over the river {PRIVATE} through the woods

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    [justify]Here it is!



    Jackson Ortiz
    Twenty-three


    Jackson couldn't believe what was happening. Why had he agreed to do something like this in the first place? Traveling alone was dangerous but taking someone else was even more so; especially when you were being paid to protect them. That meant having to put your life on the line for them in dangerous situations and he honestly didn't think he was up for that-- dieing, that is. He was currently waiting at the point he would meet his client. The point they would start the journey he had been told was 'so important to the survival of mankind.' That had really been all he was told. Not much else about his client or what was going on was given to him and he guessed he would receive that information upon meeting the other.[/justify]


    [shadow=black,left]Opal Jay Delphox• •[/shadow]
    [fancypost bgcolor=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; height: 200px; width: 200px; font-family: bookman oldstyle; color: white; text-align: justify; overflow: auto;]Opal hummed softly as she waited at the meeting point where she was suppose to be meeting the man who was going to be taking her to the lab ran by the fireflies. She glanced at the bite mark on her arm, it was a month old. It had scarred over and looked pretty cool, it was like a battle wound. She laughed to herself and pulled her sleeve up before noticing a young man walking up. He had white hair, which was strange. She remembered reading in a book that hair can turn white from extreme stress or trauma. Her green eyes looked him over before walking up to him."So, you are the guy who will be transporting me to the lab. You don't look like much. Eh, you're cute so at least I'll have eye candy."She was smirking and the expression on her face was making it hard to tell whether or not she was being serious
    [/fancypost]

    [justify]The male's face was deadpan as the other approached and spoke, his blue eyes looking her over as he stood, waiting for her to finish whatever it was she was saying. He decided to disregard the second half of her words and cleared his throat softly before opening his mouth to speak, "You know, I wasn't exactly given much information about this. Mind clueing me in as to what's up and where we're going?" Jackson didn't exactly have the best track record with the Fireflies, but he and the group definitely tolerated each other when they had to; him harboring a deep respect for the group and what they were doing standing up to the harsh government presiding over them. They asked him for 'favors' and paid him accordingly when he got the job done. Honestly, he probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for their help and the supplies they gave him.[/justify]


    [shadow=black,left]Opal Jay Delphox• •[/shadow]
    [fancypost bgcolor=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; height: 200px; width: 200px; font-family: bookman oldstyle; color: white; text-align: justify; overflow: auto;]Opal rolled her eyes, straight to business. This guy was kind of boring. She took out a map and gave it to him."There's a lab two cities over, you have to get me to it. That's all you need to know."She rather not share why she needed to go to the lab. She was told to avoid telling people unless it was needed. She grinned as she held out hey hand to him."My name is Opal Delphox. I think they told me your name is Jackson. Well, more like I was eavesdropping and I over heard them talking but little details."She said with a shrug. All the girl seemed to have on her was a backpack and a huge hunter's knife."I've only been outside the wall once so I'm told to always stay near you."She added, looking throughly annoyed. The one time outside the wall was all she needed to get bit, luckily she was immune so she never turned.
    [/fancypost]

    [justify]Jackson took the map when it was offered to him, raising a brow at the girl when she gave the explanation he had asked for. Alright, he got it. It wasn't like he needed her whole life story, anyway. "Yeah, it's Jackson and that's about all you need to know about me." He answered again when spoken to, sparing her a glance before going back to studying the map and planning a route. This trip was going to be long and Jackson was already beginning to regret signing up for it.[/justify]

    The post was edited 1 time, last by BloodspillIsObsessedWithKPOP ().


    [shadow=black,left]Opal Jay Delphox• •[/shadow]
    [fancypost bgcolor=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; height: 200px; width: 200px; font-family: bookman oldstyle; color: white; text-align: justify; overflow: auto;]Opal laughed and shook her head."You are going to be no fun, I can already tell. Ugh, this trip is going to be so boring..."She glanced at Jackson and shook her head. She wondered if he would still take her if he knew what would happen to her once she arrived at the lab. He probably wouldn't care anyway, all he wants is his payment."You seem too serious, you aren't going to get any tail with that."She teased with a smirk, though she knew that she shouldn't be talking. She hasn't even kissed boy, let alone slept with one.
    [/fancypost]

    [justify]Jackson scoffed, a scowl arising on his fair visage as he continued to listen to the girl he'd have to travel days with. "You sure do like to run your mouth, huh? This trip isn't supposed to be fun. It's dangerous. I'm putting my own neck on the line doing this. If they wanted someone who's going to take this whole thing as a joke I'm sure they wouldn't have chosen me to do it." Yeah, so he had a pretty bad temper when provoked and couldn't help the slight rise in his tone as he spoke, gaze pointed. He raised an arm to run slender fingers through his bleached hair, exhaling through his nose as he tried to calm himself. He could already tell; this girl would be the death of him. He might just have a heart attack if the dead didn't get to him first. "And I'm sure you'd know all about getting tail, huh? Don't even look legal but I'm sure that doesn't matter now that the world's gone to sh*t." A pause. Maybe he'd gone too far. God, did he realize how much of a dick he sounded like at that moment. "Come on, I'm done talking. We've got to get moving." And like that he'd begun walking, map held in his hands though he knew he wouldn't need it. He'd traversed this area enough he knew it almost like the back of his hand.[/justify]

    The post was edited 1 time, last by BloodspillIsObsessedWithKPOP ().


    [shadow=black,left]Opal Jay Delphox• •[/shadow]
    [fancypost bgcolor=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; height: 200px; width: 200px; font-family: bookman oldstyle; color: white; text-align: justify; overflow: auto;]Opal glared at him before reaching out and grabbing his wrist."Please, you are like what, 23? Do you even remember the world before all of this? Because I don't. This is the world that we grew up in. So, the world never turned to sh*t for us. This is just reality for us. This is OUR world."She released his wrist and the smile faded for the first time in their short meeting. She looked over the wall and then let out a shaky sigh."I'm 23 so I was three when the infection started. The only thing I remember is watching as the military destroyed my town. Life is short, you gotta live it to the fullest."She grinned again before laughing at his comment about her getting tail and her looking barely legal."You will be disappointed to discover that I'm a virgin."She added with a smirk."So, ha!"She stuck her tongue out at him before following him, twirling her knife expertly in her hand.
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    [justify]Jackson's eyes narrowed as his wrist was grabbed and though Opal wasn't exactly strong enough to forcibly stop him, he paused in his step and turned so that he could see her, wondering what it was she had to say to him now. "Yeah, okay. I get it. I don't remember a lot about the world before it was like this." He conceded, letting his arm fall back to his side when she'd let go of his wrist. He was going to leave it at that and begin moving again, but while he turned away from her and started walking he opened his mouth to speak. "Now you're bragging about never having sex?" God, she looked way too young to be twenty-three and he had to admit he was a little embarrassed about the fact now. If he'd been asked he would have probably guessed she was fifteen-- maybe sixteen.


    (I've been trying to figure out what the girl's name is you're using for the longest time. It's driving me crazy hahh
    She reminds me of Emily Kinney and maybe Brighton Sharbino but I can't place her face--)    [/justify]

    The post was edited 1 time, last by BloodspillIsObsessedWithKPOP ().


    [shadow=black,left]Opal Jay Delphox• •[/shadow]
    [fancypost bgcolor=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; height: 200px; width: 200px; font-family: bookman oldstyle; color: white; text-align: justify; overflow: auto;]Opal giggled lightly as she walked beside him, still twirling her knife. It was clear that she was very experienced in using it, even if she didn't have a gun on her."I never said that I wasn't a virgin, all I said was that you must have a difficult time finding girls with that attitude of yours."She said before glancing up at the wall."So, how long until we're outside of the wall?"She asked, looking up and clenching her fists. It was clear that she was bothered by something. Her arm flying to her wrist as the memories of the infected flooding into that building came back to her."I never killed one before until a month ago. It was my first and only kill."Her voice seemed far away."Have you ever seen what a five year old looks like when they turn?"She asked as she gripped her knife.
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    [justify]Jackson was about to come up with something to say when he was cut off by her speaking again, a hum rumbling in his throat as he thought about the answer to her question. "It shouldn't be too long..." He didn't have a definite answer for how long it was going to be until they were out and was slightly started when suddenly her arm jerked so that she could grab the opposite wrist, his brows furrowing slightly before he averted his gaze as she began speaking again. He hesitated before speaking this time, unsure of what he should and shouldn't say. "I've seen a lot of people turn. Killed a lot of them-- them and the dead." Jackson didn't think he had much more to say about the subject other than that. He didn't exactly enjoy talking about his past; preferring instead to actually leave it in the past. Sure, he blamed himself a lot for what'd happened to a lot of his old partners and 'friends' and it never got easier when it happened again and again, but he'd been able to put it behind him and move on, no matter how hard that'd been at first. He would've ruined himself with guilt if he hadn't let go of everything and found that in the end, bottling it up and burying it may not be the best long term plan of action, but it was most effective at the moment.[/justify]


    [shadow=black,left]Opal Jay Delphox• •[/shadow]
    [fancypost bgcolor=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; height: 200px; width: 200px; font-family: bookman oldstyle; color: white; text-align: justify; overflow: auto;]Opal nodded to his words and put her knife away, she was nervous to be outside of the wall and she was excited. This was finally her chance to be able to see the outside world before it all ended for her. She glanced at Jackson before smiling softly."Things will get better, I know they will."She hoped that she was right. She had to be right. They would use her to unlock the cure and everyone will be able to go back to living normal lives. No more infected."In the meantime, we have to live like there's no tomorrow!"She laughed and walked ahead of him.
    [/fancypost]

    [justify]"Yeah? Well, don't live too hard. Might hurt yourself." Jackson told her upon hearing the sentence she'd repeated a few times now. He had to admit, he couldn't stand people like her. Always acting so optimistic. Things will get better. He could help the bitter frown that tugged at the corners of his mouth but his expression quickly straightened out. In the end, he'd begun to think maybe she wouldn't be that unbearable. Beside their earlier exchange, nothing had exactly rubbed him in such a way he would lose his temper. Then again, that had been only a few minutes ago and he could very well be proven wrong about her yet.[/justify]

    The post was edited 1 time, last by BloodspillIsObsessedWithKPOP ().


    [shadow=black,left]Opal Jay Delphox• •[/shadow]
    [fancypost bgcolor=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; height: 200px; width: 200px; font-family: bookman oldstyle; color: white; text-align: justify; overflow: auto;]Opal simply grinned."No promises."She said as she walked beside him before biting her lip and looking away."What did they tell you about this mission?"She asked softly. She wanted to know exactly how much he knew. Her hand going to her wrist again and gently rubbing it. She could feel the scars through her sleeves."And why do you have white hair?"She tilted her head curiously, green eyes gazing into his blue ones and she found herself a little taken with them. They were such a deep blue and so focused.
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    [justify]Jackson tilted his head so that he could look at Opal as she began to speak, his eyes landing on her own and getting trapped there. That is, until he heard her second question which made him snort, amused and he glanced away. "Okay. First off, about the mission, all they told me was that it was probably one of the most important things to happen since this thing started. Not much else, actually." Jackson had no trouble answering her first question, but when it came to the second one he actually cracked a little smile and a chuckle rumbled in his throat. "Secondly, my hair? My friend dared me to put something in it-- said he'd heard about it from someone else-- and that's pretty much why it's like this. Should be gone when my hair starts growing out again."[/justify]


    [shadow=black,left]Opal Jay Delphox• •[/shadow]
    [fancypost bgcolor=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; height: 200px; width: 200px; font-family: bookman oldstyle; color: white; text-align: justify; overflow: auto;]Opal nodded to his words, listening to him carefully. She did talk a lot, but it was clear that she also was a good listener. She smiled when she noticed that he was smiling slightly, he did have a nice smile. She looked at her arm before looking back at Jackson."I like it, though I bet you good with your natural hair color too."She said before pulling up her sleeve, sticking out her arm to him."Here, if you're gonna risk your life then it's better to know what you will be risking it for."She didn't say anything as she shower him the scarred over bite.
    [/fancypost]

    [justify]Jackson brushed off the compliment before turning, intrigued when she offered to show him what this thing was about. The other instinctively jumped back when he saw the bite on her arm, though, hand flying to his belt. "Shit, what the hell? You're infected?" The male's gaze had hardened but disbelief flashed across his features for a split second. "What's going on?" He demanded, having come to a halt in their walking. What was this? Some kind of setup? A joke? Yeah, send him off with a girl that had been bitten. Super funny.[/justify]


    [shadow=black,left]Opal Jay Delphox• •[/shadow]
    [fancypost bgcolor=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; height: 200px; width: 200px; font-family: bookman oldstyle; color: white; text-align: justify; overflow: auto;]Opal let out an annoyed sigh, she was use to this kind of reaction whenever somebody saw her bite."Look closer, does that bite look fresh to you?"She asked with a scowl before stepping closer to him."It's all scarred over and it's a month old."She told him with an eye roll before pointing to the map."You're taking me to the lab so they can use me to find a cure."She didn't tell him how they would be finding a cure, she was told not to tell him that. They were worried that he wouldn't follow through with the mission.
    [/fancypost]

    [justify]Jackson had listened quietly as she explained the whole situation to him. A month? He had to admit, it didn't look fresh in the slightest and man, that must have hurt. It had probably been pretty nerve-wracking too. Wondering when you were going to turn. When you'd lose yourself and become one of the walking dead. Just another shambling corpse. And when that never happened? He couldn't imagine. "Find a cure. Yeah, okay." Though he didn't exactly sound positive or sure he nodded slightly. "Well... If that's where you need to go, let's get you there."[/justify]


    [shadow=black,left]Opal Jay Delphox• •[/shadow]
    [fancypost bgcolor=transparent; bordercolor=transparent; height: 200px; width: 200px; font-family: bookman oldstyle; color: white; text-align: justify; overflow: auto;]Opal grinned at him."Listen, I will help get this cure. I'll make sure that nobody has to suffer again."She ran ahead of him as she realized they were near the end of the wall and she closed her eyes. She was excited, but also a little scared. Opal started to rub her scars and felt her heart start to beat rapidly against her rib cage."Remember, I can't get infected so try not worry too much about the infected."She then started walking again, twirling her knife in her hand.
    [/fancypost]