THE BIRDS ARE MOCKING ME \ JOINING

[XO037]

[align=center][div style="width:500px;font-size:9.2pt; text-align:justify"]It must have been colorful here once.

It was the first thought he had when the sprawl of houses and buildings came into clear view, all faded walls and chipping paint. He'd visited a few places like this before, when new coats of paint were easily obtained and applied, and when streets such as these had bustled with flip-flops, shorts, and wide-brimmed hats. Now they were lonely, lacking both the vibrancy of the summer-colored buildings and the people who embodied them.

This was not a ghost-town, however, and while there must be quite a few aimless wanderers who settled roots without originally intending to, XO was not among them for two reasons. The first: he was not aimless, or lost, or here on a whim. The second: he would most assuredly leave as soon as he had what he needed. XO was not uprooted, or a tumbling plant in need of a place to stay, though he would not discourage that assumption.

Not if it could improve his integration, and from what he'd heard, the man he was looking for was something of a wanderer himself. He might prove more malleable with a perceived kinship in place, and nothing mattered more to his success than that.

XO tucked one arm behind his back while the other played idly with a smooth stone he'd found on the way here, tossing it up and down while studying the houses, waiting patiently.

[ADDY.]

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— addy sometimes did wonder what it must’ve been like here, twenty or so years ago, before shit hit the fan. but, also, the redhead wasn’t particularly one to ponder this often. he had other shit to think about then what a pretty fuckin’ town this place might’ve been back then. sentiment had never particularly been one of his traits. actually, he tried to avoid thinking about the past as much as he possibly could.

sometimes one couldn’t help but wonder though.

he saw him coming closer to the town. it took him a few moments before he decided to wander over to meet the newcomer, arms crossed in front of his chest. guess it was currently his job to welcome new people in, or more so inquire about their intentions here before deciding if they could stay or go. it was odd, walking up to someone- with the intention of actually having to talk to them and be a generally decent person while he was at it.

“welcome to the badlands,” he greeted shortly, giving the man a brief once-over. “what’s your business around here?” probably here for no fucking reason other than to be here, the redhead had been quick to add to himself, albeit rather bitter of an afterthought. most people came here without reason; shit was fucking ridiculous. he’d come here to seek refuge from his past, run away from it- find strength in numbers.

now, he felt tied down to this place. even when this place gave him reason to leave, even when he himself felt like he served no purpose here anymore- he stayed. and now look where that got him. second in command, currently in charge while catalyst went about doing… romantic fucking shit. whatever.

[ hello hello!! welcome to the badlands! ]

[capt. salem]

LIES A THOUSAND HORRIFYING MEMORIES | | |

//welcome to BL!

Salem remembered when he'd see people walking down the streets, cars chugging along bringing people to whatever destination they fancied; back when education wasn't a luxury, but mandatory for shitty little kids like him. He'd try to remember how his hometown looked when it was lively, and it felt like a warm hug even though he couldn't remember the faces of any of the people. Didn't matter, they were all most likely dead now.

He'd never seen this town before the apocalypse though; this town full of dandelion people and cracked pavement was all he'd ever known this place to be. He liked it though, it suited his purposes just fine; and judging by Cat's, well, judging, it seemed as though he'd be staying here a while.

He saw Addy, alongside a stranger. Not that uncommon really, but interesting enough for Salem to meander over and wave one hand as a greeting. Wait- shit, he kept forgetting people might think his four-fingered gestures were creepy, damnit.

"I like your new friend, Addy." Salem commented, coming to a stop next to the current pseudo-leader of the Badlands; at least, until Cat stopped sobbing over their boyfriend's completely-alive body. At times like this he was glad Cat couldn't read his mind, he could already imagine what it felt like to get punched for that comment.

"Are'ya new around here, bud?" Salem asked, directing the comment to the stranger directly and examining them carefully. Would they be useful to him or not? It still stood to question that, at least for now.

[justify]I feel the unbearable weight, [abbr=Goes by Salem or Monty | He/Him or They/Them Pronouns | 28yrs Old | 6'3"| Officer of the Badlands | Former pirate captain | Sexuality is a unlabeled free for all, romance is questioning]&[/abbr]
I sense the ripping of my shame, [abbr=Medium-Hard Physically | Hard Mentally | Attacks with whip, scimitar or revolver | Open to capture and maim if requested / discussed prior | Not open for death | Difficult but not impossible to defeat or subdue]&[/abbr]
I hear the sigh of indifference [abbr=Guy Fieri aesthetic | Neck-length dull brownish-grey hair | Bright green eyes | Three piercings on both ears (two on top cartilage, one large on lobe), and a lip piercing | Scruffy beard starting to grow in | Both pinky fingers cut off]&[/abbr]
(IC Opinions)[/justify]

[Louie Harris]

//since literally All My Other Characters here are MIA atm, here's this idiot. also hi welcome back
//ALSO TW for mentions of drinking and cults

If you asked him five months ago if he thought he'd ever leave his home town, he'd say no. He'd stay in the same house that was slowly falling apart, keep talking to the same people he'd known his whole life and go to the same bar and drink the same moonshine that he'd been frequenting for longer than he should have. More often than he should have too, but that's part of why he was here, right? To change. To be better.

Before the events of a few weeks ago, he'd thought he was doing okay. He'd stayed out of the casino unless Catalyst was there... Until one day he didn't. He went in there with Addy, and they got to talking and now he was the same thing he'd been back home. The drunkard. The cultist. The fool. Only Addy knew about Mourningstar, but the whole of the Badlands surely knew that he'd relapsed. They knew he was pathetic, that he was weak. All his progress was reset, he'd lost almost all of the respect from Cat, and they were angry with him for talking about Mourningstar.

Louie might not look at them like a god anymore, but it would take a long time before he stopped searching for their approval. If that ever happened at all. But they weren't here right now, it was just Addy and Salem and... someone else. Hey, someone that didn't know about all the shitty things he'd done. For now, anyway. He'd learn soon enough, but maybe Louie could befriend him first, so he wouldn't care.

What? He wasn't lonely, not at all.

"Hi." He mumbled, standing a pace behind Addy and Salem. Maybe he shouldn't be so shy around the Badlanders or the stranger; but the Badlanders were brutal and one of them knew the worst things you could know about him. And the stranger? Well, he'd always been taught to keep away from strangers. Unless it was his father introducing him.

[XO037]

[align=center][div style="width:500px;font-size:9.2pt; text-align:justify"]//THANKS im an idiot and forgot i posted this alksdjfals
he doesnt seem like that much of an idiot pyre hes doing his best

Fortunately for XO037, he could consider multiple topics in a short time-span. He wasn't limited only to the mission at hand- higher management had others for that narrow-minded focus, and XO was obviously not among them. So, he was at liberty to wonder whenever a whim took hold, and he easily assumed that there were those who wouldn't have seen the world as it used to be. That much wasn't an assumption so much as it was common knowledge. It must be difficult for the newer generations to picture what once filled the skeleton cities, the scope of people who would never know each other's names.

The younger man who greeted him was most likely among them.

XO smiled easily, eyes brighter with the curve of his mouth, and he caught the rock one last time, joining that hand with the one already behind his back. X was slightly taller than this one, though he'd knew much earlier this was not his target. Too red-headed, too young. No loyal dog at his side, and unfortunately, the man who came after was also irrelevant to his purpose. Too few fingers to be Atlas. His lips didn't falter in their curl, however.

"Sight-seeing, really. It's been a while since I was here last," he answered smoothly, not quite honest, not quite dishonest. He'd visited similar enough places in the past that this was a close enough substitute, and he was sightseeing, if only in a more...person-oriented way.

"Anyway," he released a hand to wave it dismissively, and then to offer it to Addy when he stepped forward, "I'm XO037. Call me X, though- I know numbers are a little harder."

He did the same for the scruffy man, hand outstretched for what would be a not quite limp, not quite firm handshake if taken. "You could say that. Last I was here, things were...different." His smile had faded back, but returned again, this time more lopsided. "You have pretty eyes. I haven't seen any so green in a while."

His keen gaze went to the shyer stranger who positioned himself deliberately behind the pair, so X wouldn't take his chances trying for a handshake. He tucked his arm back behind and maintained his smile. "Hello to you, too. I don't bite, I promise."

[Louie Harris]

//he is doing his best but
//again tw for drinking and cults

Thinking wasn't exactly something that Louie was known for. Don't get him wrong, if he gave things enough thought, he could make some fairly astute observations. Nothing astounding, but for him, someone who would read something and take it at face value, picking up on the meaning between the lines was pretty good for him.

Maybe Cat was right, though. He was smart when he wasn't lapping up booze or the cult's bullshit. He'd finally separated himself from all that, and was doing his best to get clean. Maybe not successfully, but he was trying. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life at the bottom of a bottle, no matter how alluring that bottle was. No matter how much he'd rather just float away.

Okay, okay, he was doing better. He was in his head, and he was thinking about things other than how long he had to wait before he headed down to the casino or what drink he'd try next. Only being able to focus on one thing at a time was a bit of a blessing and a curse like that, huh? If he could just... focus on something else, he'd be fine, but once that burning thought entered his head it wouldn't leave until it was liquid fire sliding down his throat.

"You've been here before?" It's hard to imagine this place as any other way than it is now. Cat had told him what it was like when Parks and Tydeus lead, and what it had been like when there was no one to lead. But he'd never been good at painting mental pictures to go along with the stories he was told.

Louie's eyes widened slightly when XO said his name, doing his best to keep up with it and almost letting out a sigh of relief when he said to just call him X. "I'm Louie." He didn't say his last name. He doubted the name "Harris" had the same reputation it carried back home, but he wasn't willing to risk it. After a moment's pause, he edged forward and held out his hand between Addy and Salem to shake. His father had taught him that Catalyst was the herald of the apocalypse - but he'd also taught him manners.

[ADDY.]

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— “you’ve been here before?” louie had beat him to it. addy couldn’t remember seeing someone like this guy around. he hadn’t been here long - but you think someone would come tell the redhead about some man as unique as this. he crossed his arms over his chest, glancing over the man in a quick once-over. guy looked relatively harmless - at the moment at least - but addy still couldn’t help but be the slightest bit guarded.

salem seemed to think that the two were friends, to which addy shook his head. “he’s not my friends.” he barely knew the guy. surely, salem needed to have better priorities by this point.

the man held his hand out, introducing himself in fuckin’ - code, it seemed like. xo037… he wouldn’t remember that anytime soon, so ‘x’ it was. he gazed at the man’s hand, and took a moment before offering his own. giving the man’s hand a firm shake. “addy.”

and why the fuck did salem get a fucking compliment? okay, now wasn’t the time to be an asshole about it, but he still barely fought the urge to sneer over in salem’s direction. at pretty eyes over there. he glanced at him still, before turning his gaze back. "our usual leader isn't around to greet you, but i'm filling in for them while they're gone." so. that was as good of a greeting as he would probably get, by this point.

[capt. salem]

LIES A THOUSAND HORRIFYING MEMORIES | | |

Aww, Louie was here. Salem glanced back at the other man, shooting him a smile of encouragement. He didn't know what was going on inside the other alcoholic's head, but by Louie's awkward posture it couldn't be good. Well, hopefully he'd loosen up soon; Salem had no personal investment in his growth, but it's not like he wanted Louie to act like a trembling flower all the time.

He turned his attention back to the stranger, a lazy cat-like smile gracing his features as he noticed the stranger sizing them up as well. Sight-seeing? Ah, he'd been here before; he seemed old enough for it, Salem supposed. It wasn't like Salem knew everybody who'd ever passed over this ground.

"Oh, why not? Don't gotta close yourself off to new connections this quickly, bud." Salem snarked back playfully at Addy's comment; to be fair, Addy really did need some friends. He had Lucerne, and that seemed to be it. Salem would be happy to be friends, but their lifestyles seemed... Incompatible.

Oh right, back to the stranger. He'd introduced himself, with a string of weird fucking letters and numbers. Okay then, Salem had gotten what? X-O-0 and that was it. Well whatever, X it was then. "Nice 'ta make your acquaintance, X."

Salem took X's hand happily, the handshake not quite firm but not limp either; it seemed like X had done this plenty of times. And- oh, oh. A dusting of blush brightened his face, and Salem let a quiet chuckle roll out of him. "Thank you, I'd be lying if I said yours weren't equally as fair." Salem commented, slightly unused to receiving compliments nowadays but still preening a bit. "I'm Salem to most, but you can call me Monty if you'd like. It's only equal, since you told us your name."

[justify]I feel the unbearable weight, [abbr=Goes by Salem or Monty | He/Him or They/Them Pronouns | 28yrs Old | 6'3"| Officer of the Badlands | Former pirate captain | Sexuality is a unlabeled free for all, romance is questioning]&[/abbr]
I sense the ripping of my shame, [abbr=Medium-Hard Physically | Hard Mentally | Attacks with whip, scimitar or revolver | Open to capture and maim if requested / discussed prior | Not open for death | Difficult but not impossible to defeat or subdue]&[/abbr]
I hear the sigh of indifference [abbr=Guy Fieri aesthetic | Neck-length dull brownish-grey hair | Bright green eyes | Three piercings on both ears (two on top cartilage, one large on lobe), and a lip piercing | Scruffy beard starting to grow in | Both pinky fingers cut off]&[/abbr]
(IC Opinions)[/justify]