|
Post by Alex on May 1, 2016 16:14:07 GMT -6
yooooooooooooo tiki this is it
Setting: a little forest town. everything's surrounded by trees. most people live in treehouses. it's this peaceful little community that was once started as an experiment to see how various creatures coexisted when forced together. That was eventually abandoned, leaving the village to be populated by children of the subjects. Even now, decades later, most of the townsfolk are connected to the experiment, though a few families have moved in, especially in recent years. Overall, it's a small but pleasant place. Best described as "cozy." Everyone knows everyone. It doesn't seem like the place for magical prophecies, world-saving heroes, or life-or-death quests. That all happens in larger cities. Branchvale (lazy name but whatever) is able to claim it's never been the home of a planet-devouring monster or a "chosen one" of any kind, and they definitely do so with pride. Plot: Recently, there's been an influx of visitors. This on its own wouldn't be the cause for much alarm, as sometimes groups stumble upon the place and stay a while. However, there is something distinctly different about these new people. They all seem quite serious, most of them focused on some sort of urgent task they refuse to reveal anything about. Most of them wear matching uniforms. Compared to earlier people passing by, they're certainly much more hostile. In a place like Branchvale, this is practically unheard of. Rumor has it they're trying to start up the experiment again, or begin a new one entirely...
|
|
|
Post by Tikoaztite on May 1, 2016 17:02:07 GMT -6
A black labcoat with a high collar, buttoned diagonally across his chest and billowing out as the young man walked. Stitches across his face, starting just above his right eye, dipping down to the other side of his face, and only stopping near his left earlobe. Flowing, dark hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks, and dark hazel eyes narrowed into a disinterested squint. This man was being dragged by a relatively-similar looking girl with multiple braids her in long, chestnut-colored hair and the same stitches, wearing a flowing bronze dress, deep blue apron, and a cheerful, excited expression.
"C'mon, Vicky! They could have a few candy stores!" The girl chimed, the two leading another wave of 'visitors' into Branchvale. She seemed much less serious than the rest of these people, seeing as she lacked the uniforms the rest wore. "Let go of me. You're going to pull my arm out, and I didn't bring any thread. Besides, we're not here to shop." The man, named Victoire, responded unenthusiastically, looking around the surrounding forest as he did so.
|
|
|
Post by Alex on May 1, 2016 17:34:14 GMT -6
"Oh, great. Another batch of these creeps." Angel glanced up from her cellphone screen as Rhythm hit the table, making it shudder. The two were out at one of the smaller cafes in town, enjoying a lunch. Well, enjoying until the latest visitors had come along. "Any idea what they want, yet?" Rhythm asked. Angel shrugged. The cafe door opened, and their waitress came out with the bill. The two friends promptly split it. "More of the scientists, I see." The waitress observed, her expression grim. Her name was Maris, and she was an old friend of the two witches. She herself was a fairy, but she'd inherited some other powers along the way, evident thanks to her shoulder-length, icy-blue hair. "Rumor has it they're here to start up Project Coexistance again." Angel shot Maris a skeptical look, but said nothing. "We're already all coexisting perfectly fine." Rhythm grumbled, tugging at a strand of curly dark hair anxiously. "They have no business lurking around like creeps." The group of "visitors" dispersed, splitting into smaller divisions of threes or fives, and walking down various streets. "People think they have something to do with the missing person cases." Maris said, watching them leave, frowning.
|
|
|
Post by Tikoaztite on May 1, 2016 17:54:04 GMT -6
Of course, while the 'visitors' began dispersing, Victoire and the girl he was being dragged by stood still for a few minutes, thinking of which way to go. That's when both flesh golems turned to notice the cafe. "Marie, I swear to God-" Victoire began, already anticipating his sister's reaction. "Look, Vicky, a café! We could get to know some of the townspeople while we eat!" Marie pointed out excitedly, dragging him over. "We weren't sent here to mingle, and we are not going to waste our time going to a café!" Victoire's native Austrian accent came out a bit in his anger, soon letting out an exasperated sigh. "Stop being such a frownie brownie." The flesh golem pouted a bit at her brother, dragging him ever closer to the café.
|
|
|
Post by Alex on May 1, 2016 18:01:13 GMT -6
"I think some of them are coming this way." Rhythm remarked, snickering. "Have fun with that. Maybe they'll cave in and give you some information." Angel, however, didn't move. She wore a look of almost childish curiosity. After all, she'd never actually met any of the newcomers. Maybe they were friendly if you actually tried talking to them. "They don't even look like they're with the rest of the group." Maris pointed out. "No uniform, no one else with them... and they're all... patchwork." When Angel didn't budge, Rhythm sighed. "I guess we can try talking to them, then."
|
|
|
Post by Tikoaztite on May 1, 2016 18:46:58 GMT -6
"Marie, people are probably staring." Victoire tried protesting to no avail. By the tome he was finished speaking, they were already only a few feet away from the three. Staring blankly, his hazel eyes scanned the three girl's faces, while Marie faced all three of them with a bright smile. "Howdy!" She greeted, waving vigourously. Her sleeves ended halfway to her elbow, showing off the many bandages and stitches covering her arm. Both flesh golems had many different skin tones, their stitching marking the boundaries for each. Unlike Victoire's, where each skin tone seemed to be at least a little similar, her arms were a quilt of different shades- deathly pale stitched to a starkly contrasted dark tone on one arm, and olive to almost pink on the other. "Branchvale's a really cute place, from what I've seen! I'm guessing you guys live here?" She extended her free hand out to no-one in particular. "My name's Marie, and this here's my brother Victoire." "A pleasure." Victoire muttered unenthusiastically, rolling his eyes a bit.
|
|
|
Post by Alex on May 1, 2016 19:06:07 GMT -6
Maris hesitantly shook the girl's hand, putting on her best attempt at a customer-friendly smile. "W-We're locals, yeah. I kind of run this cafe. My name's Maris. Nice to meet you. These two are Rhythm and Angel, some regulars of mine." While the latter waved, the former kept a rather skeptical expression. "Are you with the rest of those creeps?" Rhythm spoke up. "If so: what the hell are they doing?"
|
|
|
Post by Tikoaztite on May 1, 2016 19:32:06 GMT -6
"Oh! Them? Yeah, Vicky's with them. He really only let me come because he doesn't think I can handle a few days on my own. He's a big ol' frowny brownie." Marie gave out yet another warm smile, turning towards the other flesh golem. "...I was instructed not to give that information out." Victoire answered blankly, trying in vain to wiggle out of his sister's grasp. "You might get it out of someone else, if any of my colleagues come around here." He added, soon just sighing and harshly pulling on his forearm. This sudden movement was enough to snap the thread connecting his elbow to the rest of his arm, and he simply pulled his arm out of his sleeve. The flesh golem immediately turned to Marie. "You're paying if you don't have a needle and any thread on you." He muttered, paying no mind to the fact he just pulled off half of his arm, as if it happened a lot.
|
|
|
Post by Alex on May 1, 2016 20:05:27 GMT -6
For a moment, the trio just stared at the man, at the severed arm. At the still-cheery girl. "That's... normal. For you. Right?" Rhythm asked slowly with a nervous laugh. "I'll be getting some menus." Maris loudly declared before vanishing back into the cafe. Only Angel seemed relatively unfazed. So, they were some patchwork creatures of some sort. Working with scientists, but probably born in labs, themselves. What an odd coincidence. "Definitely normal for you." Rhythm said again, scooting back in her chair. She glanced at Angel, who just shrugged. "I-Is this what the experiments are? Some weird zombie flesh thing?"
|
|
|
Post by Tikoaztite on May 1, 2016 20:26:42 GMT -6
"Mmhm. Perfectly normal." Victoire answered as Marie handed him his severed arm. "Though I'm quite sure that the proper term is 'flesh golem,' if there's even a term at all. But no, I can assure you that we're not here making quilts out of you villagers- if that's what you mean by 'the experiments.'" He chuckled ever so slightly, pulling back a free chair at their table and sitting down. Here, he laid his severed arm on his lap. "Zombie? I don't think we count as undead... Do we, Vicky?" Marie tilted her head and turned to Victoire, doing the same as him and pulling up a chair.
|
|
|
Post by Alex on May 2, 2016 17:31:28 GMT -6
"Flesh golem." Rhythm echoed, still skeptical and a fair bit creeped out. "Well, whatever you are, as long as you're not kidnapping and dissecting people... I'm still kind of bummed you won't be telling us more, but whatever." That mention of the missing persons cases remained in the back of her head, though. Maris returned, placing a couple of menus on the table. "Alright, here you two go. Probably won't take too long to make whatever you order, it's slow business today." Mostly because people felt uncomfortable going out with all the scientists lurking around, but she couldn't say that in front of the two, and instead kept that friendly, smiley front up.
|
|
|
Post by Tikoaztite on May 2, 2016 18:49:15 GMT -6
"Thanks!" Marie opened the menu almost immediately after it had been placed down, scanning it extremely quickly before she decided what she had wanted. "I think I'd like a croissant, please." She ordered, her smile softening into something a bit warmer. "All I may tell you is that your way of life won't be that badly disturbed." Victoire stated, in all honesty half-lying. "....And I'd rather not order anything, thank you." Victoire pushed the menu to the other flesh golem, sighing slightly. "....Two croissants, actually." Marie shot a playful smirk her brother's direction.
|
|
|
Post by Alex on May 2, 2016 19:19:56 GMT -6
Angel and Rhythm, both rather uncovinced by Victoire's words, said nothing. Maris took back the menus with a nod and a smile. "Two croissants! Alright, give me a few minutes!" She disappeared again, leaving the four customers to themselves. "You guys aren't gonna be sticking around long, are you?" Rhythm finally asked, in some weak attempt at conversation. "I mean, the locals're kind of freaking out. We almost never get visitors, let alone big experiments going on."
|
|
|
Post by Tikoaztite on May 3, 2016 19:41:31 GMT -6
"Depends on how long it takes to gather the information we need. 2, maybe 3 days and we'll most likely be gone." Victoire looked down at his severed arm for a moment, before beginning to pull out the pieces of snapped thread with his attached arm. "As I have told you, I can't give out any major, and some minor, details."
"Oh? You don't? But this place is so pretty..." Marie looked around at the surrounding trees, a bright smile still on her face. "Places like this deserve to be on maps."
|
|
|
Post by Alex on May 3, 2016 19:48:42 GMT -6
"Its appeal comes in that it isn't on maps." Rhythm said with a laugh, reclining a little in her chair. Maybe these two weren't as creepy as she'd thought. The arm thing was still kind of weird, though. "No big tourist mobs taking up the streets. Lots of trees because the population's so small. I like not being on the map." Angel was almost tempted to bring up the missing persons cases, but decided against it. The mood was friendly enough.
|
|