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RULE UPDATE [8/5/2022]
Good afternoon. The character above you is hiding. Why? Maybe they're planning on ambushing your character, or they're playing hide-and-seek, or perhaps they just want to be left alone. What does your character do about this predicament? Do they find the character above? What'll happen if they do?
RULES AND GUIDELINES:
- Keep NSFW to a minimum -- suggestions, implications, and innuendos are generally fine, but keep in mind that minors have access to this thread.
- Romantic interactions are allowed, but only between adult characters.
- Sensitive or gory interactions are also allowed, but must be put under a spoiler or blacked out.
- Remember to post IC! The IC button is on top of the field where you write your post, just switch it on and select the character you wish to use.
- There is a five sentence minimum!
- As a general suggestion, not quite a rule, however, please try to match half the post of the person you are responding to.
- You may only post every three posts or three days after the last post, not three days after your own.
- Example: [You] [x] [x] [x] [You] or You [x] [x] [three days pass] [You]
- You may post a "claim" to avoid getting sniped, but please do not take too long on it!
- You will be pinged here with a reminder after twelve hours of an unfinished claim. After twenty-four hours of an unfinished claim, you can be skipped by the next person.
- You must prove that you have read the profile of the character you have responded to and your post must contain elements of their information. No one wants a post where their character is barely -- or worse, not at all -- acknowledged.
- Be kind to your fellow players, but know that in-character views are not their own out-of-character. Just because their character's rude to yours doesn't mean they themselves feel that way!
- Do not skip over users who have you blocked or who you have blocked. Wait for someone else to respond to them before posting.
- I supervise this thread as much as I can, but if you spot problems, please either DM or ping me.
(Poor Shamus isn't very good at meeting new people)
Shamus was walking nervously home, the rain and wing battering his fragile form as he did so. Shivering, he kept telling himself that he was nearly home, where it was warm, a place where he felt safe not......not out here. He bit his lip as he pressed forward, his clothes soaked through from the freezing rain which seemed to endlessly pour from the dark skies above him. In the dim light, the shifter caught movement in the corner of his eye, flicking his gaze to the new presence, his whole body freezing as he stared with wide purple eyes. They were much taller than Shamus and their mask obscured their face, at least.....he hoped it was a mask, swallowing thickly, the thin male took a step back as his mind screamed at him to run away. Who was this person? Why were they here? Were they after him?
The silence between them was unnerving, it looked more like the other party was studying Shamus, most likely waiting to see what he was going to do. "Erm.....s...sorry....I....I didn't mean to...d....disturb you....I...." Shamus stuttered, his heart pounding furiously in his chest and his body was now coated in a thin layer of sweat. "I.....I'll......b.....be going....n...now.....h....have a....n....nice day...sorry....a....again." The raven shifter whimpered slightly before running as fast as possible into the distance, wanting to get home as soon as possible, he wasn't sure if the stranger was following or not, so he decided to take the long way home, it would mean being soaked even more but it would be worth it.
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Follow Up:
Shamus sniffed and wiped the stray tears from his eyes as a raven perched next to him, he didn't recognise this raven, it wasn't from his raven family. "H....hello." He sniffed as he admired the birds feathers and listening to the bird softly talk to him. Before he knew it, the raven form shifted into that of a woman; Shamus' eyes widened in surprise. "Your....your like me..." He said shocked. "Ermm...." He then transformed himself into his raven form and cawed softly at her before turning back into his human form. He listened at her question.
"I'm....I'm S..Shamus......I.....I'm not....h...having a good...d..day." He said as his eyes began tearing up again and he wrapped his arms further around himself, shivering as he did so. He was having a internal battle with himself, on one side he was excited to find another raven shifter like him and on the other the weight of the day and his low mood were weighing heavily on his shoulders.
Of all the things that she might've expected to find today, a shivering man perched upon a roof beam was not one of them. Sure, Gleannes is a strange place, but far less so when outside of it...
It's better not to jump to conclusions, but if not for some sort of hidden power, how else would this otherwise human-looking, if worriedly skinny, fellow get up that high? Talented climbing, perhaps? Not many like to risk a broken bone doing that, nor use that sort of skill in a church.
As an unsuspecting raven, she swerves from her path and flies up to sink her talons into the beam's wood a few feet away from him. Cordelia makes herself comfortable, angling her head at him.
"Hey," She caws in a brief greeting, beginning to take note of his appearance. They seem to be strikingly similar, in terms of human attributes... Dark, purple-black hair, purple eyes, pale skin... "What are you doing up here?"
She peers more carefully at Shamus, considering what this might mean. It's more likely than not plain coincidence, but she would expect an oddball eye color like that to be more common within the equally oddball town she lives in, not outside of it.
"Actually, hold on." In a strange, yet fluid movement, the raven before him appears to melt away into the shape of a woman. A coat made of black feathers is draped around her shoulders. Wobbling slightly from the change in position, Cordelia adjusts her seat on the roof beam, then tugs the coat tighter around herself. "Sorry about that. My name's Cordelia, but you don't have to give me yours. You doing alright?"
She angles her head in that familiar, bird-like gesture, smiling at him.
While she had seen the stranger climb his way up the tree, Cordelia considered the thick bracket of foliage to be too good of a spot to give up just yet. When he spots her, she cannot help but fluff her feathers and stare at him with caution. The moment he scoots closer, she hops onto a farther branch, keeping their distance. But as he begins speaking to her just like anyone else might to another, her feathers begin to smooth. It's hard not to find a calm voice soothing, and harder still when the topic is daydreams. The more words he imparts, the more Cordelia feels as if this person is more than he appears. Though perhaps the same could be said about most people.
When Caelestis pauses to look down at her, she angles her head up in turn, giving an innocuous 'caw.' Look at her! A beautiful raven, here to soundboard all your thoughts to. Rather than let the man go in peace and lose the chance of learning more, Cordelia speaks.
"Actually, it's exactly why I did that. Make yourself comfortable, why don't you?" Though a beak cannot create the same smile as a pair of lips, there lies a pleasant, cheeky twinkle in her eyes. "There's an awful lot of things people are willing to do when they think no one's watching. What's your name? Sounds like you've got quite a few stories of your own."
As Caelestis sat down on a fairly high branch in the tree he had climbed on a whim, he noticed a lone raven perched a short ways away. It was a location in the tree with an especially large abundance of foliage, and he likely would not have noticed the bird at all had he not joined himself. While it appeared somewhat alarmed by his arrival, seemingly not enough to fly away entirely. Considering he would have typically expected such a creature to quickly flee at his presence, he scooted closer out of curiosity. Unaware that this was someone nearly as human as bird, he began aimlessly chatting away, a friendly smile painting his face. "It's a beautiful scenery, isn't it? To look down on everything so distantly from above truly is its own experience." He absentmindedly plucked off a leaf from a nearby branch, holding it before his face in distant thought as he spoke. "I do pity the leaves, however, bound to such a single location for their entire lives—but perhaps I'm simply projecting my own experiences onto them, and they're perfectly happy as they are." He let out a soft laugh. "A true experience of freedom... that I would associate with your own majestic wings. Ah, to soar through the sky—while I myself haven't experienced such a thing in quite a long time, I'm sure you are able to spend more time out there than not, if anything."
Caelestis paused to look down at Cordelia, finding the raven to be somewhat intriguing. Perhaps it truly wasn't a typical raven, but it seemed a bit baseless of a thought to consider too strongly. No matter, he continued his short monologue. "It makes me curious as to what sorts of wonders you've had the pleasure of observing—what stories you might have to tell." He chuckled, adding, "I suppose it's a bit of a pity how fond I am of this shape, for it truly can be a bit limiting at times in comparison. Not that there aren't its own perks as well, of course. Ah indeed, all life as its wonders, does it not? Oh, but I'm certain you didn't secrete yourself away here for the sake of listening to someone such as me ramble about myself like this, so I'll be sure to make my leave shortly." Alas, it likely wasn't as unwelcome as he thought, however.
(AKJHFSHskhfj I'VE GOT FEELINGS,, , ,)
While Caelestis was still in far too carefree a mood for the events that had just transpired, he hadn't quite eased out of the remaining tensity just yet either. Thrill was thrill, and regardless of how enjoyable it had been, would also leave behind a feeling of restlessness along with it. He'd very nearly been sent out of this world, after all. Around this moment, he would have began attempting to lull himself to sleep—spend some time in his inner realm to hopefully calm his nerves a bit—but a new presence unexpectedly approached.
His head snapped up in reaction, unsure as to who exactly to expect, and… NV? This was a surprise, but certainly not an unpleasant one, and his expression quickly eased at the sight of them. He briefly wondered what could have brought them to a place like this, until he recalled just how flashy the earlier fight had been.
"Oh, I suppose I am…" He replied wearily to NV's words, finally somewhat ashamedly recalling his current physical state—perhaps not the most flattering timing. Hopefully it wasn't too concerning for them. He'd hate to only add to their troubles, after all. "And… I do suppose that was indeed the case, but no worries," chuckling softly to himself, he continued with a playful wink, "I'm fairly quick on my feet." Although the lighthearted tone of the comment likely wasn't as effective as it typically would have been, had he not been sitting on the ground while injured, hiding behind some leftover rubble, and still in the process of regaining his breath. Oh well. It could certainly have been worse, at least, he reminded himself.
Once regaining himself a bit more, Caelestis noticed how clear-minded NV seemed to be currently. While unsure as to why it would be the case at this moment, he found it to be quite a pleasant thing. As if it were truly them interacting with him, words unclouded by the usual unwelcome forces. His heart rate sped up in realisation, and also reaction to the dependable, almost... protective air they were giving off. Such a wonderful, delightful person—he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. Although he had felt undeniably drawn to them in several ways from the very start, it seemed the feelings had finally hit him full-power, as if a truck driving at top speed. Hm, he was definitely very much so in love. Through and through.
Finally, with a silent gulp, he stood up from his seat on the ground. NV was going to help him? He hadn't been in the largest hurry to leave the vicinity, but realised it probably wasn't best to remain here for too long—and regardless, he would never consider declining such a moving offer from them. "Lead the way," he hummed cheerfully in response, curious as to what they had in mind. What an eventful day this was, indeed.
Envy's voice was still strong, it tried so very hard to reel back control of its vessel and wipe their mind. They could feel it working. Yet there was a brief moment where a tornado of flames of lightning exploded nearby, that the Sin was too stunned to speak, leaving them free.
NV let out a heavy sigh of relief. Like a migraine going away, they felt relief in their head. No more head-splitting pain and sleepless nights filled with those harsh whispers. For now, at least. What was the source of that power, though? And why did it silence Envy? The wrapped figure moved in its direction.
They noticed themselves getting further and further into a field-like area, with little bits of town strewn across, from the old gas station to the empty parking lot nearby. The more they walked, though, the more they could make out signs of the strange power. There were scorch marks across several areas of the land, and some trees had fallen by what looked like a lightning bolt. They could make out slash marks, too. Only one, so not a claw.
Suddenly, NV stopped. They could sense something; a presence, not the source of the power, but familiar. They slowly turned to the direction it came from. "It's you," they muttered to Caelestis. What was he doing there? It looked as though he were hiding.
They took a step towards him, only to hesitate, expecting Envy's scowls, but it was still quiet. Taking advantage of it, they moved towards him. "You're hurt," they said once close enough to observe the wounds. Their eyes drifted to the markings around them. "Whatever caused this, did they do this to you?" Just what was it, and why was it after him? Someone like NV? Jealous of his beauty? A scorned lover? Both seemed the most plausible.
NV was quiet for a moment, not yet looking at Caelestis. After how things left off last time, was this a welcoming sight for the celestial? Were they only making things worse? Without Envy's voice, they were free to think for themselves, and all they could think about was protecting him. So they turned to him, the dull look in their eye for once shining with strength.
"Let me help you out of here."
NV's always hiding because they think they're too ugly to be seen They like to be in isolated spots and in the shadows, so you can find them in alleyways or under trees.
Zinnia fluttered her eyelashes while she shuffled along the sidewalk. The teenager allowed her lips to curl into a smile while she hummed to herself. However, this was put to an abrupt halt as soon as she almost passed by an alleyway, only stopping so she could examine a shadow. That was odd.
The teenager began to continue walking, abruptly stopping herself upon noticing more movement. After she remained frozen in place, the blonde tentatively began to walk into the alley, attempting to prevent herself from breathing heavily. Upon noticing a second party huddled up against the dumpster, the teenager heaved out an exhale.
"Ooh, Mr. E., you scared me!" Zinnia squeaked, pausing to plant one of her hands against her chest before she squatted down.
"Look, I'm really sorry if I came off as rude. It's just—my mama doesn't like having stuff cluttering up the house. I didn't mean to imply that it was trash." After she finished speaking, Zinnia adjusted the plastic bag that hung from her wrist before opening it up.
"Oh, here, check this out. My bestie and I are gonna make cupcakes tonight. I got, like, two different mixes. Do you think that these would be yummy together?" the blonde squeaked, pausing to slightly lift up a couple of red boxes, each separately adorned with an image of a chocolate cake and a yellow cake.
"I'm super excited to bake with him again, even though we do it almost all the time. My absolute favorite part is where we're making the frosting, and sometimes he takes a teensy bit on his finger, and then he taps it on my nose like—" Zinnia paused to extend her finger up to the elder party's nose (or, at least, where she predicted where it was) and pressed it on there.
"Boop! It always makes me laugh, and, ooh, I'm getting so giggly just thinking about it. Like, the way he reacts when I try doing it back to him, the way the way he laughs—ooh, he has this absolutely adorable laugh. Ooh, wait, I'm talking too much, I'm sorry..." The enthusiastic tone the blonde previously maintained abruptly shifted into a meek, embarrassed one. The teenager lifted her hands up, clasping them together before she began to wring her fingers.
"Uhm, anyways...what are you doing back here? Did something happen, sir?"
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Characterization notes will be underneath a spoiler!
Zinnia tends to hide if she's spooked! She tends to attempt to hide her face using her hair, often steering away from strangers. If she's around anyone she's close with, she tends to use them to hide herself. She tends to compress herself against others' bodies, wring her fingers, and/or hug them. She tends to believe that if she can't see someone, they can't see her.
If your character is a young child or animal, she's most likely playing with them! She usually gives herself away by giggling, though. Horses and other hooved creatures are a huge exception! Those animals give her anxiety, and she's most likely going to run away and cry if she's forced to be around them.
Don't let this be a barrier to you, though! Go all out!
“The fuck is going on this time?” asked Brown in her usual raucous voice, though… She seemed more genuinely concerned than genuinely pissed while she carefully reached a hand out to gently comb her fingers through the teenager’s soft blonde hair. The older woman could detect the faintest whiff of cotton candy-scented perfume while she cocked her head and continued to inquire, “Is someone giving you a hard time? Or, uh… Something?” Brown fluttered her lashes before glancing around their surroundings.
In fact, not much stood out to the aristocrat. There were picket fences, initially painted white but eventually faded to a dull alabaster due to age and weathering, and patches of grass- Oh, and animals. All sorts of animals. Most were fairly generic fare, such as goats and sheep. However, there were a few larger ones - such as a mare near a barn, as well as an alpaca chewing on some straw donated by another guest.
With a lower trill, the older woman lowered her head and asked in a whisper, “Actually… is that Stephanie bitch here again? I never expected her to care that much about the animals in the petting zoo, but…” She paused to give the attendees another glance, though her gaze was faaaaaaar more menacing than initially. In fact, she could feel the others awkwardly shifting themselves away as they neared her icy stare, and… She wasn’t bothered by that at all. What a fucking edgelord. “... If she’s here,” she hissed with a snarl, “then I will beat the shit out of her. I don’t even care if I get arrested for assault and battery. If I can get away with fucking killing a man, then I can get away with making a teenage bitch pay. Enough said.” Uhhh…
On another note, Brown previously hated camelids because she thought they smelled like shit. But if she found out that they caused one of her not-daughters distress…
She allowed the girl to press herself into her mink’s pelt coat, now lacking the bone trinket from their last encounter, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders while glancing around. Again. The alpaca, the horse, the goats, and the sheep all fell under her scrutiny- Oh, and the people as well! Brown especially distrusted the people, as each individual was stared at for longer than any of the animals. Yes, this included even the horse and the alpaca.
Oh, to be an animal having to deal with a figurative wolf in the premises- Just kidding. Anybody, or anything, who had to deal with Brown needed to be pitied.
“We can get out of here if you want,” crooned the middle-aged woman while allowing the fingertips of her hand to gently rub the girl’s shoulder in an attempt to reassure her, “I need to get to a fossil dealer later today anyhow. Do you want to come along with me? I promise not to try beating the shit out of anyone if you do…” Which was something she would actually try to uphold, but not necessarily for the most wholesome reason out there. Her narrowed eyes, in fact, soon settled on a passing man. An itch started to arise in her, as she just sliiiiightly tightened her grip on the teenager and let out a loud sniffing noise. Whether she’d scratch that itch now or later was up to discretion.
@ NP: Brown isn’t exactly sneaky by any means, so she’d actually be more likely to deliberately expose herself for the drama™ than try to hide away from your character. besides, there’s a good chance she’s trying to surprise or ambush your character if she’s hiding from them…
as for a more figurative interpretation, Brown is full of secrets. expect her to be very snappy if prodded to reveal something, especially if she doesn’t already trust your character!! she might be more open around characters she already trusts - but it’s a 50/50 dice roll between her actually revealing what she’s hiding, or her just shutting down and withdrawing herself further from your character.
I’ll also do a follow-up for NP if I have the time!!
Ambushing Flavio? Not a good idea. Having been jumped by the woman, he wasted no time in getting his ass up, walking over to her, and lifting her up by her armpits as if she were a lion cub in a certain animated cartoon. He was already a little annoyed by the hike he had made trying to drag her pet reptile up the mountain, but this was a whole new level of irksome. With tired, half-lidded eyes and a deep scowl, he glared back at her. What a shame that a few years ago, he would have tried to get her to sit in a college lecture room for about five hours.
"By Alrisse, you're going to give me a headache." He grumbled. Sadly for him, he already had a headache, and it grew worse by the second. The scare -- as good as he was at not showing fear -- she gave him was more irritating than anything else. Oncoming migraine aside, however, he lumbered towards the iron door, pressing it open.
"If you had done this when I had a weapon on me, I'd probably just whack you." A giant and a murdress. What a wonderful battle that would have been. "Though, given your position in society, let's both be glad that didn't happen, hm?" He set her down gently -- perhaps, patronizingly -- on the stone floor. "Especially since my wife likes you. The old shrew would nag me without end."
She would yell at him, and then sit alone in a scalding bath for five hours until he would finally be forced to check on her. At which point she would yell at him some more. And then she would finally get the fuck over it.
It was too much of a hassle for him. He wanted to perform his duties without so much interference, after all.
"Besides, I reckon you should be with her, anyway, instead of trying to spook her husband." he droned on, "Unless she put you up to this, then I wouldn't know whether to be surprised or not."
"Now," he sighed, nudging her farther into the corridor, "Leave me to my current work. I will look at your animal soon, miss. Go birdwatching or something. Goodbye."
And then, he slammed the door shut.
for np: flavio will usually hole himself up in random ass places without telling anyone, especially if he wants to be left alone to work/study. [he also tends to get absorbed in his work, so it's not uncommon for him to just... forget existing and not come out for half a day.]
my reply might be?? a bit long?? so spoiler box time, my dudes. nothing sensitive is under the spoiler; it's just obnoxiously long lmao.
Walker coughed into her sleeve as she opened the door by - what? - about an inch or so. This was already going to be awkward.
"Sir? Is everything all right?" she asked carefully before opening the door by another inch. Was that a wise decision, or a shitty mistake? Who knows? The middle-aged woman nonetheless winced slightly when she heard the door creak slightly, though that also could've been coming from her foot. Or her mind. She sucked in a breath before balling her hands into little fists and inquiring further, "Is this studying of yours really that important, sir? I mean... I do not mean to demean your interest in botany, or anything like that, but..."
She paused before peering over in the direction of a faraway window, which just barely let in some light through the glass, and muttering, "I think you have been in there for a few hours. No food, no water..." Another pause. A frown now clearly apparent on her visage, Walker now gently nudged the door until it ended up colliding with the wall via a soft thud.
"... Do you need anything, sir? I can ask for a servant to get something for you, if you so desire..." Her mouth hung open after the last comment, if only because...
With a shake of her head, Walker then huffed in a slightly teasing manner, "... Or maybe you want to just get this done with, so that you can get back to studying your saxifrage and other subjects of interest." Emphasis on "slightly teasing." The fact that moonlight came through the window - rather than the sunlight that Walker had gone through when her guest had first retreated himself into his study - was... A bit concerning? But she supposed that associates were associates, or whatever the fuck could be used to describe their dynamic at this point. It was true that their dynamic was mostly political at this point, but at the same time...
The middle-aged woman's frown faded slightly, instead being replaced by a more blank expression, as she murmured under her breath, "Not that you should be spending all day on them, though. Even the greatest of minds can get exhausted sometimes. And what would that entail for your performance?” Was she hoping that her guest would hear it? Probably not, as Walker did indeed start to draw back out of the room, as well as shift off to the side in the event that he really did want to exit the room - for whatever reason, really. It could’ve been for fresh air, or maybe to get some refreshments himself… The details, obviously, evaded Walker even as she sucked in a breath and puffed herself out in what seemed like an attempt to seem more confident.
“Just… Let me know soon, sir,” the aristocrat sighed while combing her fingers through her hair, “My husband and I are going to retire for the night soon, and…” A question that went something along the lines of “how the fuck do you stay up so late without getting exhausted” was thankfully left unarticulated. Instead, Walker just shook her head and yawned. “... It might be best if you at least take a break… Assuming that you plan to keep studying, of course.” She glanced off to the side and asked more surreptitiously, “You do know where everything is, and how the household works, right?” Joy.
@ NP: characterization notes are under a spoiler box for the sake of post brevity!! you also don't have to adhere to the notes 100% in your response; feel free to get creative if you want!!
Walker is a bit more reserved than her husband and would therefore tend to shy away during parties or large social events, especially if there aren't a lot of people that she's familiar with. she might also have a habit of hiding in corners and watching people from afar. it's a shitty habit, but alas.
as for emotionally..... she has a lot of shit up her sleeve, and she's actually pretty good at hiding her secrets for the most part. if she cracks, though, expect her to be veeeeeerrrry defensive if called out!! she wouldn't threaten your character with violence or anything like that, even if pushed to her limits, but she'd probably just end up shutting down and being emotionally unavailable 99% of the time.
I'll also try my best to do a follow-up for NP if I have the time??
" found you " the spy grabbed walker by the collar of her shirt and looked her in the eyes using his free hand to adjust his feather hat quickly " don't worry im not gonna hurt you zat would be wrong but im very curious why your hiding " walker just glared and looked away the Frenchman let her go
" yes I suppose its not any of my business but im so used to interrogating suspicious people, Its a bad habit but its still zere. " his accent looming in the room for alittle the two sat in silence " maybe you should work on your hiding skills " the spy said in a playfull manner letting loose a warm chuckle " well i suppose i should go. Bye "
I will do a follow up
(sorry, lydia is rarely nice)
"My my, now what do we have here?" The woman exclaims curiously. Stepping forward, she narrows her eyes and looks Vladimir up and down scathingly. After a few seconds, she stands up straight and cups her cheek in her hand, sighing with disappointment. Her long brown hair trails tickles at her calves, swishing with every movement.
"What a pathetic little man you are. Honestly, can humanity not do any better? I thought things that were hidden were supposed to be worth something." She groans, rolling her eyes. Brushing her hair over her shoulders dismissively, Lydia returns to examining Vladimir, walking closer in order to circle around him. "Frankly, your taste in facewear is horrible. Though I imagine the only reason someone would wear something that covers and exposes so much at the same time has both a truly hideous face and a severe lack of self-awareness. For god's sake, who raised you? If only your poor mother could stand to look at your bare face, then I say you've gone in about the right direction. Direction, that is. You still have a far ways to go."
She's most likely hiding to get away from the hubbub of normal civilization, curled up like a snake on top of a sunny rock in the middle of some far-off woods. She won't appreciate being disturbed, but she's less likely to be aggressive when sleepy and content.
"Hiking is lame," huffed the pop star as he dragged himself further down the pathway. This wasn't fair. People told him hikes and "touching grass" would calm him down, but all this was doing was making him angrier! Ken paused and stumbled over himself to keep from falling down after tripping a rock. Once he recovered, he angrily spun around and kicked the rock away. "STUPID!!"
The rock hit something nearby, causing a bunch of birds to fly away in fear. Ken paused. W-What...? Was it... Was it a bear...? Despite the very obvious danger nearby, he was too curious, and inched closer. After fighting his way through a few bushes, he stumbled forward and nearly faceplanted into the large rock that was... holding... a snake... woman...
With a yell, Ken fell on his butt and looked up at the woman uncurling from her spot. She seemed sleepy, though annoyed that he'd interrupted her. "Wh-What the heck are you, weirdo?!" he exclaimed, too used to calling people names to reel it in even to her. The more she uncurled, the more he scrambled back, until he was back on his feet and running for dear life.
He was never hiking again.
The minute Ken had gotten home after that mess of a book club meeting, he went off to find one of his favorite manga, only to learn that it was missing. Not in the shelf, not in his pack, nowhere. The only place it could have been was...
With the grim realization of his crime, Ken took to hiding from the police officer. Like a bandit on the run, he hid in every crook and nanny whenever he saw a car passing by. His paranoia got so high that he reasoned that the only way to properly avoid Ryan was to stalk him! If he could see him all the time, then he could hide properly! It was the perfect plan!
Today, Ken took to hiding in a bush at the local park, because that was where Ryan was patrolling. Good, that guy didn't see a th--
"Shut up, you old fart!" Ken hissed to the old man sitting at the bench next to his bush.
"Hey you!"
Crap! Ken sank further into the bush, praying that Ryan was talking about someone else in another one, but no such luck. He was getting closer, and he had a-A GUN?! Immediately, the pop star stood up, hands in the air, and embarrassment and anger mixed together on his face. He let out a sigh of relief when Ryan holstered the gun, but the fear climbed right back on when the cop seemed to recognize him. He reluctantly accepted his help getting out of the bush, but not without tossing the old man a venomous 'this is your fault' glare.
When Ken looked back, his book was shoved back to him. Oh, how mortifying. What was even worse was how some of the pages were dog-eared! He sighed. It was probably deserved, knowing this particular book. He packed it back up before tossing Ryan a glare. "You know what? GOOD! Yeah, you're not good enough for these kinds of books! Go stick with your dumb superhero comics-- which manga does better, by the way-- yours are just filled with dumb baras anyway!"
Wait... Did... "You read this in public?!" Ken inhaled sharply. "You idiot!! Couldn't you tell from the cover this isn't something for that?! Y-You didn't... You didn't tell anyone it was mine, did you?"
Ryan was patrolling like the usual. Nothing seemed out of place, just the regular sounds of birds chirping and some old man coughing in the background filled the air. He relaxed his shoulders and leaned against one of the trees in the park, convinced nothing strange would occur until--
"Hey you in the bush! Put your hands up where I can see them!" The silence suddenly ceased as the cop's authoritative voice ripped through the atmosphere. Ryan pulled out his gun, aiming it in the direction of the suspicious person hiding in the bushes. As he approached the stranger, there was something pulling at his guts, telling him he knew this person, that he has definitely seen them before.
Red.
Aha.
"You?" Ryan lowered his gun. "What are you doing?" He stuffed his gun back into his holster and reached out to help Ken out of the bushes. As he was facing the pop star, a realization hit him like an electric shock, reminding him of the manga book that was lent to him. "That reminds me, I've been looking all over for you!" Ryan whipped out the book and pushed it towards Ken's chest. "Listen pal. Thanks to you, everyone back in the police station wouldn't stop staring at me! You know how uncomfortable that is?" He sighed in embarrassment. "I dunno what you were thinking, but I'm still convinced comics are better than your backward-books. Trust me man, there's no way you can change my mind!"
(wtH he's too cute! 🥺)
Ryan made a shooing motion when he felt something tapping on his shin, thinking it was a bird or some other kind of a small animal. He knew his disguises didn't work, so hiding was the best choice for the cop. As he tried to focus on his target, an unfamiliar voice filled his ears, causing him to flinch and turn towards it.
"What- what?" Ryan whispered frantically, not expecting to be caught so easily. Oh and not forgetting to mention, the one looking to gain his attention wasn't a person, but....a little creature covered with specks of rainbow. Was he going crazy? He really needed sleep.
He saw the gleam in Chatty's eyes, ones that were focused specifically on his badge. Okay, he had the admit. The little guy was adorable. The cop needed to get his job done, so he took off the shiny thing and lent it to Chatty. "Fine, alright. You can take a look and play with it a little, but please stay quiet, alright?"
Biting down a slightly amused chuff, Beatrice lifted the brim of her hat and remarked to the other party, "You know, this doesn't really count as hiding, but..." She paused so that she could take a step back and rub her chin.
"... It's not something that I'm really going to complain about," the older woman clarified with a laugh, "I have plenty of hats anyhow, and I don't really mind if you take one." Nonetheless, Beatrice further lifted the brim of the hat so that she could try peering into its shadow for... Something. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she muttered under her breath, "I just don't know if that blob companion of yours will be that happy under there. Are you sure he won't get squished in the process? The hats I wear are always loose to some extent, in order to allow for proper air circulation, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's still too tight. These are meant for human heads, not..."
Beatrice paused again as the words started to get stuck at the tip of her tongue for a few seconds - at least before she ended up uttering, "... Not whatever you are." That sounded like an asshole comment. And yet... And yet!
The journalist quickly took off the hat with a fell swoop, though she was quick to grab another sunhat just seconds later. Though the initial sunhat was relatively elegant and even had a silken orange ribbon draping from its brim, the new hat was clearly more casual. With a small cluster of assorted flowers - ranging from daffodils to daisies and roses - pinned to a bright green ribbon, one could've easily concluded that this hat was intended for summer wear- Oh, and true to Beatrice's words from earlier, the hat in question was clearly looser, She vividly remembered having to continually adjust the hat so that it didn't fall off her head, but... That was irrelevant to what she was trying to deal with at the moment.
"How's this?" she asked as she placed the hat onto the other party's head, or... On top of the other party, now that she thought about it. The hat was so large compared to the fellow that Beatrice considered just taking off the hat so that he didn't get squished by accident, but... He was so enthusiastic about your hats before. Why are you worrying now?
"I have way, way more hats in my closet," the journalist attempted to jest with a wave of her hand, "Just... Let me know if you want a smaller hat. I should probably order something that better fits your size." That, too, was a bit of a regrettable comment, considering that the only sorts of hats that she could imagine the fellow wearing were those that belonged to children... And Beatrice didn't know what sorts of hats that children tended to wear. This sucked. This really did.
Her lips slightly pulled back into a pout, Beatrice opined flatly, "Besides, I'm not sure if any of your viewers would be able to recognize you underneath that hat, but...", before pausing. Again, the journalist lifted a hand to her chin to think, but... The more that she mused over it, the less this entire thing bothered her. Oh? "... You can spend as much time underneath my hats as you need," Beatrice remarked with a raised brow before turning her shoulder to the fellow, "I'm going to get some tea for myself, but if you want some too, just let me know. My wife has a lot of it anyhow."
@ NP: Beatrice isn't normally the type to really hide herself physically..... or have the need to do so either. she's tall and imposing, and she knows it. hiding from your character will likely be in vain. the closest she really gets to this type of scenario is isolating herself in her study for hours on end, but... that's sort of it, chief.
she's, in fact, much more likely to hide herself emotionally, as she's rather reserved when it comes to getting her feelings out. she might also hide information if she feels that she can't trust your character with that sort of thing; this will especially be the case if they're a criminal of any kind (thieves, murderers, etc.). feel free to get creative though!!
maybe I'll also do a follow-up for NP if I have the time??