Roleplay

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/B2rTJBu.png[/img] Tales of Moldy Unicorns[/center] Uh, hello to anyone reading this. Hope this thread will fill you with serotonin like it does for me and Bleu -w- Important art (ref sheets, maps, concept art, etc.) [b]Characters[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/GxgENpp.png[/img] Apollo | Scales25's character | Theme song: Zero- Imagine Dragons [img]https://i.imgur.com/x3KM3Dx.png[/img] Cheryl | BleuFalha's character | Theme song: ?? [img]https://i.imgur.com/SPfFA2u.png[/img] Cheryl's family [b]Map info and some world building[/b] (stuff may change or be added. Maps+ bulk of world stuff by Bleu. Enchanted info and art by me!) [img]https://i.imgur.com/qLAr4ip.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/VxAkM43.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/wtkmOcF.png[/img] [LIST] [*]Enba Scotia [Two Pronunciations: [1) Ee-n-baa S-cott-ia] or [2) Ehn-bau Skho-sh-ia]) Is called 'World of Delusion' because there are no set reason as to why there is hatred. As many theories have crossed, the world has debated over a few theories: + Humans had jealousy for enchanted's power and tried taking it via massacring and taking resivors + There is a behind-the-scenes organization setting up for something bigger by provoking violence + Enchanted and Humans were never meant to co-exist, instead something went terribly wrong on either one of the sides and there was a new creation -- either an abnormality or a disability depending on wherever it started + `The Story of Ropes and Ties` is a children's book based on the unconfirmed historical event of two lovers from back when enchanted and humans co-existed falling in love, but there was a great argument and it started from a friend group, escalating into the schools, and eventually all over their country. Eventually, it was all over the continent--this book is mostly to teach children about the snowball effect and the consequences of their actions. This book is banned in most countries due to the epiphany that humans and enchanted co-existed + Another unconfirmed book -- not a childrens' -- Is 'The Distant King' and it's a story about a King back when the world ran on monarchy--the king was happily married and everyone was fine. The human king, however, said someone--an enchanted--killed his wife and he set a law over the land that all enchanted were to be killed. There are many mixed opinions about this book--some countries ban it as it suggests that humans started The Fall; others hold it high on a trophy as it also suggested that humans were the original superior species. This also calls for debate, and there's much infighting about it among the humans. [*] Humans are generally broken and have lesser military forms; they are divided and there's much infighting. Nobody can make firm decisions, and influencers are constantly fighting since everyone wants things to go their way. Enchanted tend to take shelter under a Council, and are typically able to deal with division considering their diverse magics. There is still infighting about which element is superior, but it's mainly discussed in hushed whispers and everyone's kinda afraid to present it to the Council. [*] Scotia is slightly bigger than Earths Western Hemisphere [16,371,932sqmi < 17,423,536sqmi] [*]Mixed areas tend to have higher Crime and hostility rates; it's rare/almost unheard of to see peaceful mixed cities. These cities are often taken over quickly if rumor gets out that they're a succeeding civilization, so most succeeding civilizations are hidden away from most governments. Most people don't even know that mixed cities exist. [*]Enchanted Side tends to have fewer individual countries/states || Human sides have many tiny states and countries due to overgreed and competition [*]Scotia has around half the population of Earth's Western Hemisphere; The world is still new and with the crime, numbers are decreasing more than they can rise [*] History is recorded and conducted via numbers. The first recorded document has the title '1' and every year following has been an increase of that. History books often don't bother teaching that far back. It is currently 346. [*]The islands inside 'The Great Wall' (geographical landmark located in the middle left) are abandoned and left a ruin of blood and overgrowth. There used to be great cities of humans and enchanted on them, but ever since The Fall it has been abandoned and said to be haunted; some look at it sorrowfully, others carry great spite against it. Whether or not the cities are the cause of The Fall is still up for debate, but the fighting was said to have originated around there. [*] ``The Fall`` Is a great historical event occurring in 308. There was much fighting beforehand, but The Fall signifies a sorrowful depression in the continent where massacres were not stopped and many bad people took advantage of their new freedom. It's much like the Purge, but with morals. The Fall signifies a dramatic decline in the population, going from two billion to just under nine-hundred million two hundred fifty thousand. The government was destroyed as people simply refused to listen to what they were saying. There was too much division, and much of the morals decided today are decided by Influencers. Popular people that are typically attractive, powerful, smart, or otherwise have some form of control over a region. You must have control over at least three cities to be considered an Influencer. Influencers can be enchanted--but there's only one and Influencers have control over humans only since Enchanted use counciling. [*] The Council is a highly-developed group of enchanted that have relatively powerful magic. Theres often an odd number to make decision-making easier, but the person with the most powerful or purest magic typically has the strongest vote. They are a very serious organization, and until something important happens, the're not typically involved in life. But 'imporant' stuff happens all the time to keep their power at a maximum. THey care for having power over the people although they may not admit it, and they only step in when neccisary. If possible, they will take the opportunity to leave it in someone else's hands if it doesn't mean they're not still the center of attention. The Council typically passes on from parent to offspring, but exceptions are made if someone else has a stronger magic. COuncil members are very strict and normally end up isolating themselves. They typically have to distance themselves from humans to keep up more infighting. It's normally considered an honor for those not involved, but parents are normally strict and end up marrying only for stronger offspring. [*] Over half the continent is a snowy biome, and every winter all over the globe has some form of snow. The only recording year without any snow at all (along the equator) was in 253. The planet is further away from the sun than Earth, and therefore it's generally colder. They still have the same body limits as those on Earth, however, and coats are common on the market. The only time a summer will ever get above 90*F is along the Equator in summer. Even then 90 and above is rare and considered considerably hot. Most of the continent is a wasteland, plains going on for miles. The snow that burdans the continent packs into the ground and makes agriculture hard. Most fighting is along the equator where agriculture is more bearable/harvest is typically more fruitful and so humans and Enchanted fight for farming rights. [/LIST] [b]Spirit info!![/b][LIST] [*]Spirits are the physical manifestations of the elements themselves. [*]Enchanted are technically descendants of them in the sense that the first enchanted were supposedly gifted with pure magic power by the spirits. [*]Also altered their appearance, turning them from normal humans into enchanted. Or, at least that’s how the legends go. [*]Spirits have the ability to change forms at will, being able to change size, outfit, etc. They typically have one form that they default to, which is the one that most enchanted will recognize. [*]In this form they have their true reservoir, or horns, which is where their magic is stored. They also can do seemingly impossible things like appearing to float, walk on air, and even manipulate their element on an extreme level. [*]Spirits can also change if they want to be visible or not. They can become invisible to every living thing and can even talk without anyone else hearing. However, other spirits can hear and see their fellow spirits. [*]Spirits cannot be harmed in any form, however they can appear physically. Essentially they appear and act human until they are attacked, in which they will not be able to affect anything anymore and their default form will be revealed. [*]A way to bypass this is for the spirit to get a host, which can allow them to take over or influence a person. [*]Hosts must have a connection to pure magic, whether that is through having pure magic or by obtaining pure magic through a reservoir does not matter. So long as there is a connection and you can get the spirit to agree to work with you, you will be a host [*]Hosts have the purest magic available due to the connection with the spirit. In the past they were often seen as god-like, a few had a cult following. [b]Some things about pure magic[/b] [*]Pure magic in enchanted isn’t actually pure. Every enchanted’s magic is tainted a bit. The population had to grow, resulting in less pure magic. However, magic has stabilized throughout the year, although pure magic is getting rarer and rarer as the conflict with humans continues. [*]If an enchanted can get a hold of a pure reservoir of their same magic type then they can get a spirit connection and fuse the pure reservoir with their own, purifying their magic. [*]The enchanted must have close to pure magic and cannot be someone with mixed magic. Ex. smoke, mud, hail, etc. [*]Through this process an enchanted can have pure magic, although this practice is generally looked down upon. It is only used in dire situations, such as preventing a human from getting a pure reservoir or making sure there are proper leaders in the council. [*]In certain enchanted settlements, it is customary to remove the reservoir of a dead relative and keep it as a family heirloom. These settlements often have a holiday, a celebration for lost loved ones. It is very similar to day of the dead. [b]Some info about hosts[/b] [*]Hosts are enchanted or humans who have a connection with one of the elemental spirits. They are connected by a pure magic reservoir and result in both having extreme amounts of power. [*]Enchanted hosts often have magic that is so overflowing that they can hardly control it. This is because their magic is extremely close to a spirit’s; they are often the first pick for being a host. [*]Spirits can take over a host if necessary and don’t need permission. Permission is always great and builds trust and stuff, but in a life or death situation it doesn’t really matter. [*]Spirits have to lend their power to their hosts, more so for humans as enchanted can already access magic. [*]When a spirit takes over a host (or when a host is using full power), they gain the spirit’s reservoir in the form of the element. They also can gain glowing eyes. So light would gain three horns made of light, fire would get a gem and two horns made of fire, etc. [*]Strong emotions can cause a huge surge of power that often can override a spirit’s control. The power that comes out of this state varies, but usually the trigger is anger or fear, which can release a powerful shockwave of pure elemental magic. Another way for this to happen is if the channeling reservoir gets broken. [*]Channeling reservoirs are not always needed if pure magic is internal; basically for enchanted and humans who have been infused with magic due to an exposure to powerful magic. [*]Even after an enchanted’s reservoir gets broken, they still have ties to magic. However, the only way for an enchanted with a removed reservoir to do magic is to get infused and become a host. Spirits are able to properly infuse magic so the person can have control, otherwise it's just sort of there. [*] When a host—enchanted or human—comes close to death, their soul slowly wisps away. Everyone knows this, and it’s all a part of death. But if a spirit is close enough and can get to them before all of them is whisped away, they can “stitch” a part of themselves with the person, and save them from death. However, this means the spirit is stuck with the person until the rest of their soul is wisked away in another instance of death The spirit and the person are still individual, however, like a body with two heads. The spirit can still display themselves in a physical manner, but it would be more ghost-like. This is also the only instance a spirits magic would be weakened because it is separated. When it comes back together, it no longer weak, but this means that they have to get the host to use it in order for it to still be pure, because they can’t redact the bit in the host or it will die. [/LIST] [img]https://i.imgur.com/YoB6Fg5.png[/img] [b]Spirit and enchanted things![/b] [LIST] [*]Besides being related to an element (and having complete control over it), spirits are also associated with a patron animal and certain qualities. Pure enchanted often have a symbol or actually take care of the patron animal and are said to be blessed with the qualities of that element. [*]Non-pure enchanted, especially those of mixed magic, often choose one spirit to put most of their faith into, with the other spirits being secondary. Pure enchanted do not have this kind of choice. However, these choices are why all spirits are celebrated during the lantern festival, instead of just one. [*]Patron animals are often rare animals that are not seen every day, some are actually connected to an element, which is very rare. These connected animals, known as the eyes of the spirits to enchanted, are very uncommon due to humans nearly hunting them out of existence. It is said that the few that still remain are on the isle of old. [*][b]Element qualities, patron animals, and other info[/b] [*][i]Earth[/i] [*]Patron animal: Stag; A stag with flowering antlers and often will have plants growing on them. These seem to be old as time and often grow much larger than other stags, along with a notably long tail. These stags often care for the nature around them and often will have colonies of animals living on them. [*]Qualities: Stability, prosperity, [*]The large moose-like reservoirs that pure earth enchanted have often made it hard to hide them and even move around. As such, pure earth enchanted hardly go into places where they are not welcome, however it does take until the age of 20 to get to their full, intimidating size. [*][i]Air[/i] [*]Patron animal: Griffin; An eagle who has been connected with the element of air, giving it four legs and a set of wings, but differs from your traditional griffin. While those who are true patrons of air do have the back half of a lion (or very rarely, a horse creating the species of hippogriffs), most griffins who are descents of the creatures are four legged birds. These smaller griffins have been nicknamed false griffins and are very intelligent. They are often used as messengers. [*]Qualities: Freedom, peace, [*]Air enchanted’s reservoirs are feathers that actually make up their hair. The more layers a person has, the purer they are. These feathers are very flexible and are by far the hardest reservoirs for humans to get their hands on, due to the sheer amount. Pure air enchanted also have the ability to poof up their hair, displaying their many feathers. [*][i]Water[/i] [*]Patron animal: Kraken; An octopus with a connection to fire and a much larger appearance, krakens are some of the most feared creatures of water. It is unknown how long the fearsome creatures can live, only that they rapidly increase in size as they grow. If one successfully cuts off a kraken’s arm, two more will grown in its place. The longest living krakens have so many tentacles they have trouble moving. [*]Qualities: flexibility, [*]Water enchanted’s reservoirs are also very flexible, very similar to those of air. However, they are only flexible underwater or during the rain. These reservoirs are often bright colors and [*][i]Fire[/i] [*]Patron animal: Dragon; A lizard with a connection to fire, which has given it a boosted size, wings, horns, and other dragon-like things. It is said that the lizards who seem to be able to survive the harsh winters are descendants of the fire patrons. [*]Qualities: Wealth, fortune, bravery [*]Pure fire enchanted have impressive horns while less pure have a single gem in their forehead. In some enchanted settlements, pure fire enchanted will take the reservoirs of their ancestors and carve them into gems, in which they embed into their horns to better emulate the fire spirit. For some reason the images of the fire spirit seem to have more and more gems, making these pure enchanted have ridiculous amounts of said gems. [*][i]Light[/i] [*]Patron animal: Unicorn; A white horse with a glimmering horn, often said to be able to disappear into the sun’s rays. These horses are said to have hooves made of gold and fur that feels like velvet. [*]Qualities: Fame, beauty, [*]Light’s reservoirs are purer the taller they are, they also appear more shiny. Different families of light enchanted often have different colored shines; Apollo’s is orange while another family’s could be golden. [*][i]Shadow[/i] [*]Patron animal: Owl; A black owl with eyes that are colored like the moon. Its feathers are speckled with flecks of silver, mimicking the stars above. These owls have long feather tuff, changing length with the moon phase just like the shadow spirit. [*]Qualities: Wisdom, secretive, cunning [*]Shadow’s reservoirs are by far the most unique because they change color, shape, and size with the phase of the moon. The closer to full it is, the more powerful an enchanted’s magic will be; this power is then boosted if the enchanted is pure. Enchanted are stuck with the moon phase that they are born with, however the spirit’s horns keep changing, almost like a lunar clock. Variations in color can also appear, depending on if a moon event has happened. These include blue moons which color the horns a pale blue, blood moons which make the horns red, a supermoon which will make the horns yellow, and even a solar eclipse which changes the eyes to resemble the celestial event. [*][i]Ice[/i] [*]Patron animal: Bear; A large white bear, similar to that of a polar bear but much bigger. These bears have icy blue eyes and can survive the harshest of winters. They are known for having icicles growing on them, often resembling horns or spines. These bears are said to lie way up in the arctic, in areas where no human would ever think to look. [*]Qualities: Honest, resilient, [*]Ice enchanted have horns that resemble glass, often appear iced over with frost. Pure ice enchanted have two or more different horn types, however size can vary. [*][i]Lightning[/i] [*]Patron animal: Thunderbird; a large bird with three sets of wings and a long tail. They are extremely large and are said to be descendants of condors; their wings are so big that they create the sound of thunder when flapping. They often are white or stormy grey with striking yellow eyes, only hatchlings can be taken care of. [*]Qualities: Quick, inuitive, [*]Lightning enchanted have rather dangerous reservoirs, not only are they spiky but once removed they attract lightning. Pure enchanted have more spikes than less pure, along with having brighter blue tips on the horns. [/LIST] [b]So what’s the difference between pure and not pure enchanted?[/b] Pure enchanted are the descendants of the original enchanted, who were gifted their powers by the spirits. As time went on, enchanted intermingled and combined elements, creating mixed enchanted and distancing themselves from pure magic. There are hardly any families left who can trace their bloodline back to the first gifted enchanted without some sort of intermixing. Less pure are enchanted who have managed to hide the ‘taint’ of other elements and single in one one element. Most enchanted these days are less pure or very close to it, rather than being fully mixed enchanted. There are two ways for one to purify the magic in their bloodline. One is by having at least 4 generations with partners of a less pure version of the element. By four generations (or somewhere around there) the taint of other elements should be eliminated, resulting in pure reservoirs to form. Therefore, it is possible to have less pure parents as a pure enchanted. The second way is highly looked down on. A less pure enchanted can fuse a pure reservoir with their own to purify their magic, and make their own reservoir that of a pure one. Typically this is only used in the case of emergencies or if it’s the wish of a family member. This will not work if a tainted element is present! This second process is different for shadow enchanted and is more normalized for them. As shadow enchanted have a hierarchy based on the moon phase they were born under, they are able to take other reservoirs and change their moon phase and power level. Generally, this is more common among the less pure. Pure enchanted generally are able to do this without challenges because they keep reservoirs of past relatives. [b]How do hybrids/mixed enchanted work?[/b] Mixed enchanted are common in mixed cities, although less pure are still the most abundant type of enchanted. Mixed enchanted have reservoirs that combine the traditional reservoirs of specific elements. Typically, one element will be more prominent than the other, although there are cases where both are expressed evenly. Mixed enchanted will have control over multiple elements or a combination of the two; oftentimes it is the later. However, sometimes elements don’t combine very well, which result in the first. For example, a fire/air mixed would be able to control smoke but something like ice/lightning doesn’t really have an outcome, resulting in lesser control of the two elements. Pure mixed hybrids work a little differently. When a pure enchanted has an offspring with someone who is not pure, the offspring will often still express the pure reservoir as it is the more dominant trait. The way that inheriting reservoirs works is that the more pure magic will be dominant and will be expressed more. That is why Abin, who was half human, expressed horns instead of a gem. Or, if there was a water/earth hybrid with earth being pure; moose antler would be expressed more than water fins. Mixed enchanted who have pure descent will have smaller versions of the traditional pure enchanted reservoirs. Half human hybrids often express things differently. As humans don’t have any magic, half humans generally express reservoirs that are stunted in growth. They will be smaller or malformed, generally exposing anyone who was from human descent. Ear shape is rather a random inheritance, although it seems that those with smaller reservoirs, rather than those that are malformed, are more likely to have pointed ears. Spirit realm stuff :3 The spirit realm is--rather difficult. There's four levels--some say five. But they're sorted on originality, Spiritual awareness, and mental awareness. The levels are actually physical--on a spiritual term. The spiritual realm is hard to understand, but it's like an 'Other Earth' type fiasco. There are rumors that everyone in the realm responds to a single 'diety' but so far no one really knows. And there's no evidence--so no one really cares. And the spirit realm is kinda like 'the realm of the dead'. Kinda like this universe's heaven. It needs to be drawn out to understand--yet another epic drawing I have yet to upload--but there are different levels of continents. Naturally, the purest, most raw form of consciousness is on the top. This level is typically considered the most 'royal'. Only a few people are allowed to grace this level--the Spirits. (Everyone in this realm is a spirit, but only the ones onthis level are given that title. To avoid confusion, most like to just call them Angels.) This level is an almost exact copy of this planet--which we have yet to named. Dear me. But instead of oceans, there are great forests that get taller the further in you go--and instead of deserts there are oceans. It's pristine--and like I said--royal. The Spirits can choose to bring people to this realm, but it's kinda common knowledge to stay out in the spirit realm. Like a king's palace sort to speak. The second layer is for the purer ones--but not in the way your thinking. Not like Pure magic, or pure consciousness. They call them pure because their soul is less tainted with themselves and painted to be more transparent. These are the ones who lived their life not for themselves. But these are the people who shared their love and are said to be the 'good people' in a sense. Keep in mind no one knows what determines who goes to what level. Yet another thing less talked about in this world. But to prove that it's not good deeds that what gets you into the sprit realm, the third realm is kind of the same. But with less rewards. Unless given clearance from someone from Level Two, a level Three cannot pass into that realm. But Twos can come and go freely. This realm is for the less open-minded. Kinda like those who would still die to save someone else but find it more appealing to toss their plastic cups on the ground than put it in the trash can that's two feet away. Level four is a bit complicated. There are no rewards-but it is still much better than the Physical realm. These can go to level Three as they please, but not to level Two without clearance from at least two people. And a Three can block them from their level is they want. Level five--noone quite knows if it exists. But it's said to be for those really awful people. Not the kind of people that had their reasons for doing something bad--nono, that's for level three and four. The people that would rather watch the world go up in flames than help an old lady across the street are the kind of people that go here. The people that therapy can't fix, because unlike an actual disability, these people are consous of their decisions. The lovely fandergs Apollo [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/82721621][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/827217/82721621_350.png[/img][/url] Cheryl [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/74417900][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/744180/74417900_350.png[/img][/url]

It was a completely normal day.

The streets were full of life, snow crunched beneath the feet of the travelers and fell from the sky like cotton rain. The sakura trees stood out in the white landscape, the pink petals encased in a layer of frost that made them glisten in the clouded sunlight. It was almost magical.

Of course, it couldn't be too magical.

Apollo walked along the streets, glancing from side to side and making sure his hood was drawn closely. The snow was a great excuse to have a hood, especially one that was lined with fur and hide his face, it was much easier to hide his reservoir this way, much easier to avoid the fights and accusations.

Much easier to avoid the possibility of death.

Enchanted and humans weren't meant to mingle, the two had been at each other's throats for centuries, destined to loath each other for all of eternity. Why this was true, he didn't know. To be honest, all of the fighting seemed pointless, surely whatever conflict started this could be resolved. Apollo shivered, the idea seemed great but he didn't want to be the one to initiate it. Humans terrified him. Despite not having magic, humans were masters of combat and war, developing weapons and advanced techniques to defend against enchanted.

The last thing he wanted was to be involved in a fight with a human.

He continued walking, still wary of his surroundings. He disliked going into the nearby town, it was much more dangerous than the enchanted village he came from. He needed supplies though, food was scare in the snow that often filled the landscape and the village's harvest hadn't been great this year. He was the one to ensure the survival of his town, he could not fail.

He absolutely could not fa-

A large hand suddenly gripped Apollo's shoulder, a small squeak escaped from his mouth. He turned to see a tall man gripping his shoulder, a few others stood behind him. Fear plastered his face as he awaited a response from the man. Whatever was about to happen certainty couldn't be good.

Cheryl was walking the streets of this old town. What a lovely evening this was. The clouds were glistening, trees were shining with a glossy ice that also coated her eyes. She was cold, but nonetheless quite happy to be out. She was wearing a cropped blue sweatshirt with a black tanktop underneath, and frankly wasn’t about to change despite the weather.

She shuddered as the thought of an enchanted fluttered past her mind. Kinda odd, the way her brain worked. Honestly, she sorta wanted an enchanted friend. What’s the harm? It sounded fun!

But nonetheless, it’s not like the government would let her. Which ****** her off, but it’s not like she’d actually confront them about it. Now that made her shudder. Eww. Government.

All of a sudden in her thoughts, she heard a—what was that—a scream? She turned around and scanned her area. In the light of a nearby area a man stood over another, and he looked a little scary. That can’t be good. She didn’t quite know what to do, so she picked up a tiny pebble, and with incredible luck, hit the lumbering man. “Ey!” She squeaked. Her voice was raspy, and it reminded her she shouldn’t be talking. A few blood flakes also sputtered when she talked, coming from the few cut vocal chords in her throat. Whatever, she was gonna talk, ain’t no disability stoppin her.

“Hey, dude,” she continued. “Lay off. That’s not cool.” Cheryl trotted over. “That’s not cool, man.” She looked up, her left eye following the right to a point that didn’t seem like there was anything wrong with it. “Leave him alone.”

Her shortness was—actually kind of laugh-worthy compared to literally everyone around her.

What could she do?

She looked at the man being harassed with a sympathetic look and winked.

Apollo felt the man grip his shoulder tighter, a small pain began to form. What is this guy doing?! He thought in a panic. At this rate my shoulder's going to get dislocated. He shouldn't know that I'm an enchanted, there's no reason for this. He squeezed his eyes shut and felt the beginnings of tears come out, he's have to get rid of them before the tears froze on his face. Why is this taking so long?

Suddenly, the man loosened his grip and a voice came out, a raspy one. Apollo opened an eye to see a short girl approaching him, a human girl. A surge on panic raced through him, another human? Sure, nobody knew he was an enchanted but still, this was way too much interaction for one day. The girl spoke again.

She was defending him.

Apollo was so confused. This stranger knew nothing about him, not even his name, why was she defending him? The look on her face was sympathetic, it was strange to see that kind of look directed at him. The man gripping his shoulder grunted before letting go, the pressure finally gone. Apollo rubbed his sore shoulder as he watched the man walk away, presumably to bother someone else. He let out a thankful sigh, that had almost been really bad. "Um." He started, struggling to find words. "Thank you... For that."

“Yeah, anytime!” She exclaimed. She was a cheerful squirt of a human. A little frightening to see something that short carry that much happiness. She stepped threateningly to the man walking away like ‘yah I dare you to come back fool.’ “I’m Cheryl! What’s your name?” Cheryl asked. She grinned with a smile that said ‘I literally couldn’t kill I fly if I tried’.

She held out her hand. “Is there a reason your in town? I know everyone here and you don’t seem familiar. Then again, your also not groughy and gross like everyone else, so that’s new! Where you from?”

Her abundance of questions was enough to drive Goliath away. She tightened her cropped sweatshirt around herself, her eyes cloudy with a hint of mischief and sympathy. An odd mix of emotions.

“Oh, um…” Apollo tripped over finding the right words to say. “I’m Apollo.” He shuffled nervously, the happiness that radiated from Cheryl a bit too much for him. He drew his hood tighter, not only because of the cold but because he was nervous. Conversations were always nerve racking, most of the time ending in disaster because of him forgetting and stumbling over words. “It’s, um, nice to meet you.”

At the mention of why he was in town Apollo shuffled even more. “Oh I’m just buying some food…” he trailed off at the end. “I, well, I don’t live here. I’m- uh, making a supply run.” He smiled awkwardly. What he said wasn’t technically a lie but I wasn’t the whole truth either. He shuffled once again, obviously tense in the crowd of people that bustled around the two. “I’m, uh, guessing you’re from around here?”

((Btw, what age range were you thinking of these two being?))

“Apollo,” she repeated. “Such a pretty name!!” She noted where he was from, and tried to think of other out-of-town places. She couldn’t think of many. Odd..

She looked up at his face, grinning wildly. Cheryl also noted his shuffling. “What’s wrong,” she asked, but didn’t wait a heartbeat to hear the answer. “Is it because your from out of town? I know where the stores are!!” She grabbed his hand, pointing down the street.”cmon! I’ll show you.”

It seemed the streets were quiet and really kinda shady. It seemed Cheryl was the only hope for happiness in this city, but even she was often picked on.

(Maybe 17-18)

"Oh, um" Apollo said, not ready for the sudden compliment. Before he could say another word, his hand had been grabbed by Cheryl. He shivered slightly but didn't move, he didn't want to be rude. "I-uh, ok." He stammered out, a quick response was better than none in his mind. I know where some of the store are but I suppose a proper showcase wouldn't be harmful. He was surprised by how happy Cheryl was, the normally gloomy town was suddenly brighter, it was somewhat calming. He wondered where she would take him first.

((Sounds good!))

Cheryl skipped down the street, practically dragging Apollo. One step for him was like two steps for her, as she was quite small, but she was also exited. They passed by some weird things—a drug store, a fighting arena, etc.

“Here we are!” There were posters and signs that made the sore seemed like it sold more conspiracies than vegetables.

“There are others but their shadier.”
Shadier? Than this?

Jeez.

“What do you need?” Her voice was still crackly and every once in a while she seemed to stumble over them. She stared tasting small slabs of blood, but it’s not like she’d die. It was only every day this happened. Plus she was pretty good at being happy, still.

Apollo looked at the sign of the stall with confusion, it really didn't seem like a place that would sell vegetables. Plastered around were drawings and giant walls of text, like someone had taken the place to try and plan out something. "Shadier?" He said with surprise. The stall he had been to before hadn't been like this.

Then again, he never really ventured far.

"Oh, um, quiet a lot actually." Apollo often just bought the boxes that the food came in, then he'd load them up on a makeshift sled left carefully out of town and would haul it back.

He was not looking forward to hauling all of the boxes back to the edge of town.

"Um, Cheryl?" He asked, a concerned tone in his voice. "Are you ok? Your voice sounds... Well it sounds kind of painful."