Nᴏ Mᴏᴜʀɴᴇʀs. Nᴏ Fᴜɴᴇʀᴀʟs. ♛ Pʀɪᴠᴀᴛᴇ

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    THALIA MEINVERT


    [center][fancypost=background:; width:500px; height:300px; color:white; text-align:justify; line-height:15px; overflow: auto; font-family: arial; margin-top:-75px;](( HERE IT IS. Sorry it took me so long! I took a three-hour nap somewhere after writing the first few paragraphs, because my body won't be restrained by any damn circadian rhythm. You can pretty much just have your character jump in however you'd like! ))


    Something in the air of the Barrel that night had Thalia's blood astir and every muscle on edge. It could have been the fact that it had been almost one whole week since Ivo, standing leader of the Currents, had been shown up by Kobus Lambert and his gang. If the Grimmers down at Hornet's Nest Casino had any clue as to the whereabouts of their leader or what may have been hiding up his sleeve, bribes weren't enough to get it out of them.


    With a disquieted sigh, she unfolded herself from the wenge wood desk crammed into the narrow space at the far end of her bed. As she stood, she narrowly managed to avoid catching her hair in any of the trinkets and designs dangling from the ceiling. Disturbed by her movement, two of them collided to make a dull clink clink, reminiscent of two wine glasses touching lips.


    Setting the tiny, wooden charms she had been working on for the past hour aside, Thalia maneuvered her way out of her room and into the open, though no less dingy space of the stairwell.


    The Coop was quiet that night. Really, it was quiet every night, but this was a different kind of quiet. Those who weren't wasting away in taverns, gambling dens, or other less-than-holy institutions were tense, pacing, perhaps awaiting the moment when all chaos would break loose.


    Thalia hated waiting.


    Her eyes took several heartbeats to adjust to the gloom, but she was already down the stairs and out the door by the time they did. Her lanky frame was swathed in an itchy, wool coat and her hair was up in what could only be described as an intricate mess of loops and ties. Thumbs shoved into the narrow slits of her pockets and body halfway out the door, it was the sound of a short, sharp whistle that snagged her attention and made her halt dead in her steps.


    "Mitya. I seem to recall watching you leave for Frostbite Lounge not long ago."


    She rotated on the rubber heels of her shoes just in time to catch Mitya's slender, cat-like figure dislodging itself from the shadows of the doorway connected to the Commons Room. With a broad grin, one that was missing a molar on the top left side, he swanked over and positioned himself at her side. "Eh, money wasn't too great tonight. Plus, I'd hate to be MIA if the Grimmers decide they finally wanna come outta hiding and make a move."


    "So what I'm hearing is that you were bounced?" Thalia continued walking, but now she had a shadow. A smile flickered like an electric current across her lips. She began to swing her arms as she continued forward, towards the edge of the canal on the opposite side of the road from the Coop.


    "I wasn't bounced, Thalia." A few, long seconds of silence, followed by the reluctant confession of, "Okay, I was. But I wouldn't have gotten caught if that Shu lady at the next table hadn't smelled so... incredibly delicious."


    Thalia wasn't one to let her guard down often. Okay, well, too often. Either way, she felt safe enough in the presence of her long-time best friend to lean back against a faulty, metal railing bordering a deep, dark canal, and if that didn't scream "trust," then she wasn't sure anything did.


    She frowned. "That's... kinda creepy, Mitya."


    He crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed. "Please. It only would have been creepy if I'd gone over and smelled her hair or something."


    Now, she fixed him with a stare. He blinked. Then, realizing what he'd just said, fumbled to explain himself.


    "Not that I did or anything! I swear. I got bounced for cheating, not being a creep!"

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

    [center]


    AVIS HJORT
    My boy builds coffins for better or worse
    Some say its a blessing, some say its a curse


    // I'm sorry this took so long. And don't apologize for naps. Naps are God's gift. Like dogs, but less expensive. And I hope you don't mind if I sort of make up some history for her as we go along? I really should make a grishaverse specific character but I don't have the energy. Most of what I already established for her will be the same, just minor changes. Like her surname. Which was like little import to begin with and I'm rambling. //



    Avis laid on her bed, mindlessly throwing a ball at the ceiling. She had been without a job for nearly three days now and although she liked the time off, she was going a but nuts. She had little to no interest in the pleasures of the Barrel. She had spent too much time in the pleasure houses and was a lousy gambler anyway. She had walked the length of the city nearly three times since hitting this lull. And now she had been specifically told to not go after Kobus Lambert and his crew? She was to wait, see how things turned out. The Fjerdan scoffed and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She sure as hell wasn't going to sit around on her ass looking pretty. She set the rubber ball on her tiny cot and stood. Her room couldn't have been larger than a broom closet. Her bed took up most of the space, wedged between the walls. Avis found she did a lot of storing under the bed and in floor and ceiling tiles. Thankfully, she had never been one to collect a lot of things. She grabbed her coat off a hook she had crudely nailed into the door and left her room.


    The smell of the barrel hit her like a brick. She doubted she would ever get used to it. She prayed she would never have to. Ketterdam was a completely different world than Fjerda. Barrel flash was, in her opinion, tacky and the mercher mansions were overly elegant and foreign to the blonde. She missed the candy colored buildings of Djerholm, and the clean ice and snow of Fjerda. In Ketterdam, no one cared about anything unless it would line their pockets. At least the Currents allowed her to fight. In Fjerda, that would have never been allowed.


    She pulled the collar of her coat up and made her way toward the Hornet's Nest. She knew she wasn't going to march in and play a hand like there was nothing wrong. No, if Ivo found out, there'd be more debt than she started with. Besides, Avis wouldn't conciser herself impulsive. No, she'd just hang around for a bit, listen to what she could when the men where in their cups, maybe follow one and jump them when they were alone. No, wait. Impulsive, Avis. Impulse is bad. Impulse gets you killed. Ugh, when did everything become so confusing! Was this even a good idea? Maybe she should just head home, go to bed, wake up and get a job in the morning. She was already out, though. She might as well find something to do. She veered off course and slipped into a canal boat. Maybe there'd be a bakery open in one of the finer districts.



    // I feel like this is really short but I didn't want her to go off and do something stupid just yet.

    c prussen


    [center]

    THALIA MEINVERT


    [center][fancypost=background:; width:500px; height:300px; color:white; text-align:justify; line-height:15px; overflow: auto; font-family: arial; margin-top:-80px;](( lmao no worries. that's perfectly fine! and yeah, i've actually been scheming for a while, and i might just have something up my sleeve for once avis and thalia are a little more acquainted! ))


    Deciding that it was in her own best interest to drop the topic of Mitya's gambling escapade all together, Thalia averted the conversation elsewhere.


    "Do you really think Lambert's got something planned for the Currents? I mean, this disappearing act he's got going has got everyone on edge, but what if it's completely unrelated to us?"


    With a noncommittal shrug, Mitya pulled a peppermint out of his coat pocket and popped it into his mouth. "I dunno. Seems to me like he has something planned." He wound one arm thoughtfully up the adjacent, rusty lamp-post and upturned his face to the soot-stained sky. "I mean, you don't just arrange a meeting with the leader of one of the top gangs in the Barrel, then vanish into thin air for no good reason. I know you've only been here a few years, but that's not how things work in these parts. It's more than a little fishy."


    Thalia knew he had a point. Duping Ivo was a bold move, even for a leader as prominent as Kobus Lambert. At the same time, the Grimmers' lips were sealed tighter than any padlock Thalia had ever dealt with, even in the face of bountiful bribes.


    The way she saw it, there were two plausible reasons why they couldn't seem to root out the truth: either Lambert had managed to score the most loyal horde of criminals in all of Ketterdam, or they were just as clueless as everyone else in the Barrel and were just too proud to admit that they had lost track of their leader.


    "Okay, but you'd think at least one of the Grimmers would-" Thalia never got to finish her question. She never got to finish because before she could, Mitya was leaning against the faulty, metal railing- something Thalia would have to fix before it drove her mad- and pointing across the canal at what could have easily been a shadow.


    "Hey, check this out. Isn't that Hjort?"


    She tried squinting her eyes, but it was to no avail. A canal boat had come into view, and if she looked hard enough, she could make out a person-shaped outline against the opposite wall.


    The corners of her lips turned down into a frown. "Could be Lambert for how well I can see over there."


    If he heard her, he showed no sign and instead leaned over the railing, arms flailing erratically. Thalia's shoulders tensed as it shifted under his weight, and she made a mental note to fix it up herself whenever she got the chance. "Hey there, Hjort!"


    Instinctively, she reached out and whacked him in the back of his shoulder. "Keep it down, Genius. Not all of us around here have the overwhelming desire to get shot at."

    [center]


    AVIS HJORT
    My boy builds coffins for better or worse
    Some say its a blessing, some say its a curse


    // ooh scheming. I like the sound of that. //


    Upon hearing her name Avis scanned the area before her gaze landed on the source. She was thankful she recognized the figure shouting at her as a member of the Currents. She really didn't need to end up in a brawl on a canal boat. Last time that had happened she and a member of the Spiders had ended up in the canal. She didn't need to ruin another pair of boots.


    She exited the boat and made her way toward the man waving his arms at her. She should have left through the window. Of course she had been spotted. How many Fjerdan's were actually roaming the Barrel? She should have been content to sit in her room and throw a ball against the wall and be bored out of her skull.


    Mitya. She didn't know him very well, but she didn't know many people that well. Besides, she'd take a friend over a foe any day. She stopped a respectful distance away and lowered her head in hello. "No luck at the tables?" Her voice still held hits of her native accent. She had spent the past two years trying to get rid of it to no avail.


    Her gaze traveled to Mitya's companion. Her face was one Avis couldn't place a name to. She knew she knew the girl's name. It was only a matter of remembering what it was. And not letting her know she had forgotten. "How are you two?" She may not have been able remember the girl's name. But Avis could be polite and general enough that it wouldn't seem noticeable. It was how she got through school, after all.


    She doubted that the duo hadn't heard about Lambert's little magic act by now. You couldn't take a dump in this city without half the Barrel knowing about it. Besides, news as big as that would spread like wildfire. What could have happened? There wasn't anything that could have hinted at something like that. At least not that she knew of. Everything in this city leaked. If there was even a rumor that this would have happened, they would have caught wind of it. It left the question of what actually happened.


    She didn't like it; all this tension. It left a bad feeling in her gut. Avis had gotten too comfortable among the Currents. This was never supposed to happen, yet here she was with a lowered guard. It was an easy habit to get into, abet a dangerous one.

    c prussen

    [center][fancypost=border-width:0; width: 450px; height: 80px; line-height: 100%; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.5px;][color=#80999d]aaaAAHH OKAY SO I'M GOING TO REPLY AS SOON AS I GET HOME, I SWEAR. ((i just can't write on mobile for some reason.))


    BUT I JUST GOT CROOKED KINGDOM AND I'M HYPED FRICK YEAH

    No worries I got a five hour drive in like ten-twenty minutes so I'll be able to respond either tonight or tomorrow.


    AND IT'S SO GOOD. READ THAT STUFF. THE PAGES ARE SO PRETTY


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    THALIA MEINVERT


    [center][fancypost=background:; width:500px; height:300px; color:white; text-align:justify; line-height:15px; overflow: auto; font-family: arial; margin-top:-80px;](( YES THEY ARE. I love how the beginning of each chapter looks... and the pages are fricking red how cool is that??! ))


    Looking excessively pleased with himself for having grabbed Hjort's attention- and quite possibly the attention of every other scoundrel lurking about that part of the Barrel that night- Mitya flashed a toothy grin. Despite her prior irritation, Thalia struggled to suppress a smile of her own. Her buddy really was a piece of work.


    "Let's just say I've had luckier days," he lamented with a hoarse laugh.


    Thalia couldn't help herself, and added a moment later, "Which isn't actually saying much. But, to be fair, I think we've all probably had better days." With that, she folded her bone-thin arms across her chest, feigning immunity to the subversive glare she was receiving on Mitya's end.


    Although she had been an active member of the Currents for going on three years now, there were only two or three people she dared to associate with on a personal level. Avis Hjort, she believed it was, wasn't one of those people, although it was through no fault of her own. Their paths just didn't cross all that often, and on the few occasions that they did, it was usually business-related.


    Giving her golden-haired cohort a swift one-over, Thalia had to acknowledge the misfortune of that fact.


    She cleared her throat and looked away with a half-smile, suddenly grateful for the grimy dimness of the overhead light.


    "Pretty freaky, what's happening with the Grimmers. Mitya here thinks Lambert is up to something, but-"


    Mitya butted back into the conversation, effectively cutting whatever Thalia was going to say short. "But Thalia thinks it's all just a happy little coincidence, and'll probably blow over in a week or so."


    Thalia crinkled up her nose and scowled at him, but there was little point in trying to defend her standpoint. She knew something fishy, perhaps even menacing, was in the works, but what little involvement the Currents had in the situation was, in her opinion, a complete coincidence. She quirked an inquisitive eyebrow and turned her focus back onto Avis.


    "What do you think it's all about?"

    [center]


    AVIS HJORT
    My boy builds coffins for better or worse
    Some say its a blessing, some say its a curse


    // It's so pretty.
    I feel like everything I write just gets shorter and shorter when I take it out of the editor. I'm sorry.//


    Avis arched an eyebrow. What did she think about it? Well, she had no idea. Something was off, she could feel that much. She cast a glance around them. She'd rather no talk about her thoughts in a place as open as this. But what building was secure in Ketterdam? So, she'd keep her thoughts to herself.


    Avis offered a vague shrug, "Something's up. I don't know what." Yet. The more she thought about it the more she wanted to make her way to the Hornet's Nest and see who knew what. If she was in charge, this slight would not be allowed. They'd strike while Lambert was gone and burn his whole enterprise to the ground. But she wasn't in charge, and she had no authority to wage the war that has been building.


    She ran a hand through her hair, she should really go back to her room before she does something dumb. No one should be able to disappear like that. She had never seen anything like it. Everything left a trail. This should be no different. So how did Lambert vanish without a trace? How was it that no one knew what happened? There was no way the Grimmers were that loyal to him. This was the Barrel, anything could be bought at the right price. Sometimes it just took a little persuasion.


    She slipped her hands into the pockets of her wool coat. "Hey, I was going to go grab something to eat. Either of you interested?" She wasn't sure if they would take the invitation, but she wasn't raised in a barn despite popular belief. Her step-mother would have slapped her for not offering to pay for their meals. But Avis wasn't that charitable. And why the hell would she care what her step-mother would have thought? The woman was evil. Pure evil in the form of a busty blonde. Avis would fight her for three kruge.


    c prussen

    [center][fancypost=background:transparent; border: none; width: 475px; min-height: 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 8pt; text-align: center; color: #FFDAB9; font-family: arial]I SWEAR, I'M NOT IGNORING YOU. I'M GONNA REPLY AS SOON AS I CAN GET MYSELF TOGETHER, BUT THIS BOOK IS GONNA BE THE DEATH OF ME OH MY LORD.


    I JUST GOT TO THE PART WHERE JESPER FINDS WYLAN IN THAT ROOM IN THE HOTEL WHEN THEY'RE ALL TRAPPED AF AND OMG I KNOW IT'S NOT WYLAN SAVE MY POOR, WITHERING SOUL


    UPDATE: A KISS HAS BEEN EXCHANGED AND IT IS NOT FRICKING WYLAN I AM DEAD INSIDE I AM CALLING IN SICK TO SCHOOL TOMORROW FRICKING KUWEI

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

    NO WORRIES I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND.


    JESPER SEES BUT HE DOESN'T OBSERVE. AND TBH HALF THE TIME I FORGET ABOUT THE LITTLE DUDE, I DIDN'T EVEN SEE HIM AS HAVING AN INTEREST IN JESPER UNTIL THAT PART.