STRANGERS IN A DREAM - double-joining

[jerome.]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; borderwidth=0px; bordercolor=; width: 420px; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; color: black"]

— he walked a ways behind eben. his hands were shoved in his pockets, his gaze low and watching eben’s shoes absently with each step. the tension in the air felt like it could be cut with a knife. if he said something, perhaps it could bring them back to where they used to be. it’d be like nothing had transpired between the two of them.

jerome only wished it was that easy.

their previous argument had been one of many; jerome knew nothing could immediately remedy the situation. it would take time; he knew that. however, the guilt still ate away at him in ways he couldn’t explain to eben. he hurt eben, perhaps not physically, but emotionally. he had doubted his friend when he brought up wanting to come to this group. god, he’d been so rude to eben when he tried to decline the offer. now, jerome liked to claim he knew a lot of things. more than anything, he knew that things between him and eben would never be that simple. he could apologize all he wanted and there would still be this painful rift between them for a while. there was nothing he could do to make eben feel better.

he tried, though.

god, he tried. even as they slowed near the edge of los santos territory and jerome’s eyes caught on human skulls, he told himself he couldn’t let eben down. his instinct told him their best move would be to turn around, find another group that could make them both feel safer. he didn’t want to disappoint eben, though. he couldn’t stand the look of disappointment in those ghostly blues…

swallowing hard, he lifted his gaze up to look at the back of eben’s head. his lips parted briefly, brows knitted. then, his lips stretched into a big, closed-lip smile. the happiness didn’t quite meet the eyes. his eyes wandered towards the chain link fence. skulls sat atop the posts. “do you think those are real?” it was a lousy conversation-starter. that being said, jerome was at least tempting to close the distance between them. he used that as leverage to jump to his next attempt.

“you were right; getting to sleep on an actual bed sounds nice.” you were right. blue eyes made their way back to eben. he didn’t know what he hoped for.


//aye aye!!
pls wait for [member=2919]truce.[/member] [member=10297]EBEN.[/member] thanks thanks

[truce.]

[align=center][div style="width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 7pt; letter-spacing: 1.2px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]    The anger was justified.

Trudging, disheartened, Eben knew with assurance that this was the very best decision that he could make for Jerome and himself. Maybe Jerome didn't fully believe it yet - Eben wouldn't know much of what Jerome thought of nowadays, his friend was beginning to get increasingly argumentative over things which should never have been a big deal - but that only meant that Eben would have to prove that, as usual, his initiative was only logical. Why else would he be doing this, after all?

Sometimes, maybe he felt like the bad guy in Jerome's little world. The one who'd proclaim ❛no❜ in defiance or the one to refuse Jerome something that he thought he needed, but there was no reason for his persistent nit-picking apart from the very fact that he really did know what was best for them if they were to survive. He'd lived off the grid for his entire life; Jerome probably was shocked to find out that the great outdoors didn't have a butler running around to cater for his needs.

Jerome couldn't ever understand this way of life. He needed Eben's guidance, and quite frankly it hurt Eben that Jerome had the impudence to take that for granted time after time. If it wasn't for the fact that Eben needed Jerome around, he would've walked away from this friendship a long time ago. Find someone who actually appreciated the effort he made for the duo. Why did he need Jerome? Well, it was simple. Over the months, slowly, Eben had found himself attaching his life to Jerome's. He was becoming a part of Jerome. They were one, and they could never be divided again. Without Jerome, Eben would be lost. Without Jerome, Eben would be nothing.

Finally, Eben slowed to a stop, hands shoved in his pocket as he mindlessly scuffed at the dirt with his shoe. Human skulls; well, if that didn't scream deterrent, then Eben wouldn't know what did. But, to Eben, the sight was welcoming. Almost like a kid who'd returned from college and all over the walls of the living room were plastered pretty sparkly banners exclaiming ❝ welcome home! ❞. Soon, the party food would come out and they'd celebrate Eben on returning to what he knew best.

Danger.

He looked over his shoulder to peer over at Jerome, raising an eyebrow before tipping his head towards the skulls. ❝ What, those? ❞ He questioned, pursing his lips as he turned to look back at the unlikely decor. ❝ Take a look for yourself, hartlam. ❞ He uttered before he himself wandered closer to take a curious look for himself. Silence. And then a casual, ❝ Oh, ya. They are. ❞ Little did he know, this was Jerome's attempt at closing that awkward gap between them.

Little did Jerome know, Eben had already overlooked the past confrontation. He'd already gotten what he wanted.

He peered back to Jerome at his next comment, shrugging dismissively before returning to looking at the skulls carefully.

// whoops sorry as usual i rambled

[Sel]

[align=center]

Selena Felix

She knew all too well of those arguments that seemed so relationship or even world damaging. The ones that, when the smoke had cleared, really did very little (if anything) to affect the status quo. She sort of... expected it to be that way, sometimes. She'd scream her heart out and then wake up the next morning with the belief that nothing had changed. Often she was right. Other times she'd realize that her tongue was a blade that was sharper than she thought.

She doesn't look like someone whose words can bring carnage, nor does she look like someone that would live in a place marked with real human skulls - let alone rule it. But the short, friendly-looking pregnant woman is full of deceptions like that. "Don't be dissuaded too much by them." Sel said as she walked over to the duo, running a finger over the top of one of the skulls. "Can I help you?" She was downright cheery.

[spoiler=INFORMATION &&— UPDATED 11/23/19]General —
▪ Selena Felix | Sel or Lena depending on the situation
▪ Biologically Female | Identifies as Female | She/her
▪ 25 years 11 months | 12/18/13 | Ages real time
▪ Member of Bluestem Prairie | Lady of Los Santos | Heir of the Felix Family
▪ Former Warchief of the Badlands

Physical —
♦ HUMAN | Health: 100%
— She's small, but not too small, about 5'4" or so. Slender and always moving, pretty blue-green eyes with a mischievous glint in them and you know she's gonna get you into trouble. Dark hair, no doubt dark thoughts as well. Red lips curve into a lazy grin that reveals white teeth - they won't stay pearly for much longer, though, as she's often seen smoking.
— minor injuries: n/a
— major injuries: n/a

Important Info —
▪ Currently pregnant
▪ Trained medic but prefers the war and/or social branches.
▪ Drug dealer and enabler.
▪ Usually untrustworthy, everything is calculated, ambitious as fuck, nefarious motivations.
▪ Opinions, motivations and ambition are Sel's and Sel's alone and are not shared by her roleplayer.

Personality —
— Sel is a very bold, competitive and stubborn person, with a wild side that is shown frequently as well as flirtatious tendencies. She is easily bored and is always on the lookout for adventure, with a spark of curiosity that she hopes will lead to what she seeks: adventure and romance. She seems to not be a very serious person and would rather have fun than be productive, and failing entertainment she can be quite productive and get quite a bit done. She's loud and lacks discipline. While Sel is irresponsible (and oddly bossy) and wild, she is very family-oriented and loves her family dearly. She is usually a cheerful, friendly person but she definitely has a passion for the weird, dark and creepy. She is somewhat vain and egotistical. She has her secrets and one of them is her intelligence and ability to collect information; most dismiss her as a dumb party girl (or something like that) and that's part of her cover, she has her fair share of sins and has to have a way of hiding them, and because she is a good liar and good actress, she succeeds.
— Ambitious; arrogant; bold; bossy; brave; competitive; cruel; curious; cunning; dark; deceptive; egotistical; friendly; flirty; intelligent; irresponsible; manipulative; observant; sadistic; sly; stubborn; vain; wild

Relationships —
▪ Geoff x Eliza | Heir of the Felix Family
▪ Bisexual | Biromantic | Polygamous
▪ 1/2 Sank | 1/2 Selem | 1/2 Seleo
▪ Dating Mateo Suarez | Crushing on n/a
▪ Generally very friendly but not easy to become close with; flirty and defiant; loyalty is hard-earned and easily betrayed

Interaction —
— Physically Medium | Mentally Hard
— Trained with knives and poisons
— Prefers to fight with poisoned knives
— Relies largely on speed and agility
— No kill/capture/maim without permission
— Will kill/capture/maim with permission
— To attack, [member=183]Sel[/member] & attack in underlined #440349[/spoiler]

[truce.]

[align=center][div style="width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 7pt; letter-spacing: 1.2px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]    Eben's gaze swiftly shifted over at the sight a woman, short in stature and seemingly inconspicuous. Anyone could be anybody they saw fit as long as the mask fit, but otherwise they were entirely free to their own devices. Eben could say that this woman for instance appeared so level-headed and cool, much like his Sadie had once been, but scratching passed the surface of a mask was where you saw the positives, the negatives and even the dirty secrets in a person's life. Eben was just the same as any other human being, despite being so inhuman; when the mask was on, he could be whoever he wanted to be.

Beneath that mask was a darkness that even he would not dare explore.

❝ Have they got names? ❞ Eben questioned bluntly, curiously, as he gestured a pointer finger towards the row of skulls. ❝ We are looking for somewhere to stay, and I told J here that this was just the place to go. I'm Eben. ❞ He introduced, as usual hogging the conversation before J could ever jump in first. After all, they knew where they stood, and Eben was always on top.

[Sel]

[align=center]

Selena Felix

Depending on how you looked at it, a flawless mask was an unbelievable one. No one was perfect, after all, and to show only good traits left people wondering what was being hid underneath. On the other hand, perhaps a flawless one was one that let some flaws show. It made the disguise more real, and if done well the negatives could be overlooked for the sake of the positives.

So Sel made no efforts to be perfect in every aspect, in some areas she tried more than others but being authentic when you were so very fake was difficult enough as it was.

"The skulls?" The question honestly surprised her, and she turned her gaze to the things, thinking. "They were here when I got here, so I don't know who they belonged to... But let's call them Jeffrey, Tania and Pancakes. Sound good?" She was hungry. "Congratulations, boys, you've found one. Welcome to Los Santos, I'm Sel." She flashed the duo a smile. Eben and Jay. J? Was it like the bird, just the letter, or short for something?

[spoiler=INFORMATION &&— UPDATED 11/23/19]General —
▪ Selena Felix | Sel or Lena depending on the situation
▪ Biologically Female | Identifies as Female | She/her
▪ 25 years 11 months | 12/18/13 | Ages real time
▪ Member of Bluestem Prairie | Lady of Los Santos | Heir of the Felix Family
▪ Former Warchief of the Badlands

Physical —
♦ HUMAN | Health: 100%
— She's small, but not too small, about 5'4" or so. Slender and always moving, pretty blue-green eyes with a mischievous glint in them and you know she's gonna get you into trouble. Dark hair, no doubt dark thoughts as well. Red lips curve into a lazy grin that reveals white teeth - they won't stay pearly for much longer, though, as she's often seen smoking.
— minor injuries: n/a
— major injuries: n/a

Important Info —
▪ Currently pregnant
▪ Trained medic but prefers the war and/or social branches.
▪ Drug dealer and enabler.
▪ Usually untrustworthy, everything is calculated, ambitious as fuck, nefarious motivations.
▪ Opinions, motivations and ambition are Sel's and Sel's alone and are not shared by her roleplayer.

Personality —
— Sel is a very bold, competitive and stubborn person, with a wild side that is shown frequently as well as flirtatious tendencies. She is easily bored and is always on the lookout for adventure, with a spark of curiosity that she hopes will lead to what she seeks: adventure and romance. She seems to not be a very serious person and would rather have fun than be productive, and failing entertainment she can be quite productive and get quite a bit done. She's loud and lacks discipline. While Sel is irresponsible (and oddly bossy) and wild, she is very family-oriented and loves her family dearly. She is usually a cheerful, friendly person but she definitely has a passion for the weird, dark and creepy. She is somewhat vain and egotistical. She has her secrets and one of them is her intelligence and ability to collect information; most dismiss her as a dumb party girl (or something like that) and that's part of her cover, she has her fair share of sins and has to have a way of hiding them, and because she is a good liar and good actress, she succeeds.
— Ambitious; arrogant; bold; bossy; brave; competitive; cruel; curious; cunning; dark; deceptive; egotistical; friendly; flirty; intelligent; irresponsible; manipulative; observant; sadistic; sly; stubborn; vain; wild

Relationships —
▪ Geoff x Eliza | Heir of the Felix Family
▪ Bisexual | Biromantic | Polygamous
▪ 1/2 Sank | 1/2 Selem | 1/2 Seleo
▪ Dating Mateo Suarez | Crushing on n/a
▪ Generally very friendly but not easy to become close with; flirty and defiant; loyalty is hard-earned and easily betrayed

Interaction —
— Physically Medium | Mentally Hard
— Trained with knives and poisons
— Prefers to fight with poisoned knives
— Relies largely on speed and agility
— No kill/capture/maim without permission
— Will kill/capture/maim with permission
— To attack, [member=183]Sel[/member] & attack in underlined #440349[/spoiler]

[jerome.]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; borderwidth=0px; bordercolor=; width: 420px; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; color: black"]

— when jerome saw a rather friendly face appear, he felt some of his nerves and anxieties begin to fade away. he had heard things about los santos, most descriptions depicting such a ruthless and dangerous group to become associated with. however, this woman and her cheery demeanor did such wonders to make j want to believe otherwise.

she was good at playing the part. either that, or jerome was just too painfully gullible.

eben and sel chatted about the skulls between each other. it was probably better that way. eben was better with people than jerome was; he deserved to have a bit more of the spotlight. besides, their conversation had him falling into a false sense of ease. the way she named the skulls were so painfully innocent… it was equally as painful how easily jerome was won over by such a short and simple conversation. “i’m jerome,” he was quick to introduce himself fully, flashing her a big, close-lipped smile. “it’s nice to meet you.”