CORY COLLIER
Reaper
Posts: 115
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Apr 1, 2024 15:47:33 GMT
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Post by CORY COLLIER on Mar 31, 2024 19:53:07 GMT
Six in a day. It had to be some sort of a record, even with everything that was going on. Not even close. The voice scoffing in the back of his head had Cory twitching. He didn’t need Augustus filling him in on the good old days with glee. This shit wasn’t a competition, it was people’s lives and he hated seeing them torn apart. The other reapers might’ve had their consciences stripped out when they’d signed on Death’s dotted lines, but he wasn’t like them. Each one left a mark on him and now he had no chance to erase any of them by fighting to bring them back.
Cory glanced around the clearing in the woods where he stood. Judging by the amount of blood that had been splashed around this body might not’ve been the only one out here. Even if wasn’t, Elias wouldn’t be out here getting his hands dirty any more. He was probably parked on his throne, swinging his scythe around like a king with a sceptre, making it clear to his underlings that he didn’t have to get his hands dirty anymore. His orders had been given and they had to respect them.
”It’s time to go,” Cory said hoarsely, glancing aside at the man standing next to the wreck of his car. ”I promise, it’s gonna be alright.” He’d given him the story already, had then waited patiently for it to sink in that he was dead. Elias probably would’ve been clapping his hands his hands if he was there, telling him to get a move on, but people deserved more than that.
Holding onto the guy’s hand, Cory blinked them out of there. The man’s heaven was clad in night when they got there, but something about the dimly lit street they stood on seemed to bring the guy some relief. He let go, wandering away towards a house at the end of the street. Maybe it was New York, maybe London, somewhere with tall, brick buildings. Somewhere that probably had a ton of happy families tucked away behind those lit windows the way he’d imagined they would as a kid. They’d have one eventually. Him and Dani would have their own bedrooms, decorated just how they wanted them. There’d be a big yard out back to throw a ball around with his dad, even if it’d still be years before he grew into his feet.
The thought reminded him of Petyr and Cory paused, wondering if he’d have the time to go and see him while he was up here. Just a few in and out, long enough to maybe get some more photos for Destiny and Grey. As though Elias had heard him even considering it, he felt that tug in the pit of his stomach again. Cory dragged his hands over his face. The others didn’t seem to get tired like this, they were robots, they could go on forever, but at some point his body would start screaming for sleep and food, all those human things that he still needed. Not necessarily, I could…
”Stop it,” Cory muttered. ”I don’t need your help with it. I’m going.” That’d probably been Augustus aim all along, give him a little prod, getting him moving, earn a bright shiny star from the boss.
One lot of darkness gave way to the dimming light of the early evening. Dusk was leaving dark streaks in the sky and had deepened the shadows under the trees. Had he been right about there being another body in the car? Cory turned in a circle, twitching as he saw movement among the trees. No. The last spot was just off the road, he couldn’t even see it from where he was and he doubted anybody had managed to crawl that far. This was something new. Someone else.
Slowly, he moved towards the movement, figuring the spirit was just agitated by what had happened. He reached the line of trees, stretching out his hand like it’d be less startling than just appearing bang in front of the spirit. ”You’re dead,” Cory started, his voice soft. ”I’m sorry for it, but I’m here to take you to…” There was two figures, one as ephemeral as most spirits. The other…
”Ruby…” How many times was he gonna come to her like this? There wasn’t water lapping at their chests now, or the threat of assholes on horseback, but he was staring at her big dark eyes with fear crashing its way into his chest. There was blood, so much blood … ”Ruby … what’s happened? What’s he done to you?” He wanted to whisper that he was here for her, to reach out, but how many seconds could he hold onto her before she tore herself away? A wild animal always so determined to be free.
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RUBY HERRERA
Werecreature
were-jaguar
Posts: 35
Played by:
Julia
Last seen May 5, 2024 19:31:35 GMT
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Post by RUBY HERRERA on Apr 19, 2024 22:12:14 GMT
━ an ache for home; a shelter against storms ━ RUBY SAW SAPPHIRE’S FACE WHEN SHE spotted him. She had met this man as one of the last ones she’d had an appointment with before her business turned from being the ‘goods’ to securing them. It was years after Sapphire disappeared, but it still brought her friend’s face up nonetheless. Maybe because it reminded Ruby that she’d never have the freedom Sapphire desperately dreamed of. Because Sapphire was punished, possibly killed, for believing there was more to life than the cards they were dealt.
He saw her on the street, and Ruby had frozen on the sidewalk like a fucking helpless animal. He was outside that big fucking building where only rich people could afford to stay, which made sense━he was wealthy. They usually were. They’d gotten a little less rich as she got older, but the clientele was pretty much always the same.
He recognized her. Ruby could tell by the slick grin that slid onto his stupid fucking mouth, remembering, suddenly━like a knife stabbing into her skin━how it felt against her own. How it’d touched her skin. She nearly heaved.
But she thought of Sapphire again, and she grinned back at him, still not moving as he approached. She couldn’t. All she could do is give him that inviting smile, the one that’d been trained into her since she was five fucking years old.
He fell for it.
Ruby let him loop his arm into hers, and while he’d suggested the hotel, she promised she knew a better place. She let him engage her in mindless chatter about what he was doing here, what she was doing here, and how she’d been since his vacation in Mexico. He didn’t actually care, of course, and neither did she━especially not when he tried to hide his wedding ring from her━like she gave a shit. Like it made a difference. Like it hadn’t pressed into her skin ten years ago, too.
The “better place” was the woods, and he joked about her having a hideout here━a secret spot━as they disappeared into the treeline. Ruby laughed to ease him, but she could hear it in his voice━the nerves, the sudden realization that maybe he’d made a mistake.
Before he could finish his protest as they headed deeper, Ruby turned on him, blue eyes glowing in the increasing darkness. Before he could scream, she tore at his throat with her claws, and shredded him like only an animal would. Like how she’d imagined Sapphire had gone━or, at the very least, her dreams. Ripped from her violently and without mercy.
Ruby tore at him for Sapphire’s sake, for the girl she hadn’t thought of since she was seventeen. Her soulmate, her best friend, her twin. A long-lost sister because Ruby wasn’t aware she had anybody but her dad. And she was gone because of pieces of shit like him━assholes who made this possible for their fathers in the first place.
She didn’t realize she was crying until the blood began to separate and get watery, and then a voice broke through the ear-piercing buzzing in her head, and Ruby stared at the man’s body, wondering how he could be talking after what she’d done to him. But then she looked up, glowing blue eyes fading into their regular dark brown as she spotted him.
Cory. Fuck.
Why was it always him? Slowly, she recognized that she’d practically called him to her by tearing this man to shreds, but she hadn’t been thinking about that. She was thinking about Sapphire.
And why was Cory so quick to defend her? To be on her side━ask if she was okay? And what he’d done to deserve this? Why was he so fucking nice to her? He liked following rules, like running around with his tail between his legs and talking about what was good and bad, so why wasn’t he condemning her over this?
“He…” Ruby croaked, “I know him. From before. He was on vacation with his wife.” Maybe his kids, too. The idea made her sick, but she wasn’t a little kid when she’d met this man━maybe he wasn’t as bad as the rest. But she was still too young, and he still helped her dad by funding…
Ruby reached up when she felt a tickle at the edge of her mouth, uncomfortable━especially in this moment. She batted away the tear almost violently, smearing blood over her skin. At least her claws were tucked away. “They hurt her. They all hurt her. And I’m gonna kill ‘em all for it, so if you got a problem…” Ruby gritted her teeth, but the threat was empty. She wouldn’t do anything to him, especially after all he’d done for her━after all he was doing now.
CORY COLLIER |
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