Masquerade - These Masks We Wear

[DramaQueen she/he/neopronouns]

Quote

I swear she's smart when she actually decides to think

 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Allivia grabbed Liena by the front of her shirt. "If you are a waitress, then I am god. The sooner you understand that the better. Got it?"

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Allivia!" Another waitress placed a hand on her shoulder. "I get that you have a reputation and everything, but god? That's what you are?"

Sarah gave her a look. "Y'know, why don't you go cool off? Take a break! Get your paycheck and take a short vacation. Actually, make it a long one. You don't necessarily have to come back, you know."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"You wish," Allivia hissed. "You girls would do well to keep your heads down. Who do you think you are?"

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Ooo, is that a threat?" Sarah grinned. "Have you seen all those Praetorium guards around? They aren't ones to take your bribes."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"It is a threat, Sarah, or have you forgotten my power?" She ignored the remark about the Praetorium guards, too angry to make a proper retort. 

[DramaQueen she/he/neopronouns]

Leina's eyes widened. "Huh. You're not just rude, you're straight-up evil."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"We all do what we can to survive in this cutthroat world, I'm no different; I'm just better at it than everyone else."

[xinoehp512 he/him]

On 7/30/2021 at 11:28 AM, Zephrun's Imperium said:

"Okay, I guess." Mav got up, calling Forge over to him. "Let's go."

The specter walked out of the house with a determined gait.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Hey," said Mav, pulling on his shoes as he walked out, "how long will this commute take anyway?"

[xinoehp512 he/him]

Quote

Timeskip? 

 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Quote

You go right ahead with that. 

 

[Vapor she/her]

Ara skipped down the hall aimlessly, hoping to run into someone.

[Channelknight Fadran]

3 hours ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

"We all do what we can to survive in this cutthroat world, I'm no different; I'm just better at it than everyone else."

"Sure, sure."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"You would do well to remember that. All of you."
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Edit:
A guard in Ivian's chamber's nervously stepped forward. "Ahem... Your Highness?"

@Channelknight Fadran

Edited August 1, 2021 by Zephrun's Imperium

[Channelknight Fadran]

Turning, Ivian replied, "yes?"

[DramaQueen she/he/neopronouns]

10 hours ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

"We all do what we can to survive in this cutthroat world, I'm no different; I'm just better at it than everyone else."

"Some of us instead choose to survive by making it less cutthroat, rather than making it even worse. Yeah, it's a pretty crappy world sometimes. But that doesn't mean you should give in to it. If everyone just gave up to the terrible stuff in the world, we wouldn't have a world anymore."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

4 hours ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

Turning, Ivian replied, "yes?"

“Some of us guards have been talking… It’s about the Raven, sire. Firing her is one thing, but if anyone deserves to be executed, it’s that devil woman. We know you’ve been working hard to prove to the people that you’re on their side. What better way to do it than by killing the symbol of fear that has plagued our land for almost a century?”

3 hours ago, DramaQueen said:

"Some of us instead choose to survive by making it less cutthroat, rather than making it even worse. Yeah, it's a pretty crappy world sometimes. But that doesn't mean you should give in to it. If everyone just gave up to the terrible stuff in the world, we wouldn't have a world anymore."

“I happen to LIKE my world, missy, and if you don’t like living in it, then no one’s stopping you from leaving.”

[Channelknight Fadran]

Ivian sighed. "I'll consider this. You're dismissed." As soon as the soldier left, Ivian tried to come to terms with what the guard had said. He'd been looking for an excuse to execute Riva for years now; but did her really even need one?

[xinoehp512 he/him]

On 8/1/2021 at 2:14 PM, Zephrun's Imperium said:

"Hey," said Mav, pulling on his shoes as he walked out, "how long will this commute take anyway?"

The pair approached  a run-down house.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Mav held in a few remarks about how it seemed simultaneously odd and fitting that a creepy and powerful being lived in a house like this. 

[xinoehp512 he/him]

The specter led Maverick inside, then down to the basement, then through a secret trapdoor.

 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Yeah, that's more like it, Mav thought. He had Forge with him; they'd left so fast he hadn't had time to put the pet away and he didn't trust the cat alone in the house outside of his kennel. 
---------
Riva snapped awake in a cold sweat, chest heaving with breath. For a moment, she clawed at the silk sheets to sit up, then, once she had steadied herself, ran a hand through her thin, sweaty black locks. Images from the dreamworld of moments ago flashed before her eyes; apparently being dragged down to the dungeon by those guards was not a memory she could escape even in sleep. When she was younger, she'd had similar flashbacks in nightmares, flashbacks to being tied down to a table and experimented on by her mother. It was those nightmares that had fueled her early work and inspired her rage. Sometimes as a child she'd wake up screaming and pull a prisoner to work on, so their screeches could replace her own. A juvenile method perhaps, but it was those days that had given her the reputation she flaunted today. 

Not that her reputation had saved her, in the end.

An older Riva Thadel had had different nightmares; horrifying dreams of being pulled from bed and clawed apart by faceless townspeople. People who, though they had never met her, hated her with all their being. Dreams like these had mellowed her, made her see her work more as art and duty than a source of revenge and passionate ecstasy. And yet, this less sadistic Raveness had satisfied no one. In fact, she'd begun to worry that getting fired was her own fault. She should have been able to scare Ivian to his core, been more assertive with him. 

But then, of course, no amount of wishing and regretting would fix anything.

Riva turned to her side, putting her claws on Caden's shoulder. "Caden!" she whispered, shaking her husband awake. "Caden, Caden!"

Edited August 2, 2021 by Zephrun's Imperium

[DramaQueen she/he/neopronouns]

16 hours ago, Zephrun's Imperium said:

“I happen to LIKE my world, missy, and if you don’t like living in it, then no one’s stopping you from leaving.”

"If you like it, why do you feel the need to 'do what you can to survive,' as you said. Seems to me like the type of world you'd want to live in wouldn't be one that involves a struggle for survival."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"It's a stars-cursed metaphor, you little twit," Allivia hissed.