KEEP YOURSELF WARM \\ PATROL , O .

[EDMUND.]

    ❝ Alfie, are you actually hearing yourself right now? ❞ William's voice was amused yet somewhat baffled at Alfonso's bold claim. Ed was used to Alfie's garbled bullshit by now that his suggestion seemed actually somewhat tame compared to what Ed was used to hearing.

❝ Oh shut the fuck up- ❞ Alfie clicked his tongue, gesturing mindlessly, ❝ we don't know for sure that the government didn't orchestrate the blackout!... Hear me out- ❞

❝ Oh, God- ❞ William groaned.

❝ No- No, listen, right- ❞ Alfie jabbed a finger in William's direction, Eddie frowning at the two men as they dominated the conversation on today's patrol through the woods. ❝  The birds? They're drones. Always watching the Hunger Games-esque shit show that - you know it - the government planned in order to cut the population down. Once the population is down a couple... billion or whatever, BOOM. Electricity flickers back on and it's business as usual. ❞

Ed blinked, lips curling downwards ever so slightly. If an enemy was to jump out now and pistol whip him unconscious, Ed would probably be thankful more than anything. William's lips parted ever-so-slightly, brows bunching together in disbelief before gesturing towards Alfie, looking at Ed. ❝ Has he... always been like this? ❞

❝ Unfortunately, yep. I imagine it's a memory you chose to repress as a child. ❞

❝ Hey- it's a valid conspiracy theory. ❞ Alfie argued as he trudged through the snow, eyes searching around on patrol.

Eddie hummed, not quite believing Alfie, before mumbling to himself, ❝ It really isn't. ❞

[align=center][div style="width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 01/07]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty four // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ skipper of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ mob boss of the stirling crime family
⋟ joined FL two years ago

appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 80% // current injuries: stitches on side of head where his head was slammed into ice and a chest infection following a near-drowning experience.
⋟ mental health - 70% // depression and deluded thoughts

personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor

relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ husband to blake moray // cheating on her with multiple people
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray

interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]

[freddie]

[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"]

— freddie listened with vaguely amused eyes, his lips curling into the tiniest of smiles. alfie was an absolute nutcase; if people didn’t know that by now, it had to be only evident during this patrol. the government orchestrating the blackout, the birds being drones.. it was laughable. nobody wanted to hear that bullshit.

which was exactly why fred decided to egg him on.

“you know, i think you’re onto something,” he chimed in, gaze flickering towards will before looking back at alfie. “what if it’s not just birds, though?” dramatic pause for effect. “i’ve always had this weird feeling about deer. maybe they’re some form of surveillance, too.” he wanted to laugh at the words he spewed; it was all made-up shit, meant to spur on his cousin.

that was only the beginning, though. “oh, oh, and what about that… illuminati business? you know i bet they were in on the blackout too, alf.”

he looked over towards will and raised a brow, trying his best not to burst into laughter. if anyone was having fun with this conversation, it had to be freddie of all people.

[EDMUND.]

    Freddie and Alfie were by far the worst combination together, Eddie briefly noted to himself as he continued trudging through the snow. No - Freddie and anyone had to be the worst combination for sure. Ed wanted to roll his eyes to the back of his skull when he heard Fred begin with his own theories. Oh he was definitely doing this on purpose.

❝ Holy shit. You know, he's right- ❞ Alfie pointed out, jabbing a finger Freddie's way. ❝ With their beady lil... fuckin' eyes; those are definitely cameras. Next time I see one of them, I'm gonna flip the bird at 'em; lets see how the fucking Government likes that. ❞

❝ You're going to give a deer the middle finger? ❞ Ed questioned for clarification. Was he living some weird fever dream or something? ❝ Yeah, man. If it's the Government then they'll realize I've figured their secret out. If it's just a deer, then it's not like the deer's gonna fucking know what I'm doing. ❞

Eddie didn't want to say that Alfie did have a point, albeit an incredibly stupid one.

Oh, and now Freddie was on about the Illuminati as well. At least William seemed to be on Ed's side, hissing playfully before giving Freddie a rough shove by the shoulder. ❝ Shut up; you're doing this on purpose. ❞ Will's lips curled into a wicked grin.

❝ No, no - I think the Government is the Illuminati, isn't that right, Ed? ❞ Alfie continued. Yes, Alfie - he'd told Eddie about all of his theories over the past few years, every single one absolutely laughable in Eddie's mind. He just hummed slowly, a pained look on his features briefly as Alfie looked over with an eager smile.

[align=center][div style="width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 01/07]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty four // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ skipper of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ mob boss of the stirling crime family
⋟ joined FL two years ago

appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 80% // current injuries: stitches on side of head where his head was slammed into ice and a chest infection following a near-drowning experience.
⋟ mental health - 70% // depression and deluded thoughts

personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor

relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ husband to blake moray // cheating on her with multiple people
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray

interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]

[freddie]

[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"]

— for a moment he thought alfie wouldn’t go along with him. then, as alfie talked, the more he felt convinced the man actually thought fred was serious, and that he seriously bought into whatever bullshit freddie had just spewed out. was this guy serious? while he wanted to laugh, he remained relatively composed as he egged the man on.

“yeah, can you believe it? i bet they’ve got some big screen in their fancy bunkers so they watch us all struggling out here. completely unfair, if you ask me.”

the only time he contemplated stopping was when will shoved him, his wicked grin going on to match william’s own. he didn’t make any argument as he instead shoved his brother back in response, huffing a short breath.

eventually his gaze wandered over towards eddie, who looked almost physically pained to be listening in on this conversation. pointing an accusing finger, he bluntly stated, “ed’s in on it. look at him.” striding up towards edmund at the front, he poked his back with the same accusatory finger. “what? are you gonna rat me and alfie out to the government, now? i always took you as a spy.”

and then it was far too fun to even think about stopping, as much as he might have previously contemplated it. that pained look on ed’s face was completely worth it all.

[EDMUND.]

    Alfie was totally going along with this, as if any of this was actually justifiable to any stretch of the imagination. Eddie couldn't help but shoot Alfie a quick look of disbelief, grimacing ever-so-slightly at that painfully resolute glimmer in Alfie's eyes. ❝ Fucking despicable, man. And to think we paid taxes all that time, just for this to happen! ❞ He agreed with a click of the tongue, and from then on Eddie realized that his older brother was absolutely a lost cause.

William seemed to be the only one with enough sense to see passed all the bullshit; he supposed he'd always had to do that, growing up with Freddie as his brother. Unlucky guy. But, he seemed to find the whole ordeal rather amusing, tutting at Freddie's wicked grin before stumbling off to the side slightly as he was shoved.

And, just when Eddie thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. The attention was turned towards him at Freddie's next remark, accusatory finger jabbed into his back. He was in on it? He turned his head over his shoulder to look at Freddie with utter bewilderment. There was no way he could be remotely related to the whole lot of them. ❝ For fuck's sake, Freds! ❞ William exclaimed, brows raising as he glanced over to see Alfie's face shriveling up.

❝ I knew it all along! ❞ Alfie pointed out, throwing his hands up into the air theatrically. ❝ Fucking what? ❞ Ed questioned, slowing to a stop as he looked over towards his brother. ❝ Are you even my brother? What's your name? What did you do with my real brother, huh?! ❞ Quick to interrogate, Alfie pursed his lips as he watched Eddie and, honestly, Ed couldn't tell if Alfie was being serious or if he was really good at playing along with the joke.

Ed looked towards Freddie, cocking his head to the side with disappointment before gesturing towards Alfie. ❝ Why'd you go and tell him that now, hey? ❞ The greatest plot twist of all was the straight-faced Edmund, so often too much of a bad sport to ever mess around, playing along with the most convincing of acts. ❝ That was supposed to be our secret, between you and me? ❞

❝ I fucking knew it! ❞ Alfie threw himself a couple steps backwards, hands to his head before he couldn't help but begin to laugh. Ed shook his head slowly, lowering his gaze before uttering, ❝ Alfie, I guess I've also got to tell you this, whilst we're at it. Fred is the Illuminati. He was the one you kept flippin' the bird at all this time, and he's pretty pissed off with you now- ❞ ❝ Shit, man- ❞ Alfie peered over towards Freddie, feigned grimace on his face. ❝ I'm sorry... that you're shit! ❞ Ed quirked a brow before he casually shoved his hands in his pockets. His brother was far too easily impressionable.

[align=center][div style="width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 01/07]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty four // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ skipper of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ mob boss of the stirling crime family
⋟ joined FL two years ago

appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 80% // current injuries: stitches on side of head where his head was slammed into ice and a chest infection following a near-drowning experience.
⋟ mental health - 70% // depression and deluded thoughts

personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor

relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ husband to blake moray // cheating on her with multiple people
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray

interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]

[freddie]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; borderwidth=0px; bordercolor=; width: 400px; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; color: black"]

— “for fuck’s sake, freds!”
the remark from william was enough for a grin to make its way to freddie’s lips, turning his gaze briefly away from the man he “rightfully” accused. his gaze wandered over towards alfie, watching as alfie exclaimed that he knew it all along. at this point, freddie couldn’t tell if the man was going along with the act, or if he genuinely believed everything freddie was spewing. he sobered a bit, his grin dissolving into nothing more than an amused, closed-lipped smiled.

he shrugged at eddie’s questioning. though, ed’s next words- “that was supposed to be our secret, between you and me?” for a moment, as alfie exclaimed that he knew it, hands to his head, fred merely stared at eddie in surprise. then, the look dissolved into a delighted grin as he patted the man’s back. about time eddie started to have a little bit of fun. freddie was starting to believe ed didn’t have an ounce of humor in him.

but ed always had to go and fuck it up a bit somewhere in the middle. turning the tables back on freddie… now that was unfair. after all the work freddie had done? gasping, he couldn’t help but punch edmund in the shoulder. “bastard,” he remarked under his breath to him, barely able to keep the amusement from bubbling out as he huffed a short breath.

“you know what, alf? you got me. and you know what else?” he lifted his hands then, flipping alfie off with them both. “right back at you, you idiot.” payback for all those “times” alfonso had flipped him off in the past, apparently. he held his fingers up in the air for a bit longer before he eventually lowered them with a huff. after once regretting the idea of going on patrol with the group, fred couldn’t find it in himself to regret it one damn bit at that point. what could beat getting to flip off alfonso stirling-moray and also piss off edmund?

“and you, for ratting me out,” he gave edmund one second to react before trying to put the man in a damn headlock. this wasn’t the productive patrol ed must’ve wished it could’ve been. “snitches get stitches,” he said playfully between gritted teeth. his eyes wandered towards the injury ed already had. he already had stitches. “looks like my work is cut out for me; you’ve already got ‘em.” fred, oblivious to however eddie got the stitches, simply huffed as he let go of his cousin. that was enough poking fun at ed for the day, he figured.

he had to admit it was fun while it lasted.

“last time i ever tell you one of my secrets,” he decided then, reaching a hand up to absently run through his hair.

// fred you dumb ass bastard

[EDMUND.]

And, for a minute, Edmund actually thought that whatever this conversation was between family members, that it was actually finally becoming something amusing. Alfie was smiling, Freddie was grinning; hell, even William started chuckling. Eddie's comment was well received at first, until he smugly managed to twist the story onto Fred. Freddie punched his shoulder, the corners of his lips threatening to tug upwards ever-so-slightly with amusement.

❝ Oh yeah? Well fuck you too! ❞ Alfie exclaimed with a cackle, stepping forwards and shoving Freddie aside. ❝ I knew that there was somethin' snaky about you. ❞ He continued to kid. Eddie slowly shook his head to himself; it seemed that the conversation was eventually dying down, as much as it was pretty amusing to find some joy in just getting to mess about for a moment. Eddie was always too serious nowadays, too pensive and no-nonsense to ever take things lightly. Perhaps he ought to lighten up a little.

And then, Freddie gave him the only reason he needed to not be so damn stupid.

Freddie playfully tried to put Eddie into a headlock, Eddie hissing to himself as he attempted to shove Fred away. But, he had a firm hold of him, Ed swiftly rolling his eyes to himself lightheartedly. ❝ Snitches get stitches, ❞ Fred began, ❝ You've already got 'em. ❞ Eddie felt his heart stop. A moment later, he shoved Freddie away sharply as Fred let go, Ed walking away, teeth clenched and fists curling as they remained concealed within the pockets of his jacket. ❝ Yikes. ❞ Alfie pulled a face, shifting his eyes as he looked around. William stood still, somewhat perplexed by Ed's sudden shift in mood.

Within this patrol, only Alfie knew what'd happened. What'd caused Ed to return with stitches across the side of his head and chronic spluttering cough. As if he was coughing out water. Maybe snitches did get stitches; Ed of all people knew that to be a fact. He was tortured, nearly drowned for what he did to keep his best friend safe. But, people didn't know. People didn't understand the anger, the hurt, the humiliation. Anger bubbled within, Ed suddenly turning back to the three others and powering forwards towards Fred until he stopped dead in front of him. Eyes as sharp as a blade staring intensely into Fred's gaze, face twitching with an inexplicable resentment, before he raised a finger to point at Freddie.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, so he wagged his finger slowly, sucking in a long breath. Only the sting of shame and guilt. ❝ Hey, Moray- ❞ Alfie intervened, sobering up quickly as he stepped forwards and lay a heavy hand on Ed's shoulder, coaxing him away. ❝ It wasn't fuckin' intentional. ❞ Eddie took a step back, frozen, before wordlessly he turned and began to walk onward, nostrils flaring whilst his hands fumbled about for his cigarette and lighter. Alfie took that moment to look towards Fred, pressing his lips together to form a thin line before pointing out, ❝ Too soon, man. ❞

// well that escalated quickly

[align=center][div style="width: 350px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 01/07]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty four // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ skipper of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ mob boss of the stirling crime family
⋟ joined FL two years ago

appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 80% // current injuries: stitches on side of head where his head was slammed into ice and a chest infection following a near-drowning experience.
⋟ mental health - 70% // depression and deluded thoughts

personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor

relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ husband to blake moray // cheating on her with multiple people
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray

interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]

[freddie]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; borderwidth=0px; bordercolor=; width: 400px; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; color: black"]

— freddie didn’t know. how could he? he hadn’t been there. he hadn’t even been filled in that his cousin almost died over those stitches. a moment that was supposed to be chalked up as the only real bonding moment between him and eddie- quickly dissolved into something far, far worse. he could have let the conversation die down; however, freddie loved the attention he had in that moment. he loved having the focus on him; he was willing to do anything to keep the conversation going.

if he had known it would result in eddie shoving him away, ed walking away tensed and furious. his eyes darted over towards alf, evidently knowing much more on the topic than fred ever could’ve. his gaze wandered over towards his brother, at least relieved to see that he wasn’t the only one completely confused by the sudden change in mood. he looked back at ed’s form, clenching his jaw briefly before he, almost puzzled and confused, retorted, “what the hell, ed?”

eddie sharped turned back, powering towards him. fred dug his heels into the snow and stood his ground- and for that moment there was a brief glimpse past the good-boy persona. he glared daggers back at eddie, the confusion overridden by pure frustration the man brought him. “get that finger out of my fucking-” alfie intervened before anything else could happen. eddie trudged on forward, hands fumbling for a cigarette. he watched his retreating form with mild vexation, only breaking it as alfie turned his gaze towards him.

too soon? “i don’t even know what he’s on about,” he defended, gesturing towards ed’s retreating form. his gaze helplessly wandered towards will, as if expecting his brother to have his back at least somewhat. “what does he want me to do, read his mind? he never tells anyone anything.” it wasn’t his fault that he had no idea what transpired. it wasn’t his job to know that. edmund seemed to make it a goal of his to never let anyone in. hell, if eddie had it his way, not even alfie would know, would he? the bastard.

dropping his arms down to his sides, he huffed a short breath as he sobered. he took a deep breath, trying to push down whatever anger that had visibly bubbled to the surface. “what happened, anyway?” he doubted that he’d ever know exactly what happened. all he had was his pieces of evidence-- the vague and few ones that left him wondering where the hell he went wrong. ed was defensive about his stitches. perhaps it was up to frederick to find out on his own.