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#2
[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 7pt; line-height: 1.5;"]・゚✧ — Elinor's head whipped up at the commotion outside. Whoever was posted on the roof must've spotted a stranger. However, they'd keep the Lodge safe from any people who could pose a threat and so she was quick to settle, though somewhat curious regardless. But then, her eyes widened. A child. Maternal senses kicking in at the youngster's meek call, Ellie pushed aside the Valentines Day cards she was writing up as she scrambled to her feet. Hurriedly, the blonde woman pulled on her coat, striding towards to the front door of the lodge before swinging the door open, revealing a young child stood outside with a pony.

"Oh my god." She gasped in awe, frozen in hesitation for a moment before she was kicked into action, rushing out towards them. "Oh Sweetheart, my name is Ellie and I won't hurt you nor your sweet pony." She crouched in front of them, one hand holding them gently by the wrist and the other taking the reins of the pony. "Lets get you into the warm and I can take your friend to a stables nearby where we have lots of other horses just like him... You must be so cold!" Smiling sympathetically - worriedly - she went to tie the reins of the pony against a post, then pressing her hand against the top of the youngster's back as she lead them into the warmth of the lodge.

"Could somebody come help me?" She called out to no one in particular, hoping that somebody would help assist her in warming the child up. "Lets take you to the living room. Would you like a warm drink? We have hot chocolate." Walking into the living room, she gestured to the comfortable chairs around the room, "You can sit anywhere, though I recommend the armchair closest to the fire. It's so cozy there."

Though she had never had a child of her own, this one seemed young enough to be her own offspring. The woman's heart was made of gold, and even though this child was not her own, she'd treat them like a mother would treat her own baby. After all, this was somebody's child - they deserved the nurturing and the care that Ellie was more than happy to provide them. Natural instincts had instantly kicked in, and all Elinor wanted to do was to ensure that this child was out of harm's way.


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I'M BURNING BRIDGES, I DESTROY THE MIRAGE
[div style="width: 400px; font-family: georgia; text-align: center; font-size: 5pt; line-height: 1; letter-spacing: 2.6px; word-spacing: 1.9px; margin-bottom: 5px;"]ALL VISIONS OF COLLISIONS, FUCKING BON VOYAGE — truce.#1303

WRITING &. PINTEREST &. SPOTIFY
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#3
JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES
Tomorrow knew a bit about names; he knew they held power, he knew they meant a lot and he knew that it was refreshing to change a name when the previous one held pain. His current name might be a bit odd, but it was... Comforting, in a weird way; a reminder there was always tomorrow, and to keep moving forward. He'd live to see another day, no matter what happened.

Though most preferred to go by the names they were given at birth, Tomorrow didn't discriminate against people who changed their names. Different people, different lives and wants and all that. Still, there was always a hint of sadness when he saw someone so young going by a name their parents didn't offer them; the idea one so young and pure had a life so tarnished and difficult to see it necessary to go by something else was... Sad.

Tomorrow was currently warming his hands by the fire, and heard the commotion as Ellie tugged what looked like a small child into the building. Brendan was on them immediately, eyes sharp and intelligent in a way that Tomorrow thought was distinctly Brendan-like.

He reached down to grab Claire's scruff as the pregnant dog looked up, eager to greet the newcomer. He didn't want her rushing over and crowding the poor kid.

"They look nearly frozen." Tomorrow commented under his breath sympathetically as he stood up and moved closer, careful to stay a few feet away as Claire strained in his grip and sniffed in the direction of Ellie and the kid.

"C'mon in and sit down, would you like some food?" Tomorrow asked with a small smile; many people came to the Lodge half starving, it would be no surprise if the child was hungry from their journey.


'cus it don't make a difference anyway
tags - 26yrs - 6'1 - he/him - representative of fl
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#4
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[div style="borderwidth; width: 400px; padding: 1px; text-align: justify; color: #4B3E2D; line-height: 14px; font-size: 11pt; font-family:timesnewroman"]"speech" 'thought' text
tw: blood, violence, injuries, abandonment, abuse

Echo hesitated as silence began to settle in, there was no response from the roof, and they were beginning to think that perhaps it was all in their imagination. But a few seconds later the door to the lodge flew open, revealing a light haired woman and what seemed to be a warm interior to a fire lit area. Oh how they wished they were in there, they wanted oh so much to be warm. Their eyes followed the graceful movements of Ellie as she hurried towards them, a tentative smile ghosting over their cold face (though hidden from sight by the scarf).

They gave no resistance as the woman tugged them towards the door that held the inviting, warm light, their teeth chattering from the prolonged cold. His small hand was still clasped around the halter of the pony, knuckles white, fingers frozen in place from the prolonged time holding onto the pony. It was because of their fluffy companion that they were still alive, Echo knew that, they knew they owed everything to the stout beast.

As the woman tied their pony's reins to the post Echo tried to protest, but they found that their mouth was no longer working to make sounds, and with a lot of effort they loosed their grip on the reins, and allowed themself to be guided inside of the building, the warmth from the fire enveloping them like a hug. Something that Echo had gone without for so long. They were love starved, as well as regular starved having eating nothing more than a little rotten fruit and the bark of a tree.

They could feel their stomach rumbling now as they were led towards the fire, their odd outfit quite evident now that they were no longer surrounded by snow. The blonde haired woman was still talking, offering them a drink now, and hesitantly, Echo nodded, they would like a drink, they would like one very much, especially if it was a warm drink. They hadn't drunk anything warm in... so-so long. "I-I... th-think I-I'd l-like th-that m-m-ma'am." The child stuttered through their chattering teeth.

It was evident that their overcoat was not fully waterproof, and the sweater they wore beneath was far too large, coming down almost to Echo's bare knees. The tight jeans barely buttoned anymore, but they were all Echo had, and the shoes well, they looked quite out of place on a figure so small. Slowly they shed their large gloves, revealing small red fingers that were cold to the touch.

Shrugging off the coat they were nearly drowning in, and stepping out of the shoes, their socks wet and feet cold, they looked towards Ellie, hoping that it was okay that they were taking off some of their wet clothes. The hair that was not covered by the hat was damp, and dripping down their forehead now, and the scarf had been loosened to reveal a red, wind-lashed face, bright eyes, and a mouth that was never far from a smile.

"I-Is this ok-kay?" They asked as they crawled into an armchair, not the one that Ellie had specified, but one near enough the fire that they could feel the waves of warmth on them. There was another person now. A boy, older than they were... but not... a lot older. Echo wasn't sure how old he was, though they were small for their age, possibly looking like a six year old, no older than seven.

As the boy spoke to Ellie, he frowned slightly, that wasn't nice, the nice woman was trying to help... maybe she was crowding a bit, but... it made sense in Echo's small mind. After telling the woman to give them space, Echo listened quietly to their two questions. "Echo... I-I think I am... b-but I'm very cold, m-mister." The child shivered at the word, wrapping their small arms around their knees in an attempt to warm themself further.

There was another person now, this person had a dog, the dog seemed scary, was the dog going to hurt them? A glint of fear sparked in their bright eyes and they recoiled slightly from the other boy, not wanting to be too near to the dog. "O-only if it's n-not too m-much t-trouble m-mister." The child spoke softly, eyes fixed on the dog as they coiled away from it.

"I-It's n-not gonna b-bite m-me... is it-t?" They asked nervously, looking at the friendly dog, and seeing only the trained beast who had kept them in line when they were younger. Since then, all dogs were grouped in the same category. Scary.


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#5
JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES
It was obvious; the child was so small, malnourished and scared. Tomorrow wanted to ask where their parents were, but at the same time he knew it'd be rude and potentially triggering to the poor child. They introduced themselves as Echo to Brendan, and their teeth were chattering and they were stuttering quite a bit. Tomorrow wasn't sure if it was because they were nervous, or if it was simply a physical reaction to the cold.

Tomorrow realized the child was recoiling from Claire a second too late, and quickly pulled her back as soon as he noticed. "It's no trouble at all." Tomorrow said, trying to reassure them about the food at least. They asked if Claire was going to bite, and Tomorrow immediately shook his head.

"No- no she won't bite you." Tomorrow said, adding a small smile to his words to attempt to make it seem more believable. Claire slowly but surely stopped straining against his grip, and stood beside Tomorrow obediently. "She's very nice, but I'll put her in a different room if you think she's scary." He kept his wording simple, not wanting to completely overwhelm Echo; they looked about six years old, maybe seven? Old enough for complex conversation when they weren't half-frozen and scared.


'cus it don't make a difference anyway
tags - 26yrs - 6'1 - he/him - representative of fl
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#6
[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 7pt; line-height: 1.5;"]・゚✧ — Though it was very likely overbearing (because, who wouldn't feel slightly overwhelmed by Elinor's obsessive care and adoration for others?), Ellie would stay true to herself. Her gut instinct was telling her that she needed to help the child - Now. After all, they were half-frozen and absolutely petrified it seemed. The least Ellie could do was provide them with a familiar face, a person who they could at least feel like they could trust. Ellie would provide comfort in that way, making sure the child could at least feel a little bit safer knowing that there were people at the Lodge who wanted to help them. The child was young, no older than ten years old - where were their parents? Why were they here all alone?

Eyes raised up to spot Brendan in the room, immediately worrying whether the teenager would act defensively towards the newcomer, much like he tended to act towards an unfamiliar face. Hesitating, Ellie rested her hand at the top of the child's back almost protectively as she peered over at Brendan, only relaxing when he appeared to come across as nothing more than welcoming. Next, her gaze turned to Tomorrow, waiting to exchange glances with him before she pulled a face of confusion and worry. After all, how on earth did a child make it up here alone? How were they even alive? She followed behind the young kid as they removed the soaked overcoat and other winter garments, picking up the wet clothing to place elsewhere. "Let me move these aside for you. What about your hat and scarf, too? I can get all of these dried for you; they're no good wet." She pointed out, smiling sympathetically towards them before she turned to drop the clothing into a pile in the corner of the room.

Returning back to them, she laughed quietly under her breath, partly because they were such a sweet kid and partly because she felt so sad for them. "Of course you can sit there, sweetheart." She pointed out, crouching down nearby Tomorrow to pet Claire on the head gently. "Whatever will get you warmed up." Finally, she stood up, glancing over towards Tomorrow before she mumbled quietly, "I'm going to just get him a drink." And, with that, she paced out of the room and into the kitchen to make a hot chocolate for the poor kid.


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I'M BURNING BRIDGES, I DESTROY THE MIRAGE
[div style="width: 400px; font-family: georgia; text-align: center; font-size: 5pt; line-height: 1; letter-spacing: 2.6px; word-spacing: 1.9px; margin-bottom: 5px;"]ALL VISIONS OF COLLISIONS, FUCKING BON VOYAGE — truce.#1303

WRITING &. PINTEREST &. SPOTIFY
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#7
[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: calibri; font-size: 8pt; color: black; line-height: 22px;"]☁  hayley had been like that once. a child, alone in the world, just doing their best to get by. her earliest memories were of sitting in what had once been a grocery store, eating some long expired cereal, hardly five years old. for as long as she could recall being alive, she'd had the silver dogtags dangling over her neck, a name and a birthdate engraved on it, both of which she'd always assumed were her own, though she'd never been able to know for sure. for all she knew, her name was not hayley chase, and she had not been born february seventeenth, two-thousand and fifteen. but it was an identity she'd never had any choice but to adopt, because she didn't know any better. it was all she had to call herself, so she went with it.

hayley and jackson had been in the hallway, hope dozing off in his arms, the two hudled close together, speaking in inaudible whispers, clearly serious looks on their faces. they smiled at anyone who passed, but resumed their intense debate as soon as they'd passed by. it was only when hayley heard the commotion of echo's arrival that she turned away from her fiance, peering down the hallway to see the small child and everyone fretting over thembrows furrowing, a concerned look on her face, she glanced at jackson and sighed. ❝we'll talk about this later.❞ she told him, and he nodded in understanding as she turned to walk down the hallway, following behind her.

as she entered the living room, her gaze shifted from face to face, happy to see that everyone was getting into the swing of how to treat the people who turned up there. offering food and warm drinks, getting down a name, making sure they were alright. it was sort of reassuring that she didn't need to stand there, correcting anyone's behavior; even brendan was being... as friendly as brendan ever got. still, she moved in, a very maternal worry in her eyes as she moved closer to them, jackson and hope hanging back as she dropped to a squat in front of them. ❝sweetheart, you're at the flintlock lodge, my name's hayley.❞ she explained slowly, glancing over the child before glancing over her shoulder at jackson, ❝go grab some dry clothes, something that might fit a little better,❞ she told him, and he nodded immediately, turning and departing with hope. they'd spent the entire prior evening digging through and organizing the extra clothing bins in the basement, trying to find formal-appropriate clothing.

glancing back to echo, she cleared her throat. ❝sweetie, do you have any family? any friends that took care of you? a group?❞ an adult wandering up the mountain was unconcerning, but this was a small child, and small children ususally had someone that had, at some point, cared about them. some lost adult could do as they wished, but a lost child in general needed to either be returned to their guardian, or a patrol ought to be aware of a guardian searching for a child. if hope, a few years older, ever got lost, she had to hope that whoever found her daughter might have attempted to return her to hayley, just as she'd spent her life wishing somehow, someone had returned her to her parents.


[b][i]make your girlfriend mad tight, [color=#4A272E]might seduce your dad type
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#8
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[div style="borderwidth; width: 400px; padding: 1px; text-align: justify; color: #4B3E2D; line-height: 14px; font-size: 11pt; font-family:timesnewroman"]"speech" 'thought' text
tw: injuries, abandonment, abuse

Echo's eyes shifted from person to person, their damp hair clinging to their face. They didn't know what to do, what to say, they had never felt so important, so cared about before. It was a weird emotion to undergo. They shivered involuntarily. Tomorrow spoke, the dog wouldn't bite them? Was he sure? Echo had been bitten by dogs before, and so, did not trust any animals of the canine species.

But the nice young man said that she would not bite them, and so, they believed Tomorrow, after all, they didn't have any reason to distrust him. They hesitated for a few seconds, "I-if she's nice... it's okay... I... I just d-don't have a good history with d-dogs." They shuttered at the thought. Hunching their shoulders, the cringed slightly as Ellie continued hovering, it wasn't that they were afraid, but just unused to the attention.

Well, positive attention. People weren't yelling at them, kicking them, telling them to get out of the way. It was a very different environment to what they were used to. They slipped the sopping hat from their head, revealing wet blond curls beneath, and unraveled the scarf, letting them rest on the arm of the seat they were curled up in. Their body was still cold, but it began to grow warmer as the heat from the fire wafted towards them.

The small child looked towards Ellie silently as she spoke again, she was going to get them something to drink? That was so nice of them. They didn't know the last time they'd had chocolate, or something warm to drink really. And they were excited to taste it... though, it seemed ill advised to waste important resources on a worthless child, even if they let them join, what possibly could Echo do to earn their keep?

They were used to working for everything, they knew that it was the only way to keep from dying in this world, though they did believe there was good everywhere, and that everyone deserved love and a chance, though their belief didn't quite extend far enough to themself, they were the only person that they did not believe in, or believe should be given a chance.

The small child shivered as Hayley entered the room, and they hesitated. They knew that J wasn't liked at all, especially here, they remembered vaguely some people from the Lodge being imprisoned by J... but... J had told them that they deserved it. Then again, could they trust J? The man had betrayed them along with everyone else, he had left Echo alone again... and it hurt.

But they were honest, they didn't lie, it was wrong to lie, even if it was a small lie. Hesitatingly they looked into the woman's eyes, they were kind, caring looking... like Hayley knew something of pain. "I-I had a family... but they didn't want me..." They began to explain, it was a very boiled down version of the life that they lived up until they were too young to remember, perhaps there were glimpses, seconds of time when they were loved, but those were... not often in their mind.

"...and my only friend is gone. He made bad choices... but he was my friend. Y-you... y-you probably h-heard of him..." Echo hesitated, volunteering this information might well get them kicked out left in the cold to die, but they had to believe that telling the truth was more important. "H-he c-called himself 'J'. I... I'm s-sorry." They apologized, biting their lip pensively.

"B-but I think he's dead now. And I don't have a group, or nowhere to go. A-and... I'm scared." They could feel tears coming to their bright eyes as they looked down at the ground, it hurt... being left alone, and friendless in this world. But they were used to it, that didn't mean that it felt any less heavy on their small shoulders.

They sniffled, rubbing their eyes with dirty fists. "I-I g-guess y-you're not g-gonna let me s-stay." They sniffled, lower lip quivering as they began to cry. Partly from hunger, partly from exhaustion, and partly out of fear of the future. They didn't want to die, they didn't want people to hate them... they didn't want any of this to happen, they just wanted to be loved... safe.


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#9
[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: calibri; font-size: 8pt; color: black; line-height: 22px;"]☁  as the child began to speak, hayley found herself relating to his initial statement, to some degree. she wasn't really sure what had ever happened to her biological family, if they'd died and she'd somehow survived, or if they'd abandoned her when the world went to shit. over the years, she'd drifted into the care of dozens of people, but with time, they all abandoned her too, right up until she was old enough to start leaving herself. she'd get up at night, steal some food and clothes, and be gone before dawn. after enough years of being left, you learned to leave yourself.

but then echo mentioned j, and her own chest seized. she'd read plenty about the lodges history with the man, the monster. she'd even had the misfortune of meeting him once, at a christmas party, and though he hadn't been unkind, his very presence had unnerved her. the fact that the child had called him a friend unnerved her as well, made her stomach twist and tighten, but this was still a child. whether she could truly trust them was unclear, but regardless, she wouldn't toss some defenseless child out on their own.

❝no,❞ she said quickly, quietly, shaking her head, ❝no, we're not going to make you leave sweetheart.❞ she shifted her squat to a kneel to get more comfortable and made a vague motion around the room. ❝everyone in this room, we're like a family. most of us aren't related to each other, but everyone here is one of us. you're more than welcome to stay, to be one of us.❞ but could she trust him? the thought ate away at her, at all the damage a child and a match could do in the quiet of the night. ❝but because you didn't join with anyone, any family or anyone to take care of you, you're going to have something called a sitter for a while, okay? think of them as, like, a friend who makes sure you don't get lost and you don't have to be lonely. just until you get used to this place and everyone in it. we'll be your family from now on, alright?❞

she did her best to put it tenderly, to keep a kindness on her face, to not let it show that she wasn't sure if she could really trust echo. children's minds were soft and malleable, and until she knew what sort of things j had put in their mind, she had to be careful.


[b][i]make your girlfriend mad tight, [color=#4A272E]might seduce your dad type
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#10
JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES
Tomorrow was infinitely glad for Ellie; that wasn't too new, but in this moment it was more prominent. She was obviously good with kids, and good at taking charge during this less than ideal situation. Tomorrow held a reassuring smile for Echo as the child said it was okay, so long as Claire was nice; it hurt him to hear that this small child had some sort of negative history with them, but he couldn't be too surprised. A lone, small child could easily look like a meal for a pack of feral dogs.

"She'll be on her best behavior." Tomorrow promised. He glanced back at Ellie as she walked out of the room to grab some hot chocolate for Echo, and scratched behind Claire's ear nervously. He didn't want to leave Echo alone to go grab food, so he was happy to see Hayley and Jackson appear, comforting and commanding in a way that was reassuring.

"I'll go grab some food and help Ellie." Tomorrow stated, brushing past Hayley to head out. He heard Echo start to answer Hayley's question about their family, but he didn't really catch it; even if he did, he would've been sympathetic and not suspicious.


'cus it don't make a difference anyway
tags - 26yrs - 6'1 - he/him - representative of fl
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even then i don't know what to think >> joining
#1
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[div style="borderwidth; width: 400px; padding: 1px; text-align: justify; color: #4B3E2D; line-height: 14px; font-size: 11pt; font-family:timesnewroman"]"speech" 'thought' text
tw: blood, violence, injuries, abandonment, abuse

Echo, that was the only name they knew, well, they knew they had a different name, the name that they were born with. But for the longest time, a few years, they'd been called Echo. For the first few years of their life, they hadn't really said anything, except for repeating back what others said to them, probably how they had gotten their nickname, and with that, who needed a real name? A sense of identity? Echo frowned for a moment, they usually didn't let dark thoughts like these cloud their mind.

They had to remember to stay positive, positivity was important, they could do anything if they set their mind to it. However, their past was riddled with negatives, abuse, hate (not their own, but others). It was interesting how the child had escaped that mentality, remaining convinced that everyone was good, or at least, had good in them. Echo was barely eight years old, (though they didn't quite know when their real birthday was), they just celebrated it on the shortest day of the year, December 21st. Not that they always knew when that day was around.

They had often wondered why life had played them the hand it had, and while they never got the answer, they still were convinced that there had to be a reason. There was a reason for everything, right? Echo didn't think they could live in a world where there wasn't. They were bundled up in a coat that was far too big for them, underneath a monster of a sweater kept them warmer against the biting chill of the mid-morning.

Atop their curly blond hair, a hat was pulled down (though it kept riding up because it was too big for them). They were wearing jeans, a size too small for their already tiny frame, and boots that looked worn and for a child much older than them. The outfit was completed by a pair of gloves that their fingers swam in, and a long scarf wound around their neck so many times that it nearly touched their nose.

In all, Echo was more or less warm against the frigid weather of the place to which they were traveling. Though, it seemed like ages since they had set out on their long journey up the mountain. The had with them a shaggy pony, and while they had been riding the animal for a few hours at a time, it was important to let the creature rest (after all, the equine could get just as tired as Echo themself could.)

They coughed, a wet sticky cough, the sound of it rattling around their small head. They were about half a mile from the lodge now, though, with the snow blowing directly in their face it was hard to make out the building as their feet crunched in the seemingly endless snow stretching out in front of them. Oh, if only they were somewhere safe, somewhere warm... they felt so, so tired now. All they wanted was to curl up into a corner and sleep for eternity. And while they were somewhat protected from the elements, they still felt cold.

They heard a voice from somewhere up high call some words, perhaps it was at them? They weren't certain, but, they decided to answer the challenge. "Identify yourself!" Their teeth chattered as they opened their mouth to speak, and it took a fair minute to figure out what to say. "E-Echo." Their voice seemed muted, quiet in the raging snow and wind, maybe the guard couldn't even hear them? "ECHO." They shouted at the top of their lungs, contending with the sounds around them.

Wrapping their arms around them, they stood close to the pony who placidly stood beside them, though they were sure that the animal felt the effects of the cold. They were glad that they had something to stand against, body warmth, company, they got lonely sometimes. Maybe someone would come to see if they were okay? They looked towards the door of the lodge, squinting, hoping that someone would come out... they didn't want to get into trouble.


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