DO I MAKE YOU CRINGE? // JOINING

[rafferty]

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In hindsight, he should have known this would happen. Travelling by himself had been a risk, but there wouldn't have been anyone to go with him anyway; the true denominator of the problem was his rucksack, filled to bulging where he'd slung it over his shoulders. With the world as it was, people were given to doing...terrible things for survival, and though he couldn't blame them for it, it didn't ease the weight of what they did. To those individuals, a bloated bag could mean abundant supplies, such as food and medicine, necessities that weren't as readily available to them as they might be for others with better resources or connections. While Rafferty did come from a small community that saw people in and out as a resting spot, he wasn't as thoroughly stocked as an outside observer might assume- his consumables were limited, and occupied not even a fourth of the storage space in his rucksack; books upon books were neatly, painstakingly arranged in the majority of room his bag offered, and for Rafferty, they were invaluable, but for someone expecting food, it was disappointing to say the least. He would have told them as much, if bandits were the type to ask questions before jumping their chosen victims.

Instead, he was on his knees, walking stick discarded at his side, watching miserably as they dug through his bag for what little subsistence he brought. Christina was secured safely in the pocket of his cardigan, so thankfully he didn't have to worry about her, but seeing them carelessly rifle through Shakespeare, through Austen and Brontë, Auden and Donne- it had his hands clenching, bandaged fingers digging into his palms hard enough to leave bleeding crescents. He dropped his gaze to the ground, and ahead of him, one of them began to read, probably to find something to mock him with. "Get a load of this: I am bewildered by the magnificence of your beauty, and wish to see you with a hundred eyes. My-"

"-heart has burned with passion, and has searched forever for this wondrous beauty that I now behold," Rafferty interrupted, lifting his eyes. "I am ashamed to call this love human, and afraid of God to call it divine. Your fragrant breath, like the morning breeze, has come to the stillness of the garden. You have breathed new life into me. I have become your sunshine, and also your shadow." They were all staring at him now, as though he'd just spouted nonsense about wearing tin foil on his head to deflect the aliens' probing sensors. Or something. "Jalal al-Din Rumi. There's- there's nothing else in there. So please, just...Take the food and go." He'd never know what made them leave: asking them to, or their own disinterest in what he had. It didn't seem to matter, because they left, and with a heavy exhale, he crawled over to the books discarded on the ground, brushing off their covers and repositioning them where they were before. Christina mewled quietly, almost as a reminder, and he checked to make sure they hadn't taken her canned food. They weren't that hungry, luckily.

Rising to his feet, he slung the bag back over his shoulders and retrieved his walking stick, thumb rubbing across the familiar grooves of those two names. Maybe missing his own food should bother him more, but he was close to his destination anyway, and if everything went well, the stolen supplies wouldn't be an issue. Rafferty just had to hope he wasn't rejected, though it wasn't until he stood before the cluster of buildings that the nerves truly settled in, kicking his heart's pace up a notch and sending his free fingers itching for something to busy themselves with. Rafferty didn't think he could get his tongue to move at this point, so he said nothing, grip tightening on his walking stick.
[align=right]——INFORMATION

[WOLF BITE]

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[align=left][justify]Human did cruel things in order to survive, that was for sure. The new state the world was in had reduced many into a primal thinking of survival of the fittest, going to such horrid lengths to where they tortured and beat the helpless for even one can of food. It was disgusting, to say the least. But, he remembered saving just a few people from the harm of a few bandits who wanted to take their food. He won with a few bruises and cuts, though, at least he avoided certain death for the couple. He even gave them the last bit of his own food, not saying a word to them as they thanked him tearfully, only departing from them to continue his trek to find a community. Sure, he could survive on his own and he had for quite some time but... He couldn't be alone forever.

People were stronger together rather than alone.

A new motto he discovered in order to mask the one he had been raised to remember. Wolfbite explored the small town, in hopes of scavenging for items or discovering a new part of the town he hadn't seen before. It was a simple patrol, equipping only a heavy crowbar in case he needed to use it. He spotted a man in the distance, holding a walking stick... Odd for someone who looked to be in his twenties. "There something you need?"

[Diamond Hawthorn]

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Dia had only spent two weeks of her life alone. There'd always been at least one person there, guiding or following her. Sure, there'd been moments throughout her life when she'd been alone, but she'd always had a companion, usually her sister and often times a parent. It was after losing Ruby, after losing everyone else, that she'd been totally alone.

Then she'd met Uther, who'd quickly become attached to her and stuck with her ever since. Someone had tried to rob them, but it hadn't gone well for him. Dia tried not to think about it, to tell herself that he'd been breathing. That he'd found the strength to pull himself to his feet. Sure, he'd tried to rob them, but did that mean Uther had to potentially ruin or even end his life? She cast a glance at the grayish man beside her. Even knowing what he was capable of, he was still a comforting presence. Maybe because of it.

Dia had been set on exploring the area around their new home, and had dragged a freshly cleaned Uther along with her. Spotting Wolfbite and an unfamiliar figure, she started heading over, much to her companion's irritation. "Hello!" She called, the idea that this person might be a threat never entering her mind.

[spoiler=Tags | 8/23/17]General:
▪ Diamond Hawthorn | Dia
▪ Biological female | Identifies as female | She/Her
▪ 24 years | Birthday is 2/19 | Ages 1 month per 100 posts
▪ Member of St. Peters

Relationships:
▪ Demi-panromantic | Asexual
▪ Single | Not mingling
▪ ½ Diamondrock  | ⅓ Riamondrock
▪ NPC x NPC | No adopted kin (yet)
▪ Generally very friendly and kind of clingy, has severe abandonment issues, very easy to become close to

Important Facts:
▪ Suffers from insomnia.
▪ Severe abandonment issues.
▪ Total Mom.
▪ Squeamish and sex-repulsed; scared of blood and rape.
▪ Roommates with Uther.

Physical:
★ HUMAN | health: 65%
— Dia is short and extremely skinny, to the point of emaciation. There are bags under her gray eyes and it's not hard to look at her and think she's not good at taking care of herself, because she isn't. She doesn't eat or sleep very often or much, and she doesn't consider herself to be particularly beautiful, though perhaps some might disagree. She has dark hair - not quite black but not really brown, either. It's straight and quite long. While her outfits may change, she always wears a purple bowtie.
— major injuries: none
— minor injuries: none
---still working on explaining her injuries rip

Personality:
—  It's unlikely that you'll meet someone as sweet and kind as Dia, as she just wants to make the world a better place and brighten the day of those around her. She is very friendly, selfless and maternal, considering almost everyone she meets a friend by default and more than happy to do whatever it takes to make them happy, she's also a complete mom, both to kids that she adopts or to her friends or groupmates. She is gentle and loyal and a total hugger. In general Dia has three moods: overwhelmingly cheerful, sad but hiding it behind a smile and facade of happiness or just plain sad and angsty. She's had a difficult history, but she's had good times that she often looks back on and misses. Still, she looks to the future and tries to keep her focus there; while she's ambitious she does sometimes doubt that she's cut out for the role of leader. It doesn't usually seem like that, because most people always see her confidence and extroversion, which is easy for her to display when she's around others. When she's alone, however, she starts becoming anxious and paranoid that everyone will leave her, as she's become used to and expects people to do. This can lead to panic attacks, but Uther talks her through it and keeps her calm until she runs into someone. She is rather squeamish when it comes to violence and gore as well as dead meat, those things making her nauseous almost any time she encounters it. She can be quite impulsive and sometimes blurts out whatever comes to mind.
— Kind; friendly; selfless; sweet; maternal; upbeat; loyal; confident
— Oblivious; gullible; paranoid; pushover; too trusting; clingy

Interaction:
▪ Very little training | Easy mentally | Easy physically
▪ No kill/capture/maim without permission
▪ Will usually try to avoid hurting others
▪ To attack Dia, @her and attack in underlined #C7D0D4
▪ To attack Uther, attack in bold underline white (or black)

Links:
— Bio v.1
— Uther's info[/spoiler]