I SMELL THE BLOOD / O, JOINING

[KAITO LANCASTER.]

[align=center][div style="width: 370px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.4; color: black;"]— TW: Talk of death/murder

When it came to mercenary work, Xavier was the best of the best - no doubt about it. He had been at the top of his game for fifteen years and had no plans of slowing down. Everyone in the Ring knew not to challenge his skill or authority - everyone except Colton Madison. That brat had been a pain in the ass; for a couple of months after his eighteenth birthday, there had been some talk that he might take Xavier's place as the Ringleader's second. And maybe that would have happened, had he succeeded in this high-profile mission - but an entire month had come and gone with no word from Colt. He had failed, and of course, Xavier had to swoop in and clean up his mess.

The tall man walked along Flintlock's border, rifle strapped to his back, hands in his pockets. He wondered if Colt had ever even made it this far; if he had to guess, he would assume that the kid had gotten lost and frozen somewhere on the mountain. There had been a massive blizzard the day after he'd left for the lodge, after all. The corners of Xavier's lips twitched into a subtle smirk; oh, what a shame Colt had to go and die. A real shame.

He lifted his head at the sound of footfall in the snow, eyes widening slightly. There seemed to be a few people approaching. He put on an innocent expression, lifting his hands in the air to show that he was not weilding a weapon. "Ah - hello? Is this Flintlock Lodge?" he would call out, his voice strained. Internally, he was analyzing each person's face, waiting for one in particular. It was time to kill Edmund Stirling.

[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"]

— things were starting to quiet down again. freddie led the patrol, casually glancing around the familiar route. there was plenty to think about, plenty to keep in mind about the war between bluestem prairie and flintlock. however, fred’s mind constantly felt as though it was elsewhere. he hated where his mind wandered to - hated who his mind wandered to. the way things had ended left a sour taste in his mouth the more he pondered about it. he had been horrible to mollie in their last few moments -- but why did he care? if it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have been the least bit remorseful. why did he care about hurting mollie the way he did? it made no sense to the blonde.

seeing an unfamiliar figure at the border, he glanced towards the other patrollers along with him before eventually leading them over. expecting the others to follow suit. “you’ve made it to the right place,” he casually hummed, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood in front of the other man. bearing a familiar, brazen smile, he asked, “what brings you here?”

[spoiler=tags ― updated 03/04.][size=8pt]◜BASICS ┊ THE CURSES OF DIAMONDS AND RINGS ◞
‣  ❝ frederick flynn stirling ❞ | freddie, fred, freds | male [he/him] .
‣ 24 years old . | june 20th; gemini.
‣  currently the warlord of flintlock lodge

◜PERSONALITY: ESTP ┊ ONLY AT FIRST DID IT HAVE ITS APPEAL ◞
‣  boisterous . adaptable . athletic . articulate . brilliant . captivating . charismatic . charming . clever . confident . precise . youthful . loyal . amusing. aggressive . deceptive . proud . smooth . stubborn . traditional . argumentative . conceited . difficult . greedy . power-hungry . impatient .
↳ lover of beer and attention
↳ considers himself royalty

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ NOW YOU CAN'T TELL THE FALSE FROM THE REAL ◞
‣ five foot ten & one hundred and seventy five pounds ; reference .
↳ blonde hair kept short and neat
↳ muscular, toned build
↳ blue eyes , often alight with mischief , a deceitful smile

◜ FAMILY ┊ EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH TURNS TO GOLD ◞
‣  kelby stirling x lydia clarks | whereabouts unknown
‣ has a brother named william and two sisters named harriet and lucy
‣ large family; multiple cousins and other relatives

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ STATUES AND EMPIRES ARE ALL AT YOUR HANDS ◞
‣  bisexual ; monogamous | never had a serious relationship before . noncommittal
‣ ex-lover to mollie hawthorne
↳ when she announced she was pregnant, he broke things off with her to avoid commitment . still loves her .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ WHO CAN YOU TRUST ? ◞
‣  [ 9/10 ] physically  |  [ 9/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ very difficult ] | difficulty w/ melees [ difficult ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ difficult ]
‣ [member=1512]elysian.[/member] | dm for any major plots .
‣  friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .[/size][/spoiler]

[blake k.]

Freddie had beaten her there, but it didn't stop her from making herself known. She walked over, looking towards Freddie before looking towards the stranger. "How can we help you...?" insinuating she wanted a name, put a name to a face in case this was a stupid trick. A name in case she had to go after him herself if this was a trick.

She was eyeing the gun. If he wanted to come up to the lodge, she made a note to ask for it. She didn't want someone armed coming up the mountain, not after all that had happened. "I will say though, should you wish to come up the mountain I'm going to need you to disarm yourself. Safety measures - you understand." she explained firmly. There were children up there, she wasn't about to let something happen to them. The lodge wasn't about to lose anyone else under her watch. She'd make sure of it.

[spoiler=TAGS 3/12]
Sick of all these people talking, sick of all this noise — general
▪ Blake Adrian Kegan | Blake, Blakie | open to nicknames
▪ AFAB | Identifies as Genderfluid | she/they
▪ 23 | Born July 26th | ages real time
▪ combat | member of Flintlock Lodge

Tired of all these cameras flashing, sick of being poised — physical
♦ Health: 100%
— They stand at 5'9" with semi-long wavy ginger hair. She has a rose tattoo and a few scars from past events. She's closer to an athletic build and is on the thinner side. She has an Australian accent as she's originally from Adelaide, Australia.
— minor injuries: n/a
— major injuries: n/a

Now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it — important events
— 12/05/40 Lost her best friend, Alfie
— 7/26/40 Celebrated her 23rd birthday
— 5/31/40 Had Keiron and Louis; The "Hell Twins"
— 4/26/40 Thomas and Charlotte turned 2

Already choking on my pride, so there's no use crying about it — personality
— I like to think Blake is a good example of the whole "strong, independent woman" thing even if she doesn't identify as a woman. She has a short temper and what I gently put as homicidal tendencies. She will gladly fight someone, regardless if they're bigger than her or not. However, she's also rather maternal and is more likely to protect a child than anything. Her maternal side has massively shown itself since the twins were born, though that leaves her more violent side to be overlooked or forgotten.
— Maternal, "Strong Independent Woman", Protective
— Violent, Homicidal Tendencies, Short Tempered

I'm headed straight for the castle — relationships
▪ Ryan Kegan x Katherine Kegan
▪ Pansexual | Panromantic | Polyamorous
▪ It's complicated | Crushing on one | Maybe Crushing on no one
    ↳ Involved with Danny Hargrove
▪ Ex-wife of Edmund Moray
    ↳ cheated on her
▪ Mother of six
    ↳ Thomas and Charlotte Moray (2yrs)
    ↳ Louis and Keiron Stirling-Kegan (10m)
    ↳ Currently pregnant, due in April
    ↳ Guardian to Danny's son, Cade (8yrs)

They wanna make me their queen — interaction
— Physically very hard | Mentally intermediate
— Uses compound bow and arrows
— Also skilled in hand to hand combat
— No killing and ask before major injuries or major interactions
— To attack, [member=9567]Noccy[/member] & attack in #B34600
[/spoiler]

[COLT MADISON.]

[align=center][div style="width: 370px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.4; color: black;"]— It was incredible, really, how quickly Colt's life had changed.

He was finally truly starting to settle in at the lodge. He cared about the people here - and they cared for him. That type of affection had been entirely absent in all eighteen years of his life up until this point. With the Ring, life was a constant, selfish competition for money and power. No one gave a shit about him, and the leaders used him for their own personal gain - nothing more. He hadn't really been a person there - just a tool, a well-oiled machine built from day one purely to kill. Here, things were different. Here, he was an individual, free to choose a path of his own. The sense of freedom that he got up in the mountains was euphoric. Still, there was always that nagging sense of guilt at the back of his mind - the constant reminder that he was lying to these people about his true identity. Still - it wasn't a lie that hurt anyone, right?

Colt reassured himself of this as he trudged along behind Freddie, reluctant to be in the man's patrol. Lost in thought, he picked up his head in surprise as Fred started to talk to someone. A joiner? He supposed they were close to the border. The merc stepped out from behind Fred, looking upon the tall figure before them - and his blood ran cold. Seeing Xavier standing there was like a slap in the face; Colt was tossed right back into his old life. All of a sudden, he was a trainee again, getting punched in the stomach by a man twice his age because he had failed a stealth simulation. His eyes widened just slightly; despite spending years learning how to suppress his emotions, Colt still had some difficulty keeping the shock off of his face. Luckily, it was difficult to tell how pale he'd become in that moment because of all the cold weather gear he had on.

He barely registered what the others were saying; blood was roaring in his ears. This wasn't happening - this couldn't be happening. He didn't know what to do. Why was he here? It had to be to finish the mission. This was bad.

He said nothing.

[KAITO LANCASTER.]

[align=center][div style="width: 370px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.4; color: black;"]— Xavier looked upon the first two Flintlockers to appear, internally disappointed when neither of them seemed to be his target. That was alright; he was sure he'd get the chance to meet Stirling soon enough. He focused on Freddie first; the man looked strong, in good shape. His polite smile did not reach his eyes. Clearly, his mind was elsewhere. The woman had clearly seen her fair share of fights; her body language was guarded, unsure.

They began to question him on his motives and identity - and they asked for his gun. Smart woman. Xavier didn't care all that much; he didn't need the rifle to kill Edmund. He was better with knives anyways - guns were never his thing. He sighed, returning Freddie's smile with a warm one of his own. "So this is Flintlock? Ha - finally. Can't say the trip up here was very fun." He eyes Blake. "The name's Xavier Montgomery. I was hoping I'd be able to join up with you guys. I've been on my own for some time now, needed a change." He paused, lowering his hands before pulling the rifle from his back - keeping his fingers far from the trigger - and offering it to Blake. "Not a problem at all. I understand quite well; I'm a cautious person myself."

Another person had appeared from behind Fred. Xavier blinked a few times, figuring his eyes were decieving him - but they weren't. He quirked his eyebrows; there, in the flesh, was Colton Madison - alive and well. Anger welled up inside of him, but he did not let it show. So the brat was alive - and he still hadn't completed his job. That was beyond unacceptable. But Xavier couldn't risk giving anything away. He cleared his throat. "Colt - is that you?" he would question, feigning disbelief. He grinned. "Wow - you've gotten tall, haven't ya, kid?" There was an undertone of sarcasm to his voice. He turned to the Flintlockers. "Colt and I traveled together a few years ago - we were in the same group of nomads. Small world, huh?"

[JOSEPHINE]

[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-size: 12px; font-family: calibri; letter-spacing: .6px; color: #494949;"]she tromps out into the snow to see the commotion outside with some newcomer. joey’s always been too nosey for her own good. green eyes shifting from her steps tithe group, their conversation finally becoming understandable. this dude knows colt?

the idea itself is fine, but some kind of friendship and this timing... colt never spoke about someone specific any and the kid doesn’t seem too happy to see this xavier. something about it has a tinge of tension, peaking her interest. oh what had she just stumbled upon? now she’s got to figure it out. playing along with whatever they have planned; adding kindling to the already hot fire. she shoots a look to colt before donning one of her award winning smiles, ” a friend of colt’s? “ she hums, [color=#990000]” must be a great guy like him, “ the woman comments, but there is a twinge of clear suspicion there.


[spoiler=tags, updated 03/28/2021]◜BASICS ┊ [color=#990000]I HAD A DREAM◞
&. ❝ josephine elena van doren ❞ |  joey, hoey | female [ she/her ] .
&. 22 years old . | november first ; scorpio .
&. reaper of flintlock lodge .

◜PERSONALITY ┊ GOT EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED◞
&. impulsive . outgoing . femme fatale . flirtatious . seemingly emotionless . guarded . self-destructive . obsessive . hot headed . reckless . kleptomania tendencies . selfish . brat .  assertive . loyal to those close to her . intuitive . stubborn . passionate . self-preserving . quick . nosey . reliable . non-committal . determined . secretive . resentful . resourceful . distrusting .

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ NOT WHAT YOU THINK ◞
&.  five foot six & one hundred and seventeen pounds ; reference .
↳ blonde hair just past her collarbone, grows a dirtier blonde, lightening up as soon as any sun touches it .
↳ slim, muscular build. legs on the longer side .
↳ big blue/green doe eyes, light yet well-groomed eyebrows, full lips, dimples .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ AND IF I’M BEING HONEST ◞
&.  [ 8/10 ] physically  |  [ 9/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ medium ] | difficulty w/ melees [ hard ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ hard ]
↳ combat information .
&. attack in bold #990000 | [member=570]scully[/member] | PM for any major plots .
&. friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .

◜INVENTORY ┊ IT MIGHT’VE BEEN A NIGHTMARE◞
&. [ 2 ] weapons | [ 0 ] armor pieces | [ 0 ] consumables | [ 2 ] aid items | [ 1 ] misc .
↳ one combat knife .
↳ a three piece throwing knife set
↳ a bracelet from her late mother, each one of her sisters has a piece to the same set, their mother having the biggest piece

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT CARE◞
&. elizabeth van doren (npc) x malcolm van doren (npc) | second youngest of nine children .
↳ cassian van doren, eldest, flintlock .
↳ beau van doren, second eldest, unknown .
↳ range rover van doren, unknown .
↳ scarlett van doren, flintlock .
↳ tara van doren, unknown .
↳ julian van doren, flintlock .
↳ maxine van doren, just older than joey, flintlock .
↳ richard van doren, youngest, deceased .
↳ lucky van doren, cousin, flintlock .
&. pansexual, panromantic ; mongamous  . | scared of commitment, however enjoys casual fun .
&. lover to william stirling
↳ reoccurring friends with benefits.
↳ parents to rosalie willa van doren, seven months old .
&. lover to theodore knope
↳ partner in the badlands
&. crushing on cassidy van den bergh[/spoiler]