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Post by HumanoidCarbonUnit on Nov 14, 2009 20:16:20 GMT -5
The youngest member of the gang sat drawing in the dirt. His name was Jack and he was a rather proud seven year old. He had been with the rebellion for about two years, he had done a bit of growing up with them.
He sat off by himself, drawing shapes in the dirt. He named them in his mind then turned to numbers. He could count to over 100, he could even draw those numbers. That made him feel smart, though the thing that made him feel very smart were his letters. He could name them, draw them, and he knew what sounds they made. He couldn't actually read or write words but he knew more about the alphabet than some of the adults around him.
The little brown haired boy had been born a slave but he had been freed in a strange, and horrible, turn of events. His last owner had not been that bad but Jack didn't really know the difference between captors. Currently he was the only young boy in the group, this led to him acting more like a bratty teenager than a cute little boy. He felt the need to act tough like the older men, he even imitated some things they did. They were not always appropriate things either, but he didn't understand everything he was saying.
Jack grew bored of doodling rather quickly. He sighed and looked about him. He wanted some toys to play with but he didn't have any. That didn't help his boredom.
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Post by Lark on Nov 16, 2009 20:15:12 GMT -5
She was not as impressed with the boy as she was the elder members of the gang. She spent more time timidly flirting with the guys than she did sitting around watching the child. Today though, Jack had taken hold of her attention and she found herself sitting against a tree observing the seven-year-old from the corner of her eye.
He was a cute child who hardly had much of a role model here within the gang. He's better off at the Rebellion, Lilac thought in her head. She surprised herself with thinking of them. She tried to block the Rebels from her thoughts. This one had managed to seep through. She slapped her thigh for allowing herself to think of...them.
It was probably true though. There were no kids in the gang. They were mostly young adults looking to cause trouble. The Rebels actually had children Jack could interact with. But, oh well, he'd been with the gang a couple years now. He was already doing better than one would expect. He could even...
he could...
Write?
Lilac straightened herself and casually looked at what Jack was scribbling in the dirt. She figured he was merely doodling. Closer inspection proved he was in fact drawing numbers and writing letters. She herself could not write and could barely read. She recognized a couple letters here and there, but otherwise her writing and reading skills were completely nonexistent.
A pang of jealousy rose into her chest that she had to fight off. She was always so jealous of others. So easy to anger. Over two years with the gang and she still found herself fighting to get to the top. She was almost there. She had proven herself the flaunting drama queen at least. There would be no forgetting her.
At eighteen, she was a far cry from her childish days when Adronicus "rescued" her from Scotch. She had been much like Jack with the exception being her want for acceptance and lack of writing skills. Again, envy wrapped itself around her chest. She frowned.
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Post by TygerShore on Nov 16, 2009 21:08:09 GMT -5
William gazed around, his sharp trained eyes not missing a thing. Jack sat, scribbling in the dirt, creating lines that to Will, were strange and without meaning. He couldn't read. He didn't care.
He spotted Lilac watching the child with interest. He let his eyes briefly settle upon her, but then moved off, continuing his search for danger. The last two years had been a slap in the face for Will -- most of the time literally. He had adapted to his new life-style, embracing it, cherishing it. He was no longer the Will that had joined the gang two years back. Oh no, there had been some major updates.
Will didn't like dwelling on his past very much. That meant letting the part of him that he had trapped in a cage these past two years. The part of him that used to be hesitant and peaceful -- he had caged it up and stored it away. He didn't need it anymore.
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JB
Junior Member
Posts: 36
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Post by JB on Nov 18, 2009 18:36:24 GMT -5
Gabe was dozing, or rather, pretending to, his back up against the slope of a tree, and his hands behind his head. His green eyes were closed and he was letting his ears catch the sounds around him. With them, he painted a rather abstract picture of his surroundings.
The past two years he had to admit had been interesting. Physically; he'd put on another inch or two of height, and his voice had finally quit deepening. His attitude, he felt hadn't changed much, unless you counted the fact that his interest in the opposite sex had increased. And he still wasn't entirely sure that he trusted his fellow gang members. Other changes brought from the gang, well, that could be a long story.
He finally opened his eyes, squinting a little bit to let his eyes adjust to the light. He spotted the young boy, Jack, drawing in the dirt. Gabe had to admit, having a younger kid around, especially when they were in the gang, was a little awkward. His eyes floated over to Lilac, and lingered there for several moments, before finally finding Will. Will he guessed, was being the lookout. His eyes then returned to Lilac, carefully surveying her.
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Post by Ally on Nov 19, 2009 22:32:02 GMT -5
Emery couldn't believe it.. already two years had passed since the Gang had been created. Two years she had wandered these woods, taken part in raids and various other actions, mingled, argued and complained about the other members that she lived with. Well, sorta anyways. She had a tendency to wander off, though not too far away, in order to get some peace and quiet. Emery dearly loved her sleep, and if roused at the wrong time could become quite the grump bug.
Last night, though, she had had a wonderful sleep, and the energy that she had was still going strong. It had been a milder night than usual, making it more comfortable to sleep. Fearing that your toes or nose might freeze off in the night didn't make for such a good sleep period.
Sun filtered through the bare branches of the trees, its rays lighting upon Emery's dark tresses. She had tied her long hair up with a slightly dirtied ribbon she'd found, keeping the strands from her face. She loved her hair, but she had to admit... it got in the way quite a bit, and she'd been tempted to cut it off more than once.
The thick layer of dead leaves under her feet crunched with every step, and had she not been warier than usual, she would've thoroughly enjoyed jumping through them, kicking up the vegetation into swirling, colorful clouds. Fall was one of her favorite times of the year. Aside from the gradual drop in temperatures, Autumn was so very pleasant. Just look at the beautiful leaves that the trees had been filled with only a couple weeks ago. True, they were mostly on the ground now, but still.
She was now headed back to the most commonly used spot for the Gang. Through the past couple years, they'd moved around a little bit less than at first, and this place in particular was a favorite haunt. It offered many things that most of the others didn't; a fresh water stream, oak trees that afforded acorns, berry bushes that yielded a fine batch of berries in the spring, and most importantly a small shelter. A couple logs piled up against two strong trees, leaves and pine needles piled up on the sides.. it wasn't much, and Emery doubted it would help anything... that is until that one night where it started to get windier than usual... the logs helped to break the wind, and though it had been an uncomfortable night for all of them, they'd survived.
Emery first came upon Will, who seemed to be standing guard at the moment, his attention focused. Like the rest of them, he had changed and grown during the years with the Gang, and Emery couldn't help but feel a little admiration for him. They'd gotten along pretty well for the most part, and she was glad of that. Next, she saw Lilac sitting with her back against the tree, watching the little boy, Jack, scribble something in the dirt. She didn't have the sweetest disposition, and the flirtiness that often permeated her manner didn't do anything to help her reputation. But she was what she was.. Emery doubted that anything could change that.
Gabe also was hanging out with most of the Gang, just chillin' there and being himself. He'd grown a bit taller, and his voice had changed. Emery couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she remembered the changing period, with the cracking voice and all. It'd caused a couple tussles and many laughing fits.. good times, good times.
Emery gave a little wave to the assembly, not directing it to anyone in general. A cheerful smile was on her face as she seated herself roughly between the two older teens, watching with quiet amusement at the lingering look Gabe directed towards Lilac. It was interesting to see some some of attraction pick up amongst the Gang members. Yeah.. it'd probably produce a bunch of drama in the future, but that also would present a new situation in which to watch with delight. Emery had to admit that she enjoyed watching struggles, both verbally and physically, her calculating mind always active, trying to figure out who would come out as the victor.
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Post by HumanoidCarbonUnit on Nov 20, 2009 18:51:52 GMT -5
Jack took note of the adults around him, they were all adults to him. He didn't really know much about what was going on between them. For him they had always been big and tall and the boss of him. “I want to play a game,” he said to no one in particular, “Does someone want to play with me?”
Jack had never had a real playmate before, at his first home he had been known to beat up the other boys after playing with them for so long. The girls were not fun to play with because they had cooties and only wanted to play house. It had only been since the gang had adopted him that he had had a reliable playmate. That was not saying much though. The bulling behavior he had exhibited when he was other children had started to show through even more. He had hit other members before, but Marcel was quick to take care of that. There was no use for a naught little boy in the group.
He stood up, not bother to brush the dirt of the seat of his pants and looked around him. Gabe rarely played anything fun with him, and the little blond boy didn't like playing with either of the women very much. He really only went to them if he wanted something, be it food or a bandage for a cut. That left Will, normally the tall man would start a game with him if he asked.
Determined to play something he walked over to Will and tugged at his shirt. “Will I want to play hide and seek,” he said totally expecting the man to say that that game sounded like a good idea. In Jack's little world everyone did what he wanted, though that was not what normally happened.
“No one wants to play that with you, stinky,” Marcel said as he entered the scene from out of nowhere, “You're too easy to find.” The curly haired man hadn't aged much at heart, though his body had shown that life for him was not the easiest. He had the slightest limp when he walked and, though he told no one, his left eye had permanently blurred vision. All these were the results of a decently sized scrap he had gotten himself into on the night of the raid. Marcel did his best to hide these imperfections though, he felt he did a good job. His personality certainly hadn't changed much from when he had first met the core of the group. He was still a silly teen aged boy at heart.
Jack did not take kindly to his new nickname, Marcel had given it to him as part of a joke and because stinky was funnier to him than stinker. The little boy turned about and kicked at Marcel as he walked by. The black haired man turned about sharply only to see that Jack had turned back to Will and was trying to put the taller man between him and Marcel.
Marcel gave a shake of his head. “Will I think you have a son,” Marcel informed his friend, “And he really doesn't like me very much.”
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Post by Lark on Nov 23, 2009 21:08:15 GMT -5
After less than a quarter of an hour the gang members were more or less all centered upon the same general vicinity. You couldn't quite consider it "congregating" for everyone seemed to be doing the same thing at their own distance and at their own pace.
Eventually Lilac saw Will not too far away watching the child just as she. He seemed rather uninterested and bored. Yet, he remained quiet and seemed rather alert to other things...the child an exclusion.
Emery she saw next approaching Will at an angle. Lilac wasn't too keen on Emery, but then again she and her both saw the world in different eyes. Lilac could tolerate her on a normal day to day basis. Their differences kept them from a tight relationship that a vast majority of girls seemed to create, especially in situations such as theirs.
Her eyes darted away from Emery almost as soon as she saw her coming. There was no sense in looking like she was actually interested in what she was doing. Her eyes rolled when she felt sure nobody saw.
Last she spotted Gabe. His intense stare he was known for was focused on her. She stared back and dared a corner of her mouth to rise into a subtle smirk. Then just as suddenly as she spotted him she turned her attention away at Marcel's distinctive voice.
“No one wants to play that with you, stinky,”
Marcel was talking to Jack. The kid didn't take the comment lightly. He kicked at Marcel then turned and faced Will. He commented on Jack acting like he was Will's son.
Lilac gave a small laugh and watched to see how things were about to play out.
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Post by TygerShore on Nov 23, 2009 21:30:58 GMT -5
Will let his eyes dance along the other members as they came out of the forest, emerging like ghosts. His eyes fell upon Emery, but was quickly interrupted by Marcel's appearance which brought Jack into an annoyed mood.
Will was slightly startled as the boy tried to scurry behind him, putting as much distance as he could between himself and Marcel.
“Will I think you have a son,” Marcel said, “And he really doesn't like me very much.”
Will chuckled. "I don't blame him very much...you are quite scary you know." He looked at Jack, and raised his eyebrows, as if to say that Will thought Marcel was very scary too. The kid had grown on Will...which was surprising considering Will's previous lack of social skills with children.
Still half keeping an eye on the clearing, Will noticed Gabe...and Lilac trying to hide her emotions. Even though Gabe still didn't hold Will's full trust, he had learned to let the kid watch his back, and didn't feel the need for watching him twenty-four-seven. Lilac on the other hand...yes, she had been with the gang nearly as long as he had, but he still didn't believe that her whole heart was in it. She seemed to be more interested in wooing boys rather than working out plans for the gang. He didn't fall for any of her antics however, he had his eyes on someone else.
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JB
Junior Member
Posts: 36
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Post by JB on Nov 26, 2009 23:56:04 GMT -5
The gang was finally all located in the same area. Gabe had gone back to acting like he was dozing in a rather care free manner. Though he had changed his position slightly so he was sitting in the sun's rays. Probably some of the last warm rays of the year. Winter was on its way, and it would be back to the miserable months of cold, aided by little food, and inadequate shelter. Already, the cold months had started to nip at the heels of the fading summer. The nights were growing cooler, and Gabe found that he did not sleep as well. The cold put more knots in his muscles, from being curled up in one position for too long, and he'd often wake up in the middle of the night. Which lead to him being restless in the mornings. And none of it helped his mood at all.
Fall was one of his favorite months. It was colorful, and milder than the baking summers. The days were shorter, and the sun let off enough rays to make it feel pleasantly warm, and not overly hot. The leaves of deciduous trees would go from a bright green, to varying shades of red, yellow, orange, and sometimes pink. When mixed amongst evergreens, the colloge of colors was as wild and beautiful as ever.
Gabe's eyes opened, and fell on Jack when the little boy spoke up, trying to get the members or a member to play with him. He has a lot of growing up to do, Gabe thought to himself, as he went back to visualising his surroundings on the canvas in his mind. It would be interesting to find out what his opinion would be when he finally figured out that the world did not revolve around him. Why the kid was even in the gang was a mystery to Gabe. Sure, they'd been fairly young, but certainly not as young as this boy. The child, in Gabe's mind, was more of a hindrance than a help. He did not irritate him as much as Marcel did, for he was easier to block out.
Gabe felt a pang of annoyance at the voice of Marcel. Two years had passed and he still did not like the Gang's leader. He'd decided that the best way to deal his feelings were to ignore and tolerate them. He wasn't a leader, so he wouldn't even dream of attempting to subordinate the higher ranking official. Plus, why risk getting chucked out? There was strength in numbers after all.
From the bits of brief conversation, Gabe had decided that Jack, as usual, was not getting his way. He decided to quit feigning sleep, and see what played out. He still liked to jump into the middle of an argument, especially when it became a physical wrestling match. Somehow, he doubted this would occur. But he was tired of attempting to rest. With the other gang members around, sleep would only come once the cloak of darkness had descended, filtered through the trees, and obliterated all and any light. Quietly, he stood up.
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Post by Ally on Dec 8, 2009 16:44:00 GMT -5
“I want to play a game, does someone want to play with me?”
Emery grinned to herself at the little boy’s words. He’d been the newest addition to the gang, and while Emery couldn’t say that she was really all that fond of him, he wasn’t too bad. He had the tendency to bother Will the most, which was pretty alright with her.. for the most part.
“Will I want to play hide and seek.”
The brunette took a glance around the area and couldn’t imagine a better place for hide and seek.. both the fun kind and the serious sort. You know, the sort where someone really DOES get hidden (aka. lost) and the rest of the people have to go find them. That was not a fun thing, and Emery could imagine a couple of people here not wanting to leave the relatively sheltered clearing to search for a little boy.
“No one wants to play that with you, stinky, you're too easy to find.”
Emery chuckled at Jack’s attempt to kick Marcel.. the boy didn’t lack spirit, thats for sure. Once he was able to focus that energy, and everything else that made him, he’d be quite an asset to the Gang.. but for now, they’d all have to put up with his games and quick retaliations.
Marcel had done a pretty good job about keeping this rag-tag group together. Emery could look at each individual that was in the immediate area and see a completely different personality in each; a different person, with various beliefs about society, but similar enough to bring them together in a united cause.
“Will I think you have a son, and he really doesn't like me very much.”
She laughed and couldn’t resist adding her own comment.
”I dunno Marcel... maybe Jack does like you, but just in a violent way. You know, like a boxer loves his punching bag?
Emery stood and strolled across the center of the small clearing, passing Jack in the process, ruffling his hair up a bit, making sure to avoid any kick he might decide to administer. Yes, Jack was quite alright, and had the other members teased him less, Emery thought he might be less violently inclined.. if you want to call him violent. It was used only for lack of a better word.
"I don't blame him very much...you are quite scary you know."
A corner of Emery's mouth twisted up into a lopsided grin at Will's words, and she glanced at him, wondering how exactly he was going to deal with Jack and the proposed hide-and-seek game. Will was still as quiet as he was when he came to the Gang, but more open to talking, and he was.. how to put it? More... human, maybe? Regardless of what had changed and what hadn't the past few years, Emery had grown to appreciate a calmer person to talk to when she needed.. or wanted.
Emery realized she was watching Will intently when Gabe stood up, and she swiftly redirected her attention. Gabe tended to keep to himself usually, though making sure everyone knew he was there. Wondering what might happen if he joined in, Emery seated herself again on a low tree branch, looking between Gabe and the other guys in the Gang.
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Post by HumanoidCarbonUnit on Dec 24, 2009 17:32:33 GMT -5
Marcel couldn't help but smirk a little when he heard Lilac laugh, maybe someone thought his little comment was funny. He liked Lilac, she was a good girl. Sure she still had plenty of growing up to do but when he was her age he had a lot of that to do as well. With a little bit more time she would have a good head on her shoulders, sure she might have to figure that out on her own but she would learn. Marcel knew that the others didn't trust her loyalties but that wasn't much of a big deal to him. Certainly he wanted to know that his fellow members were not going to rat him out to a captor but that was about all he really cared about.
When Emery made the comment about Jack loving him like he would love a punching bag Marcel gave a fake little moan. “Don't give him any ideas, in like six years he's going to be bigger than me and he really will treat me like his punching bag,” He smiled, as he reached down to try and tussle the boy's hair. Jack quickly darted away from behind Will to the opposite side of the small clearing laughing. “Come on Will,” he said trying to get him to come and play with him.
Marcel let a big smile on his face when Will chuckled. It was about as far from the truth as Marcel thought a comment could be. He was a short, thin, man who still looked and acted like a child. Still that was way made him like the comment. “I am rather frightening aren't I?” He asked rhetorically, “I like to think of myself as a tiger; big, powerful, frighting, and cunning.”
Marcel then noticed that Gabe had stirred. The two still didn't get along well, they both ignored each other more than anything. And that was when they were forced to be around each other. He was perfectly fine with that. It kept confrontations down and that was all that mattered.
Marcel wasn't sure exactly what to do, it wasn't often that all the member were together on their own free will. They were all different and all had their own things they would prefer to be doing generally. Instead he decided to keep an eye on the kid until he could think of something worth saying. He knew that the others may have been wondering why they kept the boy around. He was happy none had bothered to ask because he didn't really have a good reason. The best thing he could come up with was that he wanted to boy to have a good and fun life were he could do boy things and not get in trouble for it. Marcel didn't think that the rebels would give him a chance at that and he knew that Jack wouldn't stand a chance on his own so he did the best thing he could think of kept the boy under his watch.
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