Posts by jollyjoey

|| Aaron Velmont ||

The prince softly chuckled when the princess immediately released his arm once they were out of sight of the public. It was a major relief, knowing that she truly had no interest in wedding him, and she wasn't going to jump him as soon as she had the chance. It was refreshing, to say the very least.

When they reached her bedchamber, he moved aside to allow her to enter first, before he followed her inside, eyes instantly drawn to the cat sprawled across the bed. He smiled gently when Giselle began to pet the creature, though his smile quickly faded at her next words.

"Pardon me?" He replied blankly, shocked and already feeling sick to the stomach. So, he was right, before. She was... He could barely think about it without feeling an immense wave of guilt flood through him. "What makes you say that?" He asked, almost desperate. If the princess had figured it out that quickly, then how many people knew? His mother? His father?

(ooc: sorry this is so short, i just woke up and im still not fully functional)

Wrong move, David. Connor only seemed to grow more and more agitated at David's words. It was strange, seeing the android act so... human. Between its restless pacing around its cell, the twitching of its fingers as if searching for something to fiddle with, and the frustrated whine it emitted when it slumped against the wall once more, defeated, David could almost believe that the android really was human, had it not worn a uniform or had an LED light.

That curious thought reminded him of a word he had seen a couple of times, before he was taken. Deviant. He wasn't sure what it meant, exactly, but he knew it had something to do with androids that deviated from their programmed behaviour, for one reason or another. He had only heard the word once since then, when an android in one of the cells opposite him had muttered the word for hours on end. The next day, the android was gone. David vaguely wondered if Connor was programmed to act like this in certain situations, though he wasn't sure.

Connor's absentminded reply to his question only further confirmed David's suspicion that the android was not in a completely stable condition. Worried, he felt a strong obligation to comfort the other. No one had comforted him when he first arrived; David didn't want someone else to go through that. Although, androids were just machines covered in plastic. Would it even help? They were capable of pretty much anything; they probably didn't even need humans to survive (function). Still, David's compassion won over his logic, as usual.

"Hey," he called out, gently, so as not to further upset Connor or attract any attention to themselves. "It's okay, we'll figure this out," he continued, forcing himself to smile, as if that would make his words come true. He felt a bit stupid, consoling a machine, but he persisted. "You'll be out of here in no time, I promise." A promise he had no idea if he could keep. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

(im so sorry i have no idea why it took me like three hours to write this. i woke up early and was like huh, i should get some replies done. and then halfway through writing i fell back asleep. and when i woke up again it took me like an hour to finish it. im an idiot lol)

|| Aaron Velmont ||

Aaron was silent for a minute as he tried to process Giselle's words. Her dark eyes were kind, and the soft smile that graced her beautiful features wasn't cruel or mocking. She wasn't about to run off and tell everyone what they had all failed to figure out. She was like him. If anything, he felt slightly relieved as she stared at him expectantly; knowing he wasn't the only one that received harsh, disappointed glares every time he turned down a possible suitor made him feel a lot less alone in the world. So, he took a shaky, deep breath, and trusted Giselle.

"It is true," he murmured softly, as if afraid that the walls could talk. After all, it wasn't safe for people like him, especially when part of such a prestigious royal family. He had heard stories, rumours of forbidden love affairs in faraway kingdoms. They never ended with a happily ever after. It was stories like those that had prevented Aaron from even thinking about men throughout his teenage years, though recently his desires had become more difficult to control and conceal. "What is it you have in mind?" He asked slowly, after a few seconds of thick silence.

|| Aaron Velmont ||

Despite the gravity of the situation and the anxiety fluttering in his chest, Aaron felt strangely comforted by Giselle's excited grin and the sly twinkle in her eyes. All his life, he had never believed that he could ever be truly happy. Maybe, with the help of the Alicean princess, he could prove himself wrong. Something told him that a life-long friendship had just begun.

"You're sure no one will find out?" He inquired nervously, though he was already quickly warming to the idea. After all, if he did have to spend the rest of his life wedded to a woman, Giselle wouldn't be such a bad choice. She was pretty and intelligent, so his parents would be delighted (though, they would be delighted that he was marrying a woman in the first place, he figured). He paused for a moment, suddenly worried. "That guard of yours, he follows you everywhere. Won't he find us suspicious?"

David grit his teeth, frustrated. Alexander seemed to know everything only a few minutes ago, and now he was clueless. Nothing seemed right, and it unnerved David. If the other didn't remember anything, how was David meant to figure everything out before he got killed? Obviously, Alexander had been sent by someone, otherwise none of this would be happening. His "advisors", maybe? Why would someone want to kill him? He had done nothing wrong. Unless there was some deeper reason that he hadn't discovered yet.

Furthermore, what kind of person would train young people at a boarding school to fight? Almost as if they were training an army, he thought vaguely. Were there more people like Alexander? He pushed away that idea as soon as it entered his head; that was not something he would like to think about. One near-death experience was enough for him, thanks. He just hoped there weren't any more to come.

"Look, I know it's hard to remember," he comforted the man, warily. "But if there's anything - a name, a face, heck, even a date - it would really help me," he explained, a gentle smile gracing his features, though inside his heart was fluttering with anxiety. "Neither of us will get hurt, I promise you."

It took a few seconds, in which David nearly regretted his seemingly silly actions, for the android to acknowledge him once more. He felt awkward under its scrutiny, as if he were being examined with a magnifying glass that exposed all his flaws. Still, he met the other's gaze evenly, smile still in place. His embarrassment was rewarded when the android returned the gesture, albeit weakly, LED flashing a light blue. Well, it's better than nothing. Comfort is good. Keep that in mind, David. After all, they were going to need to trust each other, or at the very least, not hate each other. If androids could even feel hate, that is. David wouldn't put it past them, or even blame them; he had read about all the horrible things some people did to the machines. David sincerely hoped Connor had never experienced anything like that.

At the android's request for information, David hesitated, before he quickly reminded himself that Connor was on his side. He came to investigate the warehouse, and he seemed to want to find a way to free not only himself, but other androids and humans too. At least, that's what David hoped his intentions were. It was difficult to tell from his blank expression and monotone voice.

"There's a man," he started slowly, gaze focused on the floor of his cell as he thought hard, "known as H.E. He controls this place." He paused, envisioning the scientist's cruel eyes and malicious smirk. "He's in charge of all the androids, who are in charge of all the prisoners," he explained. "He conducts... experiments." At that, his gaze returned to Connor, though his expression was sombre. "Everyday, the humans are taken to one room and the androids are taken to another. They call it the 'mass reprogramming'." He shivered at the term, memories flickering through his head, but continued on. "That lasts for maybe an hour, or two. Then the 'individual reprogramming' begins." David huffed slightly, as if amused. "You can imagine what that entails."

His eyes flicker around the room, desperately trying to find something to distract himself from the thought of the oncoming torture they would experience within a few hours. They soon fall onto the keypad of Connor's cell. He absentmindedly chewed on his lower lip, thinking. "If we can figure out the code to your cell, you can escape and get help. I already have the last number."

|| Aaron Velmont ||

Giselle's words echoed through Aaron's head as he pondered the idea, unsure.

What would happen if they were discovered? At the very least, Aaron would never become king like he had always desired, ever since he was a young boy, practicing sword-fighting with a stick and bowing to every fair maiden that passed him by. He could be exiled, never to see his family or friends again, or even worse... He didn't want to think about that. That thought crossed his mind every single night, when he laid in bed awaiting sleep, and frankly, he was quite sick of it.

Giselle was right. Aaron had fantasised of running away, of leaving all the responsibilities and expectations and disappointment behind; of finding someplace better to live, with someone who loved him for who he was, and not the power he held. And maybe, just maybe, this plan could work out. The princess was smart (probably much smarter than him). Otherwise, he had no other choice.

"I trust you," he agreed simply, as if signing an invisible contract. He offered her a - albeit small - genuine smile. "How do we begin?"

Kara huffed slightly, secretly disappointed. The one piece of information she really needed, she couldn't quite get. If she didn't manage to convince the Dragoness to work with her father, then it would definitely be useful to know how she got her powers. After all, maybe her father could somehow recreate them. Though Kara knew that was her sole purpose - find people or things for his father to experiment on - for some reason the idea made her feel a bit sick, this time.

Maybe she needed to start smaller. That's how trust works, right? Start with small things, like a name.

"My name is Kara," she began, cautiously holding out a hand for the other to shake. "It's nice to meet you." Strangely enough, Kara realised that she wasn't lying. It was nice to meet the Dragoness. Though it wasn't amazing (being almost strangled to death wasn't really high on her bucket list), it wasn't an overall terrible experience. It was just... nice. Something could come from this.

Just as she was preparing to ask another question, her dark eyes fell on the bag of money still abandoned on the ground. For a second, she froze. Had the Dragoness seen her use her... abilities? It didn't seem likely, otherwise the woman would probably be a lot more suspicious. Her gaze flickered around their surroundings, nervous, before falling back onto the cash. Hopefully none of the eye-witnesses had seen the bag move by itself, either. She couldn't allow anyone to know her secret.

"What are you going to do with that?" She asked, nodding to the sack. Part of her still wanted to take it, though she knew that was impossible with a literal superhero standing before her.

At Connor's questions, David quickly closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe longer and deeper. He could still see the cold, dark eyes of H.E., monitoring him from across his cell as he conducted David's reprogramming. He could still see the vaguely intrigued and amused smirk that crossed the man's face whenever his subjects showed any sign of pain; a whimper, a grimace, a scream. He could still see the man's shadowy face when they met each other's gaze earlier, right before Connor had been ambushed and captured.

"The reprogramming of androids into humans," he explained slowly, so as to maintain his careful, steady breathing, "and humans into androids." It was quiet, and David felt bile rise in his throat; he only just managed to refrain from gagging. That was the first time he had acknowledged it out loud, whatever 'it' was. He had no idea why this was happening, and frankly, he didn't really want to know.

"The experiments are different everyday, usually," he continued, though his voice was thicker, filled with emotion. "I'm not sure what it's like for the androids, but I know about the human ones." David almost wanted to leave it at that, but he knew Connor wanted more information. "He treats us like we're nothing. He orders us around, and we're punished if we don't obey to the best of our ability. He tests us, and if we show any sign of human emotion, something terrible happens." David gulped, forcing back memories. "He'll torture us until we can't feel anything, can't even think straight. Sometimes, he'll just leave us in the dark for hours on end, until we don't even know if we're real or not." He sighed shakily, barely noticing that his vision was blurry with tears. "Those are the worst times, I think."

It took David a solid five minutes just to calm down enough to gather his thoughts. Even after that, he took his time to continue. "I'm not sure. I know their schedule roughly, but it'd take a couple of days to get the entire code, at least."

(no it's fine!)

|| Aaron Velmont ||

Aaron couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at Giselle's unbridled excitement. While he did feel anxious, the more he listened to her talk, the less he found himself worrying about the possible consequences of their actions. After all, if he didn't do something now, his parents would most likely take control and force him to marry the next girl they deemed suitable. He might never have an opportunity like this again. It was now or never.

He allowed the princess to lead him back down the hall, surprised when he realised that she didn't require any guidance. She was a fast learner, he had noticed. Maybe that would come to their advantage in the future. "Let's not mess this up, alright?" He murmured as they re-entered the banquet hall, heads instantly turning to watch them. The burning of their gazes on his skin was unnerving, but Aaron did his best to ignore them as they made their way back over to Scarlet and the guard, who were still talking.

"Everything well here?" He asked, almost shyly, though he flashed the maid a charming grin.

Sure! I'll get mine done asap, I just have to reply to some other stuff first :)

|| Aaron Velmont ||

The prince grinned at the guard's reply. It was nice to know that Scarlet wasn't being dismissed by the knight, simply because of her status. Sometimes, Aaron felt a bit protective over the maid; maybe it was because he was an only child, and she was almost like a younger sister to him, even if they didn't get to speak too often. He was glad to know that she was being treated the way she deserved, with respect.

At Giselle's words, he glanced over to his parents across the room. They were talking to a group of guests, though their gazes continued to flicker over to the prince and princess. They looked relieved and vaguely impressed, as if wondering what Giselle had that other women didn't; they would definitely be delighted to know that she would be staying with them. Aaron would have laughed at the thought, had he still not been so cautious of the whole situation. Instead, he returned his focus to the conversation at hand, smiling sweetly at Scarlet. She was too kind; Aaron even had a slight urge to tell her everything. Maybe she would understand and help them... But he couldn't risk it, not yet.

The prince looked over to the guard, whom he had still not fully spoken to yet. Honestly, he was a bit nervous to. Guards weren't stupid. Their job was to take note of every little thing even remotely out of the ordinary. Surely he would quickly realise that there was more to Giselle and Aaron's 'relationship' than meets the eye?

"I don't recall you introducing yourself," he pointed out, politely nodding to the handsome man. "What is your name, again?"

|| Aaron Velmont ||

Aaron eyed the guard as he bowed, something fluttering inside him, like butterflies. He wasn't going to lie; the knight - Matthew - was handsome, especially when he smiled. At that thought, he quickly scolded himself. Don't think like that. This is Giselle's guard, something like that would never work out. Still, he couldn't help but entertain the idea as he replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Matthew Rumare," he smirked, light blue eyes scanning the other's face before they moved over to Giselle. "No 'thank you's are necessary. In fact, I believe you deserve my gratitude for your service of the princess. She is quite a remarkable woman, don't you think?" He flashed a playful smile at Giselle, slightly teasing her for her endless persistence and fiery attitude. "How did you come to be her guard?"

David shivered in the silence, eyes closed against the reality of their surroundings. Normally, in any other situation, the darkness would be comforting, and the panic that thumped in his chest would subside. Now, the technique only furthered his anxiety. Everything was too dark, too cold, too numb. He couldn't see. He couldn't hear. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe.

"I- It's fine," David quickly dismissed Connor's apologies, stumbling slightly as he opened his eyes. He didn't want the android to blame himself; it wasn't his fault, or that of the Detroit Police Department. It was his own fault, for getting into this mess in the first place. "I'm fine." He sighed, barely even believing his own words. Really, the only way he had survived this far was hope, which, as he had expected, had started to run thin fast. However, something about Connor reignited that hope, though David couldn't quite place what it was.

"It doesn't matter what could have been," he continued, eyes focused on the yellow glow of Connor's LED. It was strangely comforting, the gentle flashes of colour that softly illuminated the other's cell. "The only thing that matters is that we stop this, as soon as possible." He paused, taking a few deep breaths. "People have been... disappearing. When they finally give up, they're just.. gone." David shrugged, uncomfortable, as he made eye contact with Connor for the first time in a while. "No one knows where they go. I don't really want to find out."

At first, David had thought that H.E. was building some sort of deformed army, one that he could control at will. But it didn't make sense; why go to all the trouble of changing them? Was it a political statement? Was he just some mad scientist? Or was there a deeper, scarier reason for all of this? Nothing made sense, and nothing would until they could find more information.

"We don't have much time until the mass reprogramming," he explained slowly, not wanting Connor to freak out (if androids can feel fear), especially when he had no idea what was ahead of the android; an android reprogramming was most likely very different to that of an human reprogramming. The cells were lightening, albeit minutely, as weak sunlight began to filter in through the windows of the abandoned building. It was usually once the containers were sufficiently lit that the androids in charge came to take each prisoner to their designated room. "When the time comes, don't try to fight or escape," he warned grimly. "They'll kill you, on a good day."

(sorry this is so short and terrible and took so long! its nye and im being forced to socialise and every time i got a reply done on here i would get distracted by something)

Eli sighed. His parents had gone off on some trip (France? Dubai? Greece?), leaving him alone for a week. Of course, he chose to do the thing that any normal teenager would do; throw a house party. After all, he didn't really feel like being alone, especially with the state of mind he was currently in. But, much to his dismay, he found that being in a house full of drunk, horny teenagers didn't really help. He felt too hot, too crowded and claustrophobic. It was terrible, having girls all over him and strangers offering him drinks.

So, he left, which leads us to the backyard. Eli was leaning against a wall, mainly hidden in the dark of the night as a cigarette dangled loosely from his lips. It was peaceful, watching the puffs of smoke dissipate into nothing, but he still felt too alone. He absentmindedly glanced around the yard; most people were making out, or throwing up into the bushes, but there was someone. A girl, sitting on a bench and slowly sipping from a cup. Eli watched, mildly curious, before deciding to make his way over and sit next to her.

"You smoke?" He asked bluntly, offering her a stick.

A soft smile graced David's face at the information, though it quickly turned into a frown. Four Willows Boarding School? He had never heard of it before, surely it wasn't recognised as a real, proper school. And a pill? Why would they be giving Alexander some sort of drug? And what effects did it have on him? Did the pills cause his memory problems, or were they the cause of something more serious, something more dangerous?

"Thank you," he sighed, offering a grin to the other man. "That's really useful, thank you," he repeated. "If we go to the police they can enter the information in, and we can find somewhere to start. I promise, you'll be safe, you won't get-"

He cut off, suddenly alarmed, when Alexander began to cough. At first, he simply thought the boy was still out of breath from running, but he seemed too fit to have such a terrible reaction. As soon as the man's eyes began to roll back into his head, David instantly knew something wasn't right.

"Alexander?" He asked cautiously, when Alexander's eyes slipped closed. When there was no response, he began to panic. "Shit," he muttered, glad he had taken a first aid course in the past. "Shit, shit, shit," the muttered curses continued as he checked Alexander's breathing. It was still there, but weak. He quickly rolled the other into the recovery position, unsure of what to do.

"Hey," he started softly, gently tapping the boy's cheek. "Wake up, Alexander. It's me, David. You're okay, just wake up."

David noticed the way Connor tensed up at his words, and while he would have liked to offer some kind words or comfort to the android (not that he really needed it, most likely), it was impossible. There wasn't much left to be said. All they could do was wait until the mass reprogramming.

For a second, the thought of the reprogramming made him nervous. While he had grown quite used - even resilient - to the hour of experimentation, Connor had never experienced it before. While he wasn't quite sure what the androids experienced, he knew it couldn't be much better than the humans. He didn't want Connor to go through that alone. Maybe he could sneak in to the android group, somehow? Even as he entertained the thought, he knew it was a stupid idea. He had been in the warehouse for too long, and it wouldn't be difficult for them to quickly realise he wasn't a machine.

Connor is an android and, more specifically, an investigator. He's probably been trained to react safely and efficiently in high-stress situations, right? He'll be fine. If anything, David needed to focus on his own safety, along with gathering more information to aid them in the future.

Before he knew it, a pair of androids were moving down the row of cells, opening doors and shoving the prisoners out into a line, guns in hand. Luckily, Connor was removed from his cell a couple of seconds before David was. Leaning over, he caught another number, just in time. 9. He was pulled roughly from his cell before he could think anything of it. Two numbers down, two to go, he thought, as he raised his hands to his head, keeping his gaze steadily trained on the back of Connor's head. Noting the yellow flashing of the android's LED, he leaned forward slightly, voice low.

"Just keep calm, alright?" David murmured softly. "They'll try to break you. Don't let them." He only just got the words out, before he was pushed away to a different line, one full of humans that were slowly filing through a pair of automatic sliding doors. He sent Connor one last glance before he entered the large experimentation room, almost like a theatre. Dread filled his stomach, but he kept moving along with everyone else. Some people looked terrified; David assumed they were new prisoners, unsure of what was about to come. Others looked resigned; they had been there for longer than they could remember, and had probably accepted their fate months ago.

David had made a promise to himself, right after his first mass reprogramming, to never become like the older prisoners. He would never lose hope. He just prayed that Connor would make a similar decision; they needed each other to get out of here, and to save everyone else.

Eli couldn't help but chuckle softly at her coughs. "It's fine," he smirked, pausing in his words to inhale, before slowly puffing the smoke out. It curled around his features before disappearing into the cool night air. "You're not the first person I've seen do that." It was true; some people inhaled as much as they could on their first try in an attempt to show off. Their desperate choking and spluttering wasn't attractive. At least this girl - Aria, was it? - had some dignity.

"Just a bit," he smiled slightly, in reply to her awkward question. "I'm Eli." He didn't reveal his last name. It was nice, to have someone not know who his parents were, for once. It was quiet for a moment, and the boy pondered on the thought for a moment before speaking again. "Where are you from?"

|| Aaron Velmont ||

Aaron watched as the Giselle and Scarlet took their leave, offering an encouraging smile to his best friend before turning his attention back to Matthew. At first, the prince was confused. Shouldn't the princess' guard follow her everywhere? Not that he was complaining (he wouldn't mind spending more time with the other man), it just seemed strange. Though, he supposed that there was nothing to worry about; Scarlet was too kind to even attempt to hurt anyone and the princess seemed feisty enough to defend herself from any possible danger.

He chuckled the guard's explanation. He seemed to be a very humble man, judging from the fact that he initially didn't agree with the King of Alicea's choice. Aaron found himself admiring that, among other things (his eyes, his smile, his deep, rumbling laugh-).

"I suppose so," he smirked, a playful twinkle in his light eyes. "Is that such a bad thing, though? I have a guard of my own, but another wouldn't be too bad." He joked, pausing momentarily to check Matthew's reaction to his words. "We may even become friends along the way."