; in times like these, he took what small joys he could get.

When they finally reached the courtyard they had been in not thirty minutes ago, joyful and exuberant, Nikada once again took the lead, roughly pushing the three in and following behind. The four were alone with Benno, and he looked wearily up. He did not seem surprised to see them, but nor did he appear angry. It was a tired look that filled his eyes as he stood up and walked over to the three fugitives.

"You said you wanted peace, Damien. Then, almost immediately afterward, there is killing and injuries. Your men. I never thought even you would stoop so low as to try a trick like that."

"Benno, you know that is not like me. I fight fair, if somewhat cruelly. Even after the strange turn of events that led me to becoming leader of the Northerners, you must believe this is not what I intended. The two who did it... They will be punished. They didn't attend the meeting in which we decided against war, and so the idiots decided it would be a fair idea to start the attack. From what I hear, this is normal behavior for them. I don't want war; at least, not between us. I have been faithful to you for years, even if sometimes I broke the rules. You know I would never betray my home like that." Damien searched Benno's eyes for some sign of belief; though Damien's demeanor was calm, his tone was earnest and frank.

It was possibly the most emotion Benno had seen Damien show in a very long time; not since the man standing before him was a child. He was inclined to believe him, but even still, people had died. He couldn't just do nothing to them, or there might be a rebellion in the gang. Benno rubbed his forehead, and turned to Nikada. "Personally, I am inclined to believe this, especially due to recent events that you do not have the privilege of knowing. I will mull this over and hold a meeting in the morning. Take them to one of the more comfortable cells and put them together until we have reached a decision. Do not mistreat them, Nikada. The last thing I want is a war, and if I find out we have to have one because of you..." The threat trailed off, and Nikada gulped. He turned around and ushered the other three out, leading them away to their jail cell.

//noo, not the feeeeeels
too small to write but Nikada totally heard the 'im the leader of the northerners thing'
everyone will know by midnight

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Death. Destruction. Damien!

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-=Ooc=- i see what you did there
WAIT A SECOND YOUVE NEVER EMPLOYED THAT TACTIC TO HIDE A MESSAGE DID YOU FIND THE ONE I PUT IN THE SAME MANNER SOMEHOW

-=Ic=- After a few, uncomfortably long minutes, Nikada led them in to their jail cell. He snickered quietly; listening in to conversations really did pay off; and now his most annoying rival was sitting in a jail cell, on trial as a traitor. Sucker.

Damien looked around. All in all, for a cell, it wasn't too bad. The walls weren't damp, the room was spacious, and the four beds in the room looked comfortable enough. It would be nice to get some sleep, at least. The bathroom even had a little curtain around it, for a small amount of privacy. How pleasant.

Damien waited until Nikada left before letting out a sigh of relief. There were still guards around, of course, but Damien knew them well from dropping off prisoners and various other contraband to the area. They wouldn't eavesdrop; they didn't really care what happened, as long as no one escaped and those on break got some sleep. Unlike Nikada, who no doubt was spreading anything he had heard that could be twisted in some way amongst the group.

Damien rubbed his eyes and checked the beds. Damn, they didn't have time to leave pajamas this time. Even if they are a bit scratchy, it's better than sleeping in my boxers. Damien was far too tired to notice the tension between Chris and Jared- and anyway, if he needed to get involved, they could get him in the morning. When he felt refreshed and had actually gotten a full night of sleep.

"Jared, I know you're worried about Chris. Chris, I know you're indignant. However, I am about to crash; and I'm sure the two of you are as well. So I'm going to bed. Maybe hold off on fighting until the morning? Sleep on it, or whatever, I think. I'm not up to thinking straight." With those words, and a huge yawn, Damien stripped off his garments down to his boxers, flopped onto one of the beds, and closed his eyes. "By the way, if either of you wakes me up tonight because you didn't take my advice, there will be hell to pay."

Damien knew what he said wasn't strictly true; there'd probably only be hell to pay if Chris did it. If Jared woke him up, he'd probably just be annoyed and then go back to sleep soon after. But neither of them needed to know that.

//i'll see what i can do
'how pleasant'
i make myself laugh
figured we could wrap the day up and if the drama continues, damien can play his part in it tomorrow
....and jared may or may not be totally welcome to push his bed up to damien's
they're cheap and light, it shouldn't be too hard

...Nikada likes the word 'sucker' haha if yaknowwhatimean