CORY COLLIER
Reaper
Posts: 125
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Sept 30, 2024 19:10:29 GMT
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Post by CORY COLLIER on Sept 2, 2023 18:45:18 GMT
Puffing out a breath, Cory stared at the motel room door. He’d promised not to go chasing after her, to give Ruby her space. He hadn’t expected her to run while he’d stood back though. The detectives had told her to stay put, that should’ve been enough for her to stick around in town, shouldn’t it? If she’d run then they’d just go after her, maybe they’d end up putting her in a cell, any leniency that tall, superhero looking one had given her disappearing. She’d go crazy in there, not just shivering with the same panic that had hit when she’d been trapped in the car, the water creeping up on her. Pacing the cell, snarling and snapping like a caged lion, swiping at anything that might give her a way out. That was if she’d run.
He hadn’t been looking. Well, alright, he hadn’t been stalking her. Happening to see her around town, or looking through the drapes as she scurried back and forth to her room was just him watching out for Ruby, as he’d said he would. That was doing his duty, nothing else. Ruby would likely have called it creepy, pulling the blade again to try and bleed his motives out of him. She’d realise that he didn’t want anything in return in the end wouldn’t she? Experience sinking in until she discovered that greed wasn’t everybody’s default.
Dani probably would’ve told him he was too good, that she didn’t deserve it, but he hadn’t told her about what he was going to do. The lecture – well meaning and, honestly, appreciated – would’ve come and he didn’t want her to worry about him getting in over his head again. This was a wellness check, that was all. That was what the police wouldn’t done, wasn’t it? Except he didn’t have a badge to pull and use to cover up his worries when she came rushing out at him, claws already extended (maybe literally).
Trying to find the balls that Leah would’ve said he didn’t possess, Cory rapped his knuckles against the door. It rattled in its frame, the room beyond sounding hollow. It wasn’t more than a few seconds before the door swung open though. An older man stood there in front of him. Hair grey and buzz cut short, his shoulders broad enough to fill the frame. There was confusion on his face for a second before it started to twist in time with his own expression crumpling.
”Hi. Is Ruby there? I’m … um … a friend.” And this guy was a stranger, one who shifted to block his view as he squeezed up onto tiptoes to try and look over his shoulder.
”Who the fuck are you talkin’ about? There’s no Ruby here. I think you’ve got the wrong room.”
Cory was shaking his head, shifting like he was going to duck around the guy. Had she started to try and find another way out of all of this? Calling in a different sort of cavalry. ”Ruby? I don’t care what you’re doing. I just wanted to make sure you were alright… Ruby?”
The man was moving towards him, his expression growing more thunderous. It was the sort of shift in the atmosphere that usually had him backing off, but he done that too often. ”She’s been in this room for months,” he blurted as a meaty hand shoved at his chest.
”Like fuck. I’ve been here three weeks now. If you’re looking for a good time, you’ve got the wrong fuckin’ place. Get lost asshole.”
Liar! Cory didn’t bother to argue, he just shoved forward, squirming around the guy, rushing straight into an empty room. He turned in a fast circle, frowning as he failed to find a single sign of her. The guy was back, hollering at him, but he was deaf to it. Drawers were torn open, male clothes dragged out and tossed aside. By the time the clerk arrived, huffing and puffing about all the noise, Cory was wondering whether he had lost his mind.
Ruby? Who? There’s nobody like that here. You know, you can’t stay if you’re causing trouble. I’ll be talking to your sister.
The clerks were hung over him like a dark cloud as he babbled apologies. Cory rushed back to his room, shaking against the door as he closed it and leaned back into it. It took all of five minutes after for Augustus to start whispering in his head. People didn’t just disappear. They might hide, but there was always a trail, a way to find them if you looked hard enough. Even in Mystic Falls.
Standing in the centre of the room, Cory squeezed his eyes shut and focused. It was usually the soul that called to him, a tug on an invisible leash that led straight to where he needed to go. When he’d rescued Ruby it had been different. He’d seen the car sinking into the dark water, but it had been a different feeling in the pit of his stomach as he’d willed himself into it. Ruby would’ve scoffed at the idea of a connection, it was the way it had felt to him though.
He pawed through his thoughts, through his memories, his heart, trying to gather together the fraying threads that had bound them for those long, terrifying minutes in the freezing water. Weaving them together like he was tying a shoelace. Feeling the tug finally. He’d never been fishing, but Cory imagined it was a little like this. You got your bite and you went with it, hauling on the line until you were…
When he opened his eyes it wasn’t some shitty motel room he was standing in. She had run. The train station was quiet around them, but it was unmistakably a waiting room. Departure boards stood overhead, destinations listed, places he’d never even heard of. Most were cancelled and maybe that was a piece of luck. It meant she hadn’t been able to leave yet.
Cory mumbled apologies as he squirmed between the rows of seats, studying faces, trying to spot dark hair and a guarded face among all those blank expressions. Most seemed numb by the wait, nobody even responding to him. In the end he caught sight of her, sitting just like they were. She hadn’t even bought any luggage with her. Cory rushed over to her, taking a step back when he realised he got too close. ”I know … I know I wasn’t meant to come chasing after you anymore, but you can’t do this. Ruby, you know if you run they’re just gonna put an arrest warrant out on you right? Every cop in the state’s gonna be looking for you. They’re gonna lock you up.” Fear for her twisted his face. Would she freak if he just grabbed her arm and blipped them both out of here? Probably, and despite his insistence that, yep, he did actually have a pair, he wasn’t brave enough for that.
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RUBY HERRERA
Werecreature
were-jaguar
Posts: 41
Played by:
Julia
Last seen Sept 30, 2024 19:44:28 GMT
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Post by RUBY HERRERA on Sept 18, 2023 18:57:14 GMT
 ━ an ache for home; a shelter against storms ━
Ruby glanced at the departure boards as she found a seat in the middle of three empty ones, lowering to it and holding her elbows, waiting silently. Any time someone tried to sit next to her, she shifted and propped her legs up on the seat they were aiming for, or simply glared until they chose a different spot. She wanted to wait for her train in peace. She didn’t know if there was anyone in particular she wanted to come or didn’t. After a few moments, she didn’t even know where she was going or why. Any previous need to escape Mystic Falls and slaughter her father was gone.
She had no concept of how long she’d been waiting when a large figure stepped into her view. He stepped back, but Ruby still couldn’t see the boards. She hadn’t had to tell anyone off in a while━why was someone else trying?
He was speaking, but she didn’t hear a word of it, only a vague roll of sounds like someone was speaking English at her. “You’re in my way.” She grumbled, leaning forward to try to see around him. “Train’s comin’, can’t see the boards.” Ruby muttered, and, after a moment, his words permeated. Can’t go? Cops? It tickled something in the back of her brain. Yeah, she was leaving for… some reason.
“Don’t matter. Gotta leave.” She huffed like he was nothing more than a fly buzzing in her ear. Irritating, but not worth her attention. “I know you?” Ruby asked like it’d only just occurred to her. She glanced up and narrowed her dark eyes, feeling that ache in her throat from where she’d screamed it raw, though she couldn’t remember what she’d said. He looked familiar, though. It didn’t necessarily matter to her━she was still leaving either way━but whatever. He was the only face she recognized in this stupid fucking train station, which was probably a good thing.
CORY COLLIER |  |
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CORY COLLIER
Reaper
Posts: 125
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Sept 30, 2024 19:10:29 GMT
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Post by CORY COLLIER on Nov 4, 2023 19:30:45 GMT
Those first few days after he’d pulled her out of the car Cory had found himself awake half the night, racing to the window with each movement heard or seen in the parking lot. He’d wondered which was gonna come first: Ruby running away even though she’d been told to stay in town, or whoever had inflicted those nightmares on her coming to finish the job. Her fear and paranoia had rubbed off on him and he was sure right down to his bones that the car going off the bridge hadn’t been accidental. Maybe the cops had thought the same, but that big detective who’d come to take charge of things that day hadn’t been lurking around the motel to make sure Ruby was safe – if he had done Cory was sure he would’ve seen him.
As the weeks had gone past it had been easier to believe that Ruby was gonna stick things out. She’d still been pissed when he’d tried to talk to her that last time, even pulling a knife on him – his skin still crawled, parts of him trying to retreat into the pit of his stomach when he thought about it – but she’d seemed to stick it out afterwards. Until she was just … gone.
On top of every other warning about getting involved with Ruby, Dani would’ve told him that getting attached was a bad idea, but honestly, he didn’t know any other way of doing things. He’d seen echoes of his own life in Ruby’s, some he was probably stretching way too far to find, but even if he hadn’t been able to, she would’ve been someone who needed help and it was like physically impossible for him to turn away from that. Finding her room empty, hearing that guy insist she’d never been there at all had filled him with panic. Should he have called Dani in to try and track her down instead of rushing out and moving on instinct - alright, moving in fear? Definitely.
Panic had been a companion for almost as long as he could remember, tickling the back of his mind like loose strands of hair at the best of times, clinging tight around him like a shroud, claustrophobic and impossible to peel away at its worst. Cory felt it tightening around him, stealing his breath as he found himself standing in the middle of a train station with Ruby sitting there in front of him. Not looking at him, grumbling at his presence like she could just tell him to get out of her way and actually expect him to go.
”If your train is coming, then I’m glad I am. You can’t do this. You can’t go.” Not that Ruby had ever believed that. Every time they’d spoken the one thing seemed to want most was for him to leave her alone. Cory twisted, dragging a hand over his face as he looked up at the boards. If anything, more trains had been cancelled in the few seconds he’d been standing there. He puffed out a breath as he turned back, shaking his head at her, even though she still wasn’t looking at him. ”Leave and go where, Ruby? New York? Vegas? Where are you running to?” There’d been far more than just the big cities on the board, but he couldn’t imagine why she’d be going to one of those dozens of places he hadn’t heard of up there.
He twitched as she finally glanced up, hunching his shoulders as though making himself smaller was gonna make him look less threatening to her. ”Yeah … yes you know me. I saved your life. Not … not that it makes a difference now. You know I’m not doing this to try and get something out of you. I’m just trying to be a friend.” And that meant watching out for her even when she was determined not to take care of herself. He didn’t know what she’d get out of pretending she didn’t know him, except for maybe being able to convince a guard when she screamed for someone to save her from the big, scary guy who wouldn’t stop bothering her.
Cory glanced around, finding nobody in a uniform hovering for a moment at least. He sat down in the seat next to her, curling his arms in like he had to make sure there wasn’t a single part of him touching her. ”Look, let me take you home. Nobody has to know you left. If something’s scared you we can figure it out together. Please, just let me help you? What’s happened, Ruby? Why was there some guy in your room?” A guy who had been one more argument away from probably knocking him on his ass. He might’ve been inches taller than the guy, but he wasn’t a fighter and anybody who spent five minutes around him could tell that.
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RUBY HERRERA
Werecreature
were-jaguar
Posts: 41
Played by:
Julia
Last seen Sept 30, 2024 19:44:28 GMT
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Post by RUBY HERRERA on Dec 4, 2023 19:02:23 GMT
━ an ache for home; a shelter against storms ━
He asked a good question, though. Where was she going? Ruby glanced up at the board and furrowed her brow, though she quickly brushed the thought away. “Anywhere.” It wasn’t his fuckin’ business, either, was it? Even if he did know her, Ruby couldn’t imagine ever sharing her plans with anyone.
“Saved me? No fuckin’ way…” She’d never needed anyone to save her before. Ruby’s dark eyes slashed away from his, finding the board to stare at again. It was a lot less fuckin’ awkward than this. “Friend?” The word sounded foreign on her tongue, like she’d never said it before. She didn’t have friends.
As he sat, Ruby shifted a few millimetres away in her chair, trying to put every possible bit of space between them. “Scared?” She repeated his word again, raising her brows, but still looking at the boards. “Ain’t scared of shit. Don’t even know you, man. Watch who you’re talkin’ to like that.” She puffed, holding her elbows again, her back rigid in her chair. “Some guy in what room? Ain’t got a room.” Ruby shook her head, “I don’t know you, gringo; got no answers for ya.” She she didn’t know why at the time, but she added, “Ain’t got no excuse, neither. Leavin’ ‘cause I wanna leave. That’s it.” Now all she wanted was to be left the fuck alone.
But before she could meet his eye again, she thought about everything he’d just said, and, slowly, it started to make sense. Did she know him? Had she forgotten something?
CORY COLLIER | wanna have him go w your next & i'll wrap? |
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CORY COLLIER
Reaper
Posts: 125
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Sept 30, 2024 19:10:29 GMT
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Post by CORY COLLIER on Dec 24, 2023 19:15:13 GMT
She hadn’t planned it. Cory wasn’t sure if that made it better or worse. Maybe it meant that she hadn’t fully set her mind to doing it, he could still talk her out of it. But, maybe it meant that she was so desperate to go that it didn’t matter which of those trains that she got on. It would be a headlong rush that nobody could predict to follow her – including him.
Cory dropped his hand to his chest, worrying his fingers against his ribs as he looked from the board back to her. It was as though he could still feel those strands of connection between them, spider silk thin, but strong enough that he’d found her this time. He could do that again, right? Trust in what he was, use his power to make sure that if Ruby ended up somewhere else, she wouldn’t be on her own.
”The way that’s going, you won’t even be going there,” he puffed, glad as another ‘cancelled’ announcement clicked into place. If there weren’t any trains departing, he still had time to change her mind. God, running was such a bad fucking idea, especially when the detective still had to be digging into what had happened to her mom, what had put Ruby in the river for him to find in the first place.
Heavy brows furrowed as Ruby scoffed about the idea that he’d even done that. Her eyes cut away from him, leaving him folding in around himself as though he could hold onto the mental image of her pale face above the dark cold water, her eyes reflecting it, gleaming with the fear she’d denied ever since. Maybe she didn’t want to admit that she’d been terrified that day, but unless she needed the denial to find the strength to leaving, there was no real way she could say it didn’t happen. ”I got you out of the car when it was in the river. You can call it whatever you want, but I did get you out of there.” Stubbornness had him scowling at her, as though the pressure of his gaze would force her to loko back at him. ”Yeah, a friend. I don’t care if you don’t see me the same way. I’m just trying to watch out for you, Ruby.” And God did she make it hard.
Squashing down to take up as little room as possible in the seat next to her hadn’t stopped Ruby from trying to squirm away from him. Cory planted his elbows on his knees, his arms across his chest, hands gripping his biceps so he wouldn’t reach for her and send her bolting for one of those trains. ”It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Cory said hoarsely, as though that might have been the only reason she wasn’t admitting to it. He huffed out a breath, his frown deepening. ”There was some asshole in the room you’ve been staying in. He said he didn’t know you, that you hadn’t been there. I’m not going crazy, you were there.”
She had been, hadn’t she? Cory turned and stared at the side of her face again, looking for some flicker that would reveal her lie, but there was nothing. He shook his head, sniffing in a breath that did nothing to stop the burning that had started to grow in his sinuses. Tears weren’t gonna do anything to convince her. ”Cory. It’s Cory Collier. You know me,” he said weakly. ”Look, just give me a chance to make this right. Promise me you won’t go yet. I’ll find some way to make it alright for you to get out of town for a bit.” There was absolutely no chance the detective was gonna say yes to it, but if he could talk to Danielle, maybe she could talk the sheriff into some special dispensation for a little road trip.
He touched her upper arm lightly as he got up, letting go almost immediately. That blade was probably still hidden somewhere and he didn’t wanna be leaving here with it buried in his ribs. ”I’ll be back. Don’t give up, alright?” The only time she’d listened to him and had accepted his promises had been with the water creeping up around their necks. Every time since Ruby had gone deaf, blocking out every bit of help he’d tried to give her. Was he ever just gonna accept that she’d got what she wanted from him and had tossed him aside? Maybe, but not yet. Casting one last look in her direction, Cory vanished, heading back to the motel where he could still hear the guy’s voice ringing through the parking lot. That thread was still there between them, vibrating as he gave it the tiniest tug, he’d be able to follow it again, no matter where she went.
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RUBY HERRERA
Werecreature
were-jaguar
Posts: 41
Played by:
Julia
Last seen Sept 30, 2024 19:44:28 GMT
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Post by RUBY HERRERA on Jan 21, 2024 18:17:06 GMT
━ an ache for home; a shelter against storms ━
What car was he talking about? She didn’t even have the depth in her memory to reach back and pull it out━it was basically just gibberish to Ruby. Same with the room, which she couldn’t see herself having, either. Since when was it smart to put down roots anywhere? The minute someone knew she had a room, she would’ve moved. Maybe he was talking about some random shit.
But she’d lived… somewhere else for a while, hadn’t she? Mexico? For most of her life, right?
“Wasn’t nowhere.” She argued, “Don’t got a room t’stay in.” And if she had, he certainly wouldn’t have been anywhere near it.
Cory? Why did that sound familiar? It wasn’t. Ruby didn’t know any Cory’s, nor did she want to. But the name burned her throat despite her never saying it, like there was a permanent stamp there.
“Don’t need your fuckin’ help.” She grumbled, looking away, and despite her behaviour, he offered Ruby more well-wishes and then left. Disappeared━wait, did he just vanish?
The moment he was gone, Ruby’s stomach lurched, and she leaned forward in her chair, yelling, “Cory!” As if he would hear her. She didn’t know where the fuck she was, but she knew how she’d gotten there, and how she’d screamed for Cory when she was taken. He’d come to save her, to rescue her from this fucking prison, and she’d fucked it up. Ruby was alone again, and for once, she wasn’t happy about it.
CORY COLLIER | zee end |
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