RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Dec 30, 2022 22:10:03 GMT
Standing out on the sidewalk for too long, staring at the Reid’s shop across the square felt like an invitation for Mandy’s brothers to come visit again. Scurrying away from the windows at the front of the store, Rhys felt like her eldest brother’s boot print was still there, embedded in the thin skin over his hip bone like it had been the morning after Mandy had vanished. He’d stared at it in the mirror then, the bruises already blooming that purple-black that spelt out a whole rainbow appearing later. It would’ve maybe been nothing in comparison to what Mandy was going through though. He’d dressed then, feeling the pit yaw open in the pit of his stomach as he’d gone down to start breakfast. It had been months since, the bruises were gone and Mandy was … back.
Picking up the rickety set of shelves that he’d load up with the pulp paperbacks he’d picked up from a yard sale in the next town over a few days before Christmas, Rhys began to crab walk back out the door – another excuse to look over the road, but he’d take it. They probably wouldn’t make it to next Christmas, but for now they only leaned slightly as he set them down against the front of the building. A handful of the paperbacks had gone home with him, but the rest had been saved for the store. The store saved him from hoarding at least, the magpie’s eye he’d inherited from his mom indulged without him ending up buried in treasures. It was everything else in his life that was likely to see him six feet under.
Rhys puffed out his cheeks as he dragged the cardboard box out the door. He crouched in front of the shelves, loading the paperbacks up with his shoulders tensed, like somehow that would protect him from the guy’s boot if he came strolling over to warn him off again. That, unfortunately, was the reason why he hadn’t gone straight over there the moment he’d seen the flash of red hair disappearing through the door of the shop. At least one of the brothers had been with her then and after what had happened in the shop – including the scoffing over what he’d … Rhys had to swallow hard to avoid throwing up as he pulled his hands back from the books. None of them had given him any flashes, but just the memory of what he had seen when he’d touched the locket left him feeling sick.
The rest of the books went on the shelf in a rush. There was no order to them, a couple were probably the wrong way around, but he was heading back inside at least. On almost any other day he would’ve already been gone, handing the store over to Lil to head to classes, but with it still being Christmas break, he couldn’t even hide out at Whitmore – where he might get to see Mandy again and check how she was without her brothers looming over the two of them. Lil wasn’t back from visiting her family until Monday morning and he was bored without her. Not that she was ever going to hear that.
An hour later the store was still empty and far too quiet. He’d reorganised one of the display units filled with Warhammer figures – most of which he’d painted to keep his mind off of what was really going on while Mandy had been gone – unpacked just about everything he’d been able to find space for. Nah, screw it, this was a case of taking matters into his own hands. Snagging the Street Fighter cartridge, Rhys headed for the door. The first couple of people who went past definitely didn’t look the type to try and throw down with Chun-Li or Zangief … the brunette maybe though. As the girl approached Rhys stepped out onto the sidewalk, already grinning at her. ”You look like someone who could kick a little ass…” he told her, wiggling the game in front of her. Maybe it was a little too classic for her, but he was willing to bet she might recognise it, unlike the grey haired guy who’d trundled past with his walker right ahead of her.
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VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Dec 30, 2022 23:44:47 GMT
 The holidays always left Valentina feeling a little unsettled. After her parents died and she and her sister found themselves growing up in witness protection those tasked with looking after them had tried to make it special for them but it hadn’t been easy while they were on the move so much. Truth be told she hadn’t really enjoyed the holiday since but it was a little different now that she was in Mystic Falls. Here at least she had friends around her that she could spend some time with and she had her sister as well. The two of them could have gone back to Oregon for the holiday but they had decided not to and their foster parents had promised to visit them instead. When their time in witness protection was over she and Lorena were taken in by the FBI Agent their dad had been working with and his wife and they were a nice couple. Valentina had been happy living with them but she had needed help to control her abilities when she came into them and so had her sister so Mystic Falls had seemed like the best place to do that. They still went back to Oregon to visit sometimes and their foster parents visited them, they also talked on the phone quite a bit so the distance hadn’t changed things between them at all, it had just given the girls a little more freedom to start over in a place where they didn’t have to hide who or what they were or what they had been through. That day she had ended up spending some time hanging out with Ria in town before they parted ways when it came time for Ria to go and meet up with her dad. That left Valentina on her own since her sister was off doing her own thing for a while and she knew that she might as well kill some time in town before heading back to the school. It was a little depressing staying at school over Christmas but the dorms were safe and she knew that she didn’t have to worry about being annoyed by anyone too much while she was there. The staff liked to decorate the school for Christmas and there were others who had decided to stick around as well so it really wasn’t too bad but she knew that she wasn’t ready to head back there just yet. As she approached one of the shops a guy stepped out and he was already smiling at her. That alone would have been enough to have her tell him that she wasn’t interested in whatever he was selling like she normally did but his words were enough to have her pausing for a moment. “I actually find it a lot more fun kicking ass in the real world now but let’s see what you’ve got there,” she said as she took the game from him and had a look. “You know, if this had been Street Fighter III: Third Strike then I would have snapped your hand off. This one isn’t as good,” she said as she handed it back to him. Glancing inside the shop, she realised that it was empty which definitely explained his presence on the street and he was cute so Valentina knew that there were worse ways to kill some time. “As it happens I have some free time on my hands, got something to play it on?” she asked as she turned her attention back to him. “I little spontaneous competition might drum up some customers for you. I could probably get a few from school down here,” she offered. RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Jan 11, 2023 19:48:53 GMT
A lot of people still shied away from mentioning his mom as they came into the shop. Middle aged nerds and geeks who’d helped to build the place with his parents in the way, the ones who’d crowded the pews of the church when they put her in the ground far too early. Some still held their hand up at waist height, slipping into the ‘I remember you when you were this tall’ before their expressions froze and the apology flickered in their eyes. Rhys always nodded, smiling politely as he joked about how he’d grown up in the shop, taking his first steps straight at the consoles, like he’d had a clue how to play them when his coordination left him wobbling like a drunk in the first place.
There were memories of his mom here, ones that still clawed at his chest, even without the reminiscences they spoke quietly of afterwards. She’d been the one to scoop him up when he’d spotted something and tried to make a grab for it with those clumsy fingers. Her laughter filling the air, his dad smiling back at her with a look on his face that it had taken him until his teens to figure out. That had been loved. For her husband, her son, for the place they’d grown from just a comic book store to so much more. How could he have left it in someone else’s hands with all of that tied up here? He couldn’t. Rhys understood why his dad had been unable to do it, but he could and he would continue to make it a success. Even if he had to stand in the street and talk people into it in an attempt to get his mind off of a lot of things. A lot of people.
The smile that his mom had always seen as a warning brightened as the girl didn’t brush him off like the others had. It wasn’t even just a polite flash of teeth and a brush off. Oh, he had someone on the hook. Rhys dipped his chin, his smile turning a little slyer, his eyes narrowing faintly at her. ”That sounds like a warning,” he mused, amusement in his voice to show that he wasn’t taking it as a threat, not the way he had Mandy’s brothers words. He smothered a shiver, purposefully turning himself away from the square so he just felt the itch between his shoulder blades. ”A brawler, and a connoisseur … I think I’m in trouble here.” Not as big as he’d been in months ago, he’d take that.
Trusting her to follow him, he began to walk back towards the shop, gesturing with the game to lead the way. The back rear corner of the store had been set up as a gaming spot for as long as he could remember – worn sofas and chairs parked in an L around the screens they had mounted on the wall, the consoles and games (most for sale, of course), on units beneath. The score boards on the wall behind were badges of honour for some, a humiliation for the losers. They doubled up on movie nights, or tripled up on quiz nights when the seating would be arranged around the temporary stage he could set up. ”You’re a store owners dream,” he told her. ”Do you go to Whitmore? I do … I’m Rhys …” Shifting the game from one hand to the other Rhys offered his to hers, only jokingly wincing at her first move. If she really did find kicking ass in the real world fun there was a chance he’d be on the floor if she really wanted to hurt him.
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VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Feb 26, 2023 0:41:41 GMT
Valentina hadn’t really known what to make of Mystic Falls at first when she and her sister had moved there but now she felt at home there. They had moved around a lot over the years and Valentina had always hated it, she had lost count of the amount of new schools she had gone to and every time she had been the freaky new girl. Kids could be cruel and when you faced with someone who wasn’t born in America and didn’t necessarily understand how things were meant to work, it hadn’t made it very easy. As time went on she had started taking it all in her stride and having her sister by her side the whole time definitely helped. Valentina knew that she would have been lost without her sister by her side and she knew that she never wanted to know what that was like. They had their foster parents back in Portland but they were the only blood relatives each other had left now and that was something that Valentina knew better than to take for granted. She hadn’t really known what to make of it when she had arrived at the Salvatore School, she had known that it would be completely different to what she was used to, she had been trying to figure out how to control herself after her friend graduated but it had proved to be difficult and she was glad she was surrounded by others like her now. Becoming part of a pack had let helped her learn more about how to work with others after only having her sister to count on for such a long time and it had been an easy decision to stay on at the college after she graduated. Now she felt much more comfortable in her skin than she ever had done before and she knew that it was about time that she started branching out and get to know more people. She also knew that she wanted to spend more time outside the school and that was why she had headed into town that day. “Only if you get on my bad side,” Valentina smirked as the guy before her said that her previous statement had sounded like a warning. As he said that he thought he was in trouble, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Trust me, you have no idea,” she grinned. Valentina had been known to get pretty competitive at times so she knew that she wasn’t going to back down now. Following him into the store, Valentina couldn’t deny that she was surprised when he said she was a store owner’s dream. “You own this place? That’s really cool,” she admitted. She hadn’t thought he was old enough to own a business like this but then again given who she went to school with she knew that looks could quite easily be deceiving or he could have inherited the place. Either way, she was impressed and she knew that she would have to check it out more often. “No, I go to the Salvatore College,” she explained. There were people in town who knew that the Salvatore School and College were only for those who were supernatural and she couldn’t deny that she was curious as to whether Rhys knew that little fact or not. “Nice to meet you, I’m Valentina,” she said as she shook his outstretched hand, rolling her eyes playfully as he pretended to wince. “Don’t worry, you’re safe. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it by now,” she grinned as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent a text to her friends inviting them to join her at the store. Valentina was a fighter, that was for sure, but only when she had to so she knew that she wasn’t going to hurt Rhys. “Shall we play?”RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Mar 14, 2023 19:43:53 GMT
Mystic Falls hadn’t been the sort of town where scary stuff happened. Sure, it had a reputation for some spooky goings on, but those had just felt like stories they told school kids to stop them going wild out in the woods. Local ghost stories were different to being threatened by a vampire. The memory of what had happened out in the woods could still bring him out in a cold sweat, layering over what he thought he’d imagined of what had happened with the woman from the diner. People here were good, their neighbours supportive, friends sticking by him for life. Rhys didn’t want to rewrite that story and start looking at everything here as though the real world might melt away again, leaving something monstrous and terrifying – the sort of thing that belonged in games and movies – behind. The world could bring tragedy all on its own, it didn’t need any help, he didn’t need any either.
Dragging someone in off the street to distract him for a while shouldn’t have been necessary, but alone Rhys kept finding those memories bubbling up like oil in the back of his mind, black and slick and cold. Thankfully the girl he’d stopped seemed keen enough to go along with it, a relief even if she mentioned her bad side and had his breathing hitching for just a moment. Rhys held his hands up between the two of them, the game still clutched in one as he grinned back at her. ”I’m definitely not gonna do that … unless you’re a sore loser.” She didn’t seem like she was yet, but as everything else had proven lately, you never could tell and he didn’t think he was up for another burst of trouble. His gaze twitched over her shoulder, glancing at the Reids’ shop for just a moment. ”That sounds even more ominous. I think I might be in over my head here.” He was joking, of course, but the truth was he had been in over his head for months now and this was the thing that was meant to leave him feeling like he had steady ground under them again.
Leading the way, Rhys headed straight towards the back of the store. His mom had said that putting the gaming area at the back of store meant that it kept the noise from spilling out into the street, but he knew it had been more to do with selling everything that people had to walk past first. Catch their eye with the shelves of kitschy ‘antiques’ and glass cabinets of jewel toned roleplay figurines and maybe you had yourself a sale or two. It certainly worked on quiz nights, and asskicking gamers. He glanced back at her, half turning to nod. ”I co-own it with my dad, although these days I handle most of the business. It was my parents’.” Until his mom had died and their dream of what this place was going to be had almost died with her.
He made a sound in his throat as she answered his question about school. ”The new place, huh. I figured if you’d been at Whitmore, or even at the High School, I would’ve recognised you. I’m at Whitmore.” Another echo of his mom’s life in his own. Rhys shook her hand as Valentina took his, meeting the eye roll with a chuckle as he mock crumbled at the shake. ”It’s nice to meet you too, Valentina. Now, that’s reassuring.” He was being honest with that, that little tremble that seemed to have been a constant companion taking a hike for a while. Gesturing her towards the couches that faced the screens, Rhys dropped to one knee to load the game up. ”Pull up a pew,” he told her. Getting back up, he carried two controllers back to where she sat, passing one over to her. ”So who are you planning on losing to me with?” His dark eyes narrowed, the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he went for Ryu – his good luck mascot when it came to Street Fighter.
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VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Apr 22, 2023 23:55:19 GMT
Valentina had felt like she had needed something to occupy her time for a while, she had been at the Salvatore School for some time now and she had managed to make some friends but the truth was that there were times when she wanted nothing more than to get out of there and be normal for a while. She knew that she and her twin sister had never really been normal and neither had their upbringing, they had grown up in witness protection after their parents were killed and even after the threat was finally over things had never truly gone back to the way they were. Valentina knew that she had changed during that time, in fact she hardly recognised the girl she was when her family left Mexico, but it was just the hand she had been dealt and she at least still had her sister so for that she was truly grateful. Valentina would be the first to admit that she had struggled with becoming a werecreature, suddenly her short fuse had made sense and it had helped having a friend back in Portland who had been going through the same thing but after her friend went off to college she had found herself struggling again once more. Now she had her pack around her and it was good to know that there were others who were going through the same thing but even though she liked spending time with them there were times when she felt like a change of scene was in order and now was definitely one of those times. She hadn’t planned on being pulled into a shop to play Street Fighter but the truth was that she could definitely think of worse ways to spend her afternoon. “I’m not but then again I don’t plan on losing,” she smirked as Rhys said that he wasn’t going to get on her bad side unless she was a sore loser. Valentina was competitive, that much was true, but she had also spent countless hours playing video games while she was in witness protection so she knew that she wasn’t going to be easy to beat. “Oh, you’re definitely in over your head,” she laughed. “I’ll give you a chance to back out with your dignity intact if you want to though,” she added with a grin, her tone teasing as she spoke. He didn’t seem to want to take her up on that, though, and Valentina found herself looking around the shop as he explained that he co-owned it with his dad. “That’s really cool, you’ve got a great place here,” she said sincerely as she turned back to look at him. Truth be told knowing that he owned the place with his dad was enough to make her a little jealous but Valentina had come to terms with the loss of her parents a long time ago so she knew that she couldn’t let it get her down now. “That’s right. I’m not from around here but they offered me a place along with my twin so I had to take it,” Valentina shrugged. They were helping her more than she cared to admit right now so she was glad that she had taken them up on the offer. “That’s a shame, here I was hoping I might see you around more often,” she admitted as he said that he was at Whitmore. It wasn’t unexpected since she had heard that most people in town ended up attending Whitmore but it meant that she had to hide what she was and that could get tiring at times to say the least. Hearing Rhys laugh when she rolled her eyes at him was enough to make Valentina smile and that smile widened when he said it was nice to meet her too. She really wasn’t going to hurt him but she knew that his pride might end up taking a bit of a dent if he ended up losing to her. She could at least put her supernatural reflexes to work with this and she planned on doing just that. “Thanks,” she said before sitting down as he told her to take a seat. His next words were enough to have her laughing as she took the controller from him. “I think you mean who do I plan on beating you with,” she corrected. “If you’re sticking with Ryu then it has to be Ken,” she said as she selected him. RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Apr 26, 2023 18:47:26 GMT
The gaming competitions had been popular from the moment his parents had got the first used NES in the store. Kids would gather after school, fighting it out on Mario Bros or Blades of Steel until their own parents arrived to scoop them up for dinner. As competition grew and the number of consoles to play on spiralled the chalk boards had gone up, victories and losses marked out, scores still gloated about with the people who brought their own kids by. His own name was up there often enough, but Rhys never would’ve classed himself as a true champion. That competitive streak just wasn’t strong enough in him. He did better cheering others on, riling up everybody else’s competitive nature just like he was doing now. The place was filled with noise then, voices rising with each shift in fortunes in the game. It’d always been his happy place, his distraction from the tougher things. From what had scared the crap out of him.
He'd almost succeeded in not looking over at the Reids’ place. Rhys dragged his gaze away again, mentally chastising himself as he clucked his tongue. If it kept him from being back out here in an hour, tying himself up in knots the way he had on an almost daily basis since Mandy had been taken, he’d take the pasting. ”We’ll see about that,” he gloated, his grin taking on that cocky edge. Eyes narrowing faintly, Rhys clutched the game to his chest. They both knew he wasn’t about to take the coward’s way out of this, he was in too deep now. ”I think I’d rather take the knock to my dignity if I end up losing. This is on.” Like he had to prove that he wasn’t going to back out, Rhys backed up into the store and then turned and led Valentina deeper in, towards the back of the store where the couches – second hand but worn to perfect comfort – circled the trio of TVs. ”Thanks,” he said honestly as she began complimenting the place. ”I can’t take all the credit for it … screw it, my dad’s not here so I’m going to.” Rhys laughed lightly as he came to a stop on that border between the actual store part of the store and the entertainment area at the rear.
Rhys caught the shrug and read enough between those few words not to dig too much further into the whole school thing. He knew exactly what it was like to want to hold the greater part of your story to yourself, only allowing the smallest part of to be shared, like the tiny peak of an iceberg showing on the surface of the water. ”I guess having family there helps,” he said lightly. After his mom had died his dad had always taken the extra time with him, making it clear that he wasn’t going to lose him too. The two of them were a team then. Rhys tilted his head slightly, gesturing around the store with the game. ”Most evenings and weekends you can see me right here,” he offered. If he could sway Valentina with the game then maybe he’d have another regular customer on his hands. He encouraged her to take a seat as he set up the game, dropping down next to her on the couch. ”Still not going to happen,” Rhys told her with a chuckle. Glancing sideways at her, he navigated quickly through the start menu, picking out Ryu on the screen. ”I hope you’re ready to see Ken pasted. You ready?” Rhys didn’t wait for her answer before he was starting the game. The countdown shot through and then he was whooping, sending Ryu flipping across the screen towards Ken, already striking out with a kick.
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VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Jun 25, 2023 17:16:49 GMT
Valentina didn’t really know anyone outside of the Salvatore School but she had people there who were like her and who didn’t judge her for what she had been through so she knew that she was pretty lucky in that respect. Having grown up in witness protection she didn’t like being confined to one place for too long if she could help it though, she had spent far too long shut away in dingy motel rooms with just her sister and a police officer for company to ever want to go through something like that again. That was why she liked to venture out into Mystic Falls when she could, the Salvatore School was a safe haven for anyone who was different but every now and then she liked to be reminded of what it was like to be a normal teenager again as well and that was what she had been hoping for that day. As it was she had passed the shop before but hadn’t really realised what it was. Rhys standing outside had definitely caught her attention and she hadn’t been able to resist offering up a challenge. Sending a text to some of her friends and telling them to meet her there, she hoped that they would have time and hopefully help drum up a bit more business for the place as well. Normally Valentina didn’t trouble herself with that kind of thing too much but he seemed like a good guy and Valentina knew that it wouldn’t hurt. To say that Valentina could be competitive at times would be an understatement and she knew that she definitely wasn’t going to take this lightly. It was a game that she had played before and while it was true that it wasn’t her favourite she was still going to give it her all and she knew that her werecreature reflexes were sure to give her an edge. “I guess we will,” she grinned. As Rhys said he would rather take the knock if he ends up losing, Valentina couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s cute that you think there’s a chance you can win,” she teased, knowing that with the amount of hours she had spent in arcades growing up it would have stayed with her even though it had been a while since she had last planed. Looking around the shop as they headed inside, Valentina couldn’t deny that she was impressed. It looked like just the kind of place she liked and now she was glad that he had ended up stopping her. “It’ll be our secret, don’t worry,” she laughed as Rhys said that he was going to take all the credit since his dad wasn’t there. Valentina hadn’t even known that a place like the Salvatore School existed until she and her sister were offered a place. Before that she had been struggling to control her abilities but now being surrounded by others who knew what she was going through and could support her she was doing much better. “It does. We changed schools a lot so I got used to being the new girl but having her there always made it easier,” she admitted. She had always done her best to be strong for her sister and make sure that she was alright but the truth was that Valentina had often leaned on her just as much. As Rhys said that most evenings and weekends she could see him in the store, she felt a smile touch her lips. “I’ll have to remember that,” she nodded, knowing that it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have an excuse to stop by. As he said that her beating him still wasn’t going to happen, Valentina rolled her eyes playfully. “You keep telling yourself that,” she said as she watched him navigate through the menu. “We’ll see about that,” she said as Rhys said he hoped she was ready to see Ken pasted. She didn’t even need to answer before he started the game and Valentina’s thumbs moved with practiced ease as she countered his attacks and got in a few of her own while she was at it. RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Jun 27, 2023 19:14:33 GMT
It had seemed like a ridiculous ploy to distract himself at first – accost a complete stranger in the street. The desperate move of a man trying to avoid the boggy ground of the rest of his life. It could have failed him completely, but Valentina had been prepared to play along. He’d have to thank her for it later, after he’d lost a half dozen times perhaps. A little rescue that he hadn’t realised just how much he’d needed. When she left he’d have to go back to trying to stand steadily on his own two feet, but until then he could pretend that the store across the street didn’t exist. Mandy Reid who? The brothers? What brothers? The two whose photos would’ve been listed next to ‘big brothers’ in the dictionary. If there was anything a big brother was supposed to do to warn off the boy sniffing around their little sister that they hadn’t yet, then he didn’t know about that particular rule – hell, given how callous the eldest one had been, they’d likely have just lied and made a half dozen new ones up anyway.
He on the other hand, stuck to the rule book. Rhys beamed back at Valentina as she grinned at him. His eyes narrowed above the flash of his teeth, shoulders shrugging. ”Consider me an eternal optimist as well as a champion gamer,” he told her breezily. An occasional optimist at least. The shine of it had started to show signs of tarnish in the last few months. There were things out there that had slipped into his life like smoke, choking him with worry, leaving him looking around in fear, instead of in the sort of confidence that came with knowing the place you lived in, the people who considered it home too. He ended up swallowing heavily as he led the way towards the back of the shop. There’d been no way he could tell his dad about how he was feeling, he’d seen the way he’d scared him when they’d thought that perhaps he’d inherited the weakness in his mom’s brain that had ended up killing her. One corner of Rhys’ mouth ticked up, a trace of real gratitude in his expression. ”Glad to hear it. He already thinks I spend too much time here.” That wasn’t possible though. If he could’ve done, he would’ve spent twenty four hours a day here when he’d been younger – oh how the times had changed.
Poking into someone else’s life was certainly easier than revealing anything deeper about his own than the shop. If he did Valentina would likely have bolted from the shop. ”I can’t imagine what that’s like – either having a sister or changing schools. We’ve never lived anywhere except Mystic Falls.” His dad could’ve sold up and run when his mom had died, but it was like they’d both clung onto what had been, trying to hold onto the memories as long as possible. He could feel his mom here as he knelt down to set up, almost like a warm hand on his shoulder or a laugh just at the edge of his hearing. Little reminders of how happy she’d been here. How could he give up on the place with all of that here? ”You do that,” Rhys told Valentina as he looked back, one corner of his mouth hooking up.
He’d strolled back to the couch, still overly confident. ”You keep telling yourself that you’ll win,” he told her with a wink. The match started fast, each of them hammering at the buttons, taking damage, hitting back. Rhys eased forward on his seat like it would help, staring hard at the screen as he somersaulted towards Valentina, punching the second he handed. ”Look at that … two hits in a row … nononono ….” There came the counter-attack, he was already jumping away, but his health bar was flashing. "You want to let me win this one to give me a false sense of security?” he asked, desperately trying to block the next round of blows.
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VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Aug 27, 2023 18:01:31 GMT
Valentina had been at a loose end that day when she had decided to head into town but it had to be said that it had ended up working out a lot better than she had thought it would. Growing up in witness protection meant that she’d had plenty of free time on her hands and a lot of it had been spent at the local arcade or pool hall and she had grown pretty good at both video games and pool. She didn’t tend to let people see that side of her unless she wanted them to but right now her competitive side was definitely kicking in and she knew that she was looking forward to a little friendly competition. It was an interesting way of bringing in some customers for the shop, that was for sure, but Valentina could definitely think of worse ways of doing that. “A champion gamer, huh?” Valentina asked, an eyebrow raised as she looked over at him. “I hope you’re ready to lose your crown,” she added with a grin. Valentina knew that she had her supernatural reflexes which would definitely give her an unfair advantage but she was determined to win this the right way. Her competitiveness always made her want to be the best but she knew that it wouldn’t feel right if she used her abilities so instead she was going to have to rely on the skills she had picked up playing video games as a child instead. “I don’t think there is such a thing as spending too much time here if you’re really passionate about the place like you seem to be,” Valentina shrugged. “You’re lucky, I moved around so much I would have given anything to be able to call one place home,” she admitted. “At one point it felt like we were living in a new town every other month.” She knew that they’d had to do that in order to make sure that she and Lorena stayed safe but that hadn’t made it any easier, especially when it meant that every time they moved they had to start over at a new school. It had made it impossible to make any friends since they hadn’t known when they were going to be moving on to the next place but she’d always had Lorena by her side and Valentina knew that she would have been lost without her sister. As Rhys told her to remember that he was there most evenings and weekends, Valentina felt a smile play its way across her face. “Let’s see if you still feel that way when I beat you,” she teased. “We’ll see,” Valentina said, rolling her eyes playfully as Rhys told her to keep telling herself that she was going to win. She was confident in her skills at the game but it seemed that he was too so it was definitely going to be interesting, that was for sure. Valentina’s thumbs moved quickly over the controls as she managed to land a few blows but then suddenly Rhys’s character was somersaulting towards hers and Valentina let out a groan as he landed a couple more punches. “Don’t write me off just yet,” she said, knowing that she wasn’t going to give up that easily and quickly countering with an attack of her own. As he asked if she wanted to win this one to give him a false sense of security, Valentina found herself smirking. “Now why would I want to do that?” she asked as she kept attacking. “You’re the one who called yourself a champion gamer.”RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Sept 26, 2023 19:59:10 GMT
”An occasional champion,” he said, adjusting his claim slightly. Rhys lifted his chin towards the boards that lined that corner of the store. Names chalked on them proved just who had the right to claim champion, and for now his name was on top a couple of the leaderboards, but he seriously doubted he was gonna stay there today. ”I hope you’re ready to bow to my excellence,” Rhys countered, his grin mirroring hers. His mom’s name still lingered on a couple of the boards, still champion on one. It had almost felt like sacrilege to erase it and most folks around here knew it too. It usually didn’t take long for someone to tell newcomers just how a guy in his early 20s ended up owning a store like this. ”My dad would probably argue. He was always trying to chase me out, to make sure I wasn’t missing out on school because I was here instead. There was always meant to be time for it later … when I’d graduated college.” It had been that way for his parents too, and then they’d lost out on that dream so fast after they’d finally gotten it.
Rhys guessed the grass always looked greener on the other side of the fence. People who spent their whole lives in one tiny spot on the map wanted to see the world (unless they were like him, happy to be tied to that place), people who never got to settle wanted the safety and security of just one place to call theirs instead of a dozen. ”That sounds rough.” He glanced over at Valentina, not wanting to hit some sort of a sore spot. ”Were your parents military?” One of his professors his first year had told them about how his dad was in the army. The family had stayed in one area, but he’d ended up growing up in Japan and travelling all over the world before he’d been injured and discharged from the military. It had sounded impressive, but he knew there was a downside to it all too. He wouldn’t have thrown open the doors of the store to Professor Damasca (he definitely didn’t seem the type), but if he could for Valentina, he would. ”Bring it on,” he told her, wiggling his fingers at her to encourage her to do just that.
He wasn’t about to cheat, but the moment the game started Rhys was throwing himself into it full force. You had to go in hard if you wanted to intimidate people. A shudder ran down his spine at the thought. Maybe he shouldn’t have been taking that sort of lesson from Mandy’s brothers. He’d felt sick every time he’d looked at the bruises that had been left on him for weeks after Mandy had been taken. They’d healed before she was back, but he could’ve pointed out where each of them had been. Video game characters weren’t telling people they’d tripped over a curb or assuring their dad that there was nothing wrong when they were walking around looking like a zombie cause they couldn’t sleep a full night through. Rhys chuckled at her groan, pulling off another somersault in celebration. ”I see that.” He winced as Valentina’s attack kept on coming. ”Maybe I’m prone to exaggeration,” he said through gritted teeth as he retreated to the side of the screen, trying to get enough room to knock her on her ass. ”Best of three?” he asked. There, there! He took a hit getting out of there, but he was jumping over her character, turning quickly to aim a kick at her back.
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VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Oct 30, 2023 22:43:44 GMT
“It’s too late to back out now, you already called yourself a champion,” Valentina teased. She got the feeling that perhaps Rhys was trying to save face just in case he lost but there was no way that she was going to let him get away with that. She knew that her abilities meant that her reflexes were better than a human’s and she could use that to her advantage but she knew that she would feel like that was cheating. Instead she wanted it to be a fair game and she knew that it was the right thing to do. “Bring it on,” she laughed as he said that he hoped she was ready to bow to his excellence. Even though she wasn’t going to use her abilities she still wasn’t planning on losing so it wasn’t going to be easy for him if he did manage to win. “He’s right, there would be time for it later but there are much worse places to be spending your time,” she offered. She had seen some of those while she had been moving around and she was glad that Rhys at least had somewhere like this that he could get himself lost in from time to time. Valentina had moved around so much and she had changed schools so often that she had found it difficult to make any lasting connections with people. It wasn’t until she and her sister ended up in Portland that they’d found some stability but control had become difficult after the friend they’d made moved away for college. That was why they had ended up at the Salvatore School and if she was honest it was good being surrounded by others like her. She had always had her twin sister by her side but for the first time in a long time she felt like she had somewhere she belonged and she really wasn’t in a hurry to give that up. “It was but it made me stronger,” Valentina shrugged as he said that it sounded rough. It really had been at times but it had been her life for years and she knew that she wouldn’t be who she was now if she hadn’t had to go through all of that. As he asked if her parents were in the military, Valentina shook her head. “That would have been better,” she admitted as she turned to look at him for a moment, debating on whether or not to tell him the truth. She hadn’t planned on getting into anything like this but she wasn’t so sure that she could leave it at that without Rhys thinking that she was really strange and she’d had enough of that to last her a lifetime. “Witness protection,” she said, studying his reaction carefully for a moment before continuing. “I grew up in Mexico until I was eight. My dad was a good man but the only way he could support us and save enough money to get us out of there was to work for some bad people. He worked with the FBI to bring them down but they figured out what he was doing. They killed him and my mom,” she sighed. “My sister and I didn’t have any family left and we had no choice but to move around,” she explained, really not sure how he would take it. Her backstory was something that she hadn’t really shared with a lot of people because it had seemed easier but in a way just saying the words out loud felt like a weight had been lifted. “Sorry, I know that’s probably a lot heavier than you were expecting,” she said, unable to deny that now it was out in the open she felt a little awkward. In a way she was glad to have a distraction when the game started and she threw herself into it, blocking as many of Rhys’s attacks as she could and landing a few of her own. “You’re just showing off now,” Valentina said, shaking her head in amusement as Rhys pulled off another somersault. “I think you are,” she agreed as he said he was prone to exaggeration, keeping up the attacks before Rhys retreated to the side of the screen. “Trying to salvage some of your dignity?” she asked, cursing under her breath as his character jumped over her and just dodged the uppercut that she’d tried to land. He managed to kick her character in the back but Valentina’s soon turned and started landing a few more blows, taking advantage of the closeness to do as much damage as she could. RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Dec 3, 2023 19:59:00 GMT
One of these days he was gonna learn to keep his mouth shut. Rhys groaned faintly at the teasing words, feeling his throat go tight. At least this time when he ate his words it wouldn’t be with a small handful of pain killers. The bruises Mandy’s brothers had left on him had faded, but the regrets where still there to come back at moments like this. Pushing the thought aside, he grinned at Valentina instead. If there was one thing to chase that darkness away, it was the store. This was his safe place, the only one still free of dark memories. The first time he’d stepped into the place after his mom’s funeral he’d run towards the back looking for her, crying as he hadn’t found her, but as time had gone on it hadn’t been the absence of his mom that he’d found here, it was her presence instead. Every inch of the place had been built with his parents’ happiness, and he couldn’t imagine not adding to it with his own.
In a few short months there wouldn’t be anymore trips to Whitmore. He’d go for graduation, maybe eventually for some alumni events, but every morning he’d be coming here instead. Maybe his dad was still gonna plead with him not to put his all into it, there was no way he could do that though. ”Maybe. This was always what I wanted to do though. When I put my mind to something there’s no changing it.” He glanced aside at her as she admitted there were worst places to be and grinned as he nodded appreciatively. ”I’ll take the compliment, thanks.” He had to suppress the shiver that rolled through in the wake of his gratitude though. Mandy had spent months locked up in one of those worse places.
It seemed as though Valentina had experienced some of those places too. Rhys studied her face as she shrugged and admitted it had made her stronger. He wasn’t about to pry, but he got the feeling there was a far deeper story there than just ‘my dad was in the army, so we were always switching bases’. ”I guess that’s one up side to it,” Rhys said lightly. One in a whole mountain range of down sides. Considering they’d only met a short time ago, he hadn’t expected her to answer his question with a full – and pretty shocking – explanation. ”Wow,” he breathed. ”I’m so sorry for your loss.” It was like the origin story from a comic book, only in the real world people didn’t turn into super heroes to save others from the pain they’d gone through, they didn’t take killers off the streets to make the city a better place to live in. Realising he’d been silence for a moment, Rhys shook his head, a frown bleeding in. ”You don’t have to apologise. It’s … a lot, but if you ever wanna talk about it with someone who’s pretty good at listening, you know where I am.” His parents had made the store a hub for the community, somewhere for people to come who really didn’t have anywhere else and he liked to think he was continuing that.
Under those circumstances it was no wonder Valentina had learned to be absolutely kick ass. You had to learn to protect yourself – an instinct he really could’ve done with developing, and not just in a video game. Rhys threw himself into it all the same, not letting sympathy control his game. The two of them seemed well matched, attacks flooding in one direction before he finally got his character free. Laughing tightly, Rhys tried to press his attack, throwing a series of punches. If he could keep her pressed near the corner of the screen he had a chance. ”Please,” he chuckled, knowing that the odds were low. ”Hoping to,” he muttered. ”I’ve got a broom out back in case I need to sweep up what remains of it though. How are you doing that?” His laughter was strained now as Valentina’s character flipped on him and started to rain down blows. His character was driven back, his energy bar flashing as he hovered on the brink of death. Nononononono! Rats!
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VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Dec 31, 2023 0:20:33 GMT
Valentina would be the first to admit that she’d lost her way after her friend went off to college, she had tried to keep her shifts under control but that wasn’t something that had ever been very easy for her. She hadn’t known what to think when her foster parents had suggested that she and her sister move across the country and go to a school for the supernatural but she knew now that it was the best decision that they could have made. She had found her place in the pack and she had made some friends which was something that she hadn’t really expected. She was used to moving around a lot and not letting too many people get close to her but she was building a home for herself here and she couldn’t deny that she liked it. She hadn’t thought that she would end up stumbling upon somewhere like this today but it definitely wasn’t a bad thing as far as she was concerned. Valentina had grown up playing games in arcades and she had loved it but as the years went on they had started becoming few and far between. It was an escape she had missed more than she had realised and she knew that she would probably end up finding her way back there again if there was a chance of doing this more often. “If that’s the case then don’t let anything stop you. You’re following your dream, no one can take that away from you,” she said gently. Rhys was doing what he wanted and it was doing it on his own terms. As far as Valentina was concerned, that was something to be proud of. “You should, this place is actually pretty cool,” she admitted. There hadn’t been anywhere like this back in Portland and she knew that she could easily see herself spending more time there. Valentina knew that everything she had been through had made her stronger, she had grown up too quickly in some respects and she’d had to learn how to take care of herself but she wasn’t so sure that was a bad thing. Not a day went by when she didn’t miss her parents but she knew that she wanted to make them proud and the only way she could do that was by living her life as best she could. “Thank you,” she nodded as Rhys said he was sorry for her loss. She didn’t normally talk about her past, there were some people at the Salvatore School who knew what she had been through but otherwise it was something that she normally kept to herself. She hadn’t known how else to answer Rhys’s question, though, so she had decided to opt for the truth no matter how heavy it might be to share with a stranger. “Thanks for the offer but I’m sure you don’t want a stranger offloading on you. I shouldn’t have done that,” she said, hoping that she hadn’t made things too awkward. Learning how to take care of herself had become a mission for Valentina and she didn’t regret it. She knew that people tended to underestimate her due to her size and that always made it that much more satisfying whenever she ended up kicking someone’s ass. She knew that her foster parents wanted her to channel her anger and everything that she was feeling into something productive so she tried not to lose her temper too often. She knew that it was only a game but even so she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. It definitely looked like Rhys was showing off as he managed to get her character pinned into a corner for a moment but soon she was flipping over him and landing blows like her life depended on it. “I think you might need that broom soon,” she teased as she kept up the onslaught of attacks. “Years of practice,” she grinned as Rhys asked how she was doing that. “I did try to warn you.” Her own health bar was starting to get pretty low as well but she still knew that she wasn’t going to give up. RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Jan 13, 2024 17:24:41 GMT
Once upon a time, in the days where they’d thought they would grow old together in this town, still doting on their grandchildren and great-great grandchildren (of which there would’ve been many) into their 90s, Carter and Adain McEvoy had been stubborn people too. They’d been warned against buying the store from the previous owners, about how the place would be a money pit, something they couldn’t afford once their family started to grow. Sure, his dad had needed to draw on the side to keep them afloat at first, but his parents had turned the place into the community hub they’d always wanted it to be. Maybe his dad had lost heart in that when his mom had died. He wasn’t gonna though. Not having too many solid memories of his mom before that final day meant that almost everything he remembered about her was wrapped up right here.
Rhys was sure his mom would’ve been proud of him taking over the legacy here and carrying on her dream. He guessed in a way his dad was too, but it was harder for him. This had been their dream and his partner in it had left him far too early. He felt his throat go thick at the thought, swallowing hard as he nodded, grateful, at Valentina. ”I don’t plan to,” he promised. ”They’re gonna be chasing me out of here in my wheelchair when I’m 90.” The same dream his parents had. Heat rose in his cheeks, pride in his smile at Valentina’s compliment. Rhys settled a hand on his chest. ”Glad to hear it. I try.” And people seemed to appreciate it. Maybe it was never gonna be as busy as the Grill, but for the nerds and geeks in this town, and anybody else who just needed somewhere to go and feel safe, it was gonna be a huge deal.
He hadn’t been looking to pry into Valentina’s past, but what she was sharing made him glad he’d talked her in. What had been a distraction for him might’ve opened a door for her to find somewhere she could escape those tragedies for a little while. Rhys reached out and touched her arm lightly as she thanked him, elbowing her gently a second later when she practically started apologising for unloading on him. ”I don’t mind, honestly,” he promised. ”I know how hard it is to find someone you can talk to sometimes. My mom was always a shoulder to lean on for people around here, I’d like to think I could carry on that part of her legacy too. Honestly, any time you need to talk, come find me here.” If he wasn’t there someone would know where to find him. Outside of school and getting himself into trouble with the weird stuff that had been happening recently, it wasn’t like he had many other places he spent time in.
Hopefully the distraction of kicking his ass – and she really was – at the game would take Valentina’s mind off of what she’d told him. It was hard to dwell on the sad stuff, or your temper, or the memory of the guy threatening to maim you because his sister had vanished, when you had to concentrate on leaping out of the way of a kick, or trying to back up out of the way when a character was pummelling yours in the face. Rhys groaned as Valentina pummelled him, sending his character skidding backwards across the screen. His flashing energy bar grew more frantic. ”How are you at sweeping up?” he asked, laughing desperately as he pounded the jump button. He managed to get some air, and threw a last kick at her character, but then his energy bar emptied entirely and his was falling back down, to sprawl on the street. The winner was announced and Rhys flopped back on the couch laughing. ”You did, I guess we’re gonna have to make room for you up on that score board. Is it just Street Fighter you’re great at, or other games too?” He smirked at her, suspecting that they were gonna have another regular coming in for their game nights.
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hope to see you in the discord! 
