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Drama CLOSED The Darkening

Discussion in 'Role Playing Forum' started by SirakRomar, Jun 13, 2020.

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  1. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    [​IMG]

    The Sea of Leaves was what it was called, a massive explosion of plant growth consuming everything in it's green masses. Concrete split, stones were slowly deterred and the sun itself was blocked out by giant trees who had forced their way out of the ground seemingly over night and now stood there as if they had done so for hundreds of years.

    [​IMG]

    The few humans who had survived these two events - most by chance and not skill - stayed in the overgrown ruins of the cities. Because something was not alright with the forest outside the cities.

    It was not only that they were endless, there was also a whisper in them. A presence waiting for them like the ghosts of a world gone.

    [​IMG]



    The Darkening




    First all humans vanished from one moment to the other, then the plants grew at a speed impossible by any natural explanation. The world ended so quickly and silent it was almost anti-climatic. No warnings or news. Suddenly it was simply over.

    [​IMG]

    You are among those very few who survived the apocalypse in Berlin, the former capital of Germany. This game will be a game of redemption and a journey of the characters to face their own humanity or lack of it. I require rather complex characters and the game will be limited to a maximum of five players.

    [​IMG]


    The Character Sheet:

    Name:
    Age:
    Former Occupation:
    Equipment:
    Appearance:
    Group: (either River or Museum)

    Bio:



    The Rules

    1. GM wird is law.
    2. All CS to the GM please, only original characters are allowed.
    3. No God-Modding whatsoever
    4. Flashbacks will occurs to see how these people were before the apocalypse.
    5. Player death is possible, but not necessary. Just be careful.
    6. Enjoy




    P.S.: This game was inspired by Summerland by Greg Saunders.

    P.P.S: The game exists in the Crossingverse, therefore in the same world that The Crossing, The Reckoning and The Seeking play in, but in the future of it as it is the year 2024. No Gifted as player characters are allowed.
     
  2. Darth_Elu

    Darth_Elu Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 2, 2003
    GM Approved and Possibly afraid of the dark. ;) :p

    The Character Sheet


    Name: Yovahn Cotler
    Age: 38
    Former Occupation: Electronic Components Salesman
    Equipment: Red Backpack with flashlight, hiking boots (now more often worn than his old shoes), sleeping bag (poor quality), ten health bars, four water bottles, water purifier tablets, gray poncho, six small band aids, compression bandage, emergency radio, cell phone, house keys, and wallet with about fifty euros)

    Appearance: [​IMG]

    Group: River

    Bio: Yovahn Cotler is a British man who considers himself much like any other. He is an electronic components salesman for the company: Avnet Abacus, 38 years old and newly single. There really wasn’t much special about him, especially in his own humble opinion. If anything, his perspective has taken a rather pessimistic spin as of late.

    The first reason was his family. A heavily Jewish one in which he decided to take the other road in the fork. Not ascribing to many of the traditions and faiths that the rest did. They never outright disowned him for this, but they never let him forget either. Overbearing parents and three pesky sisters constantly trying to get him back into the fold properly and always demanding to know what he planned to do with his life. Not that he ever once knew.

    The second reason was his job. Ornery bosses, dull work, and to be frank…a significant detachment to the products themselves. But he tried not to complain. It paid the bills, he was decent enough at it, was safe, and he got to travel around the country a bit doing it.

    The third reason was his now ex-girlfriend, Mia. That statement pretty much said it all. Yet to compound it further was the fact that the reason it all went south was that he discovered her cheating on him with a co-worker of his. Yeah, that one smarted.

    The fourth reason was once more his job, post-romance. To say his performance suffered, not that it was intentional by any means, would be an understatement. His bosses were stricter than ever and none cared for his circumstances.

    In the end, he finally gave into peer pressure and took some vacation leave he had built up and decided to head for Berlin, Germany. Really get away for a couple of weeks. Yovahn had another love after all. Backpacking and some serious hiking. The Grunewald Forest seemed like a nice place to check out, as well as any other natural areas in or around the city.

    The fifth and final reason, was the most obvious one of all. The quiet end of the world a day after his birthday. It made all his other previous reasons moot, despite it feeling like they weighed on him even now. Old habits die hard. He wasn’t sure he could explain how he survived the Green Apocalypse. Maybe because it seemed to lack any reason other than sheer luck. It definitely wasn’t any particular skill set of his. He may be a good hiker, but that just wasn’t enough. Not in this case.

    And so now he enters this next era of life on Earth with one profound sense.

    The sense of being utterly and thoroughly lost.
     
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  3. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    GM approved!

    Name: Julia Mayer
    Age
    : 25
    Former Occupation: Police, patrol officer
    Equipment: Backpack with protein bars and two bottle of Evian Water, Heckler&Koch SFP9 pistol with two magazines and a hundred bullets, two knives, a retractable fishing rod, flashlight with four packages of batteries and a radio, handcuffs, tonfa and first aid kid.
    Appearance:
    [​IMG]
    Group: River

    Bio: Born in Potsdam, Julia did not make it through German Gymnasium (High School) and after a few years of working at a Barkeeper and waitress she decided to apply for the German police. Her home was complicated to put it mildly with her stepdad trying to get her into bed whenever her mum was out of too drunk. His advances got more aggressive, so she fled.

    She was accepted, which was no surprise considering how bad the German police was looking for recruits. Badly paid and mediocre trained she hated the job more than she had expected. Drunken people all day, domestic violence which you left unanswered, if you actually encountered a criminal you called the specialists.

    Then there were the midnight specials. Stuff that kept her awake at night. Her relationship with Marco, another policemen did not make her life easier in the force. She was called boytoy and worse when she passed colleagues in the headquarters. Marco was not exactly a perfect boyfriend, but she had always had this thing for badguys.

    Her older partner Götz asked her to apply for the higher service and she considered it when the world ended.

    Just like that.

    Suddenly it was over and Julia was in a world rapidly overgrown by plants and empty of any human life. It was surreal. In a way it was also empowering. It simplified things. Suddenly all you had to worry about was survival. Everybody was gone by her. She felt special actually. In a way she felt chosen.

    After a few days she made contact with other survivors. Justin Pfeiffer was a boy with above average intelligence and a boyish charme. Karl was an old man who had served in the Eastern German army once, so at least he knew a few things about survival. They put up camp in a subway station near Warschauer Straße and the river. They all did not know what to do except survive, but Julia felt there was something to do. They were meant to do something. Start a new life or a new covilisation of they could. Something meaningful had to come from being spared by a disaster that had taken everybody else probably.
     
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  4. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    GM approved thanks @SirakRomar

    Aya

    [​IMG]

    Name: Aya Namiki
    Age:
    22
    Former Occupation:
    university student (trainee eco-warrior)
    Equipment: garden tools, solar-powered-stove, camping gear, vegetable seeds, sports bow and arrows, expertise in botany and environmental science
    Appearance: above
    Group: (either River or Museum) ???

    Bio:
    Aya was a Japanese university student. Like many of her generation, she became distressed by the destruction of our environment. She took environmental science as a major in Japan, and aspired to one day join a UN agency to somehow contribute to saving the planet, through science-engineered partnership with the nature. She studied hard, took English lessons, and enrolled in an overseas Masters program in Environmental Science, at Exeter University in Britain.

    So far from home, and because of her passion for the environment, she fell in with more radical “eco-warrior” groups. She somehow found herself the “girlfriend” of a charismatic Scottish boy called Duncan – a fine-art dropout with dreadlocks and a weed habit. He introduced her to more and more radical elements. Under his influence, she participated in a number of demonstrations and “Extinction Emergency” events. She became a vegan, began to dress differently; he even persuaded her to smoke various substances together.

    At some late-night meetings, she would hear ideas of extreme actions to save the planet. Some characters, often encouraged by Duncan, discussed how humanity was a destructive parasite to the beautiful Mother Earth and needed to be eradicated. The Corona Virus event was a dream-come-true to some people in this circle; it grounded all flights and stopped almost all car travel. To such people, humanity was in fact the virus, and Corona was the antibody cure produced by Earth to try and cleanse herself.

    Aya began to doubt these concepts, and the logical conclusion to which they led. People were dying in large numbers. Was that really a good thing? She dared not speak up. Duncan could be erratic and violent when challenged.

    Still, despite his frightening temper he was the height of cool to Aya. She worried about how she could ever introduce him to her parents.

    Duncan took Aya to an international demonstration in Berlin coordinated by the V-for-Vendetta anarchist group. They had checked into a grimy hostel when Duncan went off to a “leaders meeting”.

    Then it happened.

    Now she need not worry about introducing Duncan to her parents any more. He is gone. Her parents are gone. As far as she knows, the entire human race are gone.

    She hid in her sleeping bag in denial for several days, until hunger drove her out to explore. The entire city was overgrown. Nothing worked. As far as she knew, she was the last human alive.

    She felt something in the trees. Like they were talking to each other, or to her? Had they spared her for some reason? Duncan’s friends had sometimes called her the Wood Elf. She watched Lord of the Rings and thought it was a cool nickname, though she suspected it was more about how she looked than her old high school archery club. Now the irony struck home.

    She angrily disavowed her previous ideas, realising she had been too easily influenced. Now she could count on only herself. But she did have knowledge, from her studies. She raided Globetrotter Ausrüstung – the biggest camping and outdoor store in the city – and found herself a new home in a stately manor. She planted a vegetable garden. It would be far more than she needed. Why? She knew why. She dared hope to find others. There had to be others. And they would need food. She laid out solar panels and linked them to rechargeable batteries. She put together a water-purifier and set up raincatchers. She was not far from the river, either, if needed. She could make soap and hair products from natural sources.

    She was self-sufficient.

    She picked up a good composite bow and a supply of arrows from the hunting shop.

    She hoped there were still humans out there, but considered the nature of humanity, and realised she may need to defend herself.

    Now Aya wanders the city-forest, looking for other survivors, listening to the trees...
     
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  5. Sir_Draco

    Sir_Draco Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2007
    GM approved

    Name: Justin Pfeiffer
    Age:
    25
    Former Occupation: Barkeeper and Powerseller on Ebay
    Equipment: Backpack, water bottle, Swiss army knife, lots of beef jerky, a radio, an iPad no longer having battery, powerbanks and batteries, rain coat, shampoo, soap, sagrotan, a book about survival in nature and one on farming, sunglasses, medics (antibiotics, painkillers, sleeping pills and psychopharamaca) and he got a stash of books, canned food (a few hundred cans) and bottled water, Coke and alcohol and especially hundreds of packs of cigarettes.

    Appearance:

    [​IMG]
    Group: River

    Bio: Justin was not doing much with his life when the world ended. Reselling music CDs and marvel limited action figures online and working as a Barkeeper in a hipster club. He enjoyed life and then again felt he missed it entirely. His friends went studying and his girlfriend had left him because "she could not watch a genius letting his life go to waste". Justin considered himself no genius and life seemed wasteful anyway.
    Then everybody vanished and shortly thereafter nature made it's love and what they called the Sea of Leaves appeared and consumed Berlin. Probably it consumed the world.
    So he did what every good man in the apocalypse would be doing. He began looting. Pharmacies, super-markets, a camping shop and every kiosk he could find. He stockpiled the stuff in an old subway station near the Berlin harbor and started thinking about a long term plan. Maybe he needed to get some additional skills, but without the internet and the YouTube tutorials to learn it he felt a bit lost. He got books from a half flooded Thalia store and began reading on survival. He also began smoking. He felt it was something that was civilized suddenly.
    After a few days he met Julia and Karl and that solved the whole madness by isolation thing. How long had he been alone anyway? Weeks? A months? Much less? Time was such a fluid concept now, was it? He remembered there was something about time in the news before it all ended.
     
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  6. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    So it begins . . .

    Near the Subway Station of Schlesisches Tor, Pankow, Berlin


    [​IMG]
    The area had once been a center of culture and had been a cauldron of bars, restaurants and the drug dealers that made Görlitzer Park so famous among the Berliner . Now it was the same as everywhere overgrown with green and empty of any humans except the two figures walking in the sun on the middle of the street. Yohvan Cotler and Julia Mayer saw a deer standing on the middle of the street. The shy creature seemed not to bother too much about the two humans passing nearby.

    [​IMG]

    It was a few hours until it got dark and if it got dark it got truly dark now. Light politikon was a thing of the past as electricity had stopped working the day the Sea of Leaves had claimed the city. They were on their way to the Edeka super market on the Wrangelstraße, which was a thirty minute march from the improvised hideout they had taken in the subway station at the eastern train station. Justin had told them that he had seen batteries in the Edeka and those were real treasures now, that flashlights were the only source of light at night.

    What they did not know was that they also entered the area in which Aya Namiki had settled down. She had used the last weeks to create a garden in the former Factory facilities, a start-up center now abandoned, but with much room and connected to the Görlitzer Park. Aya had ventured up the Wrangelstraße the other two were going to and heard something she had not heard in weeks. She heard the voices of the two humans far away.

    Tag: @Darth_Elu, @RachelTyrell, @Kurisan



    Eastern Train Station, Berlin East

    [​IMG]

    They had set up base in the catacombs below the train station. Even here the growth was present, but the Sea of Leaves had left this part relatively untouched.

    Justin was sorting cans when Karl showed up. The old man had been looking for stuff without giving notice as usually. They had all found each other a few days ago. First Justin had met Julia, then both had found Karl and the three had run into Yohvan shortly afterwards.

    [​IMG]
    "I gotta show you two things." Karl said and simply turned around again and expected Justin to follow. He lead him to the underground train station which was illuminated only by the light coming from the end of the tube. The rails were under water.

    "It is rising." Karl said. "The pumps have ceased working a few weeks ago an I think water is rising now with every rain." He sighed. "Checked the sewer. It is completely under water." He folded his hands and looked at the young man. "We are 34 meters above sea level, so we should be fine. But we need to move everything up to the higher levels." He said and pulled his glasses up his nose.

    "When I was looking at the sewers I found this." He added then and took two objects from the pocket of his trousers. One was an empty package of a Snickers chocolate bar and one was a shell. "It is a 12.7 mm shell. Russian sniper ammo. Someone has been hunting nearby. Maybe we should reconsider getting ourselves a gun." He said with a grim look. "We got a lot of food and water stored away. That is valuable. We cannot trust everyone to be so sharing as we are."

    Tag: @Sir_Draco
     
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  7. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    IC: Aya, Near the (former) Subway Station of Schlesisches Tor, Pankow, Berlin

    Aya wandered the great Gaia's green avenues today. Like she had done the day before, and the day before that. She paused and listened to the birds. A deer called somewhere off to the East. It was a mating call. Life continued.

    There was another murmur, almost beyond her perceptions. She had to be quite still and calm to notice it. The trees whispered to one another. Though the words were beyond her comprehension, she sometimes caught their mood.

    Then there was something she had not heard for what seemed like a lifetime. In actual terms of units of time - that artificial construct humanity had used once in a past era - it had only been weeks, but time seemed to stretch on now.

    Her heart skipped a beat. She closed her eyes and listened hard. Her troubled mind had played tricks on her before. Was it real this time? It sounded real. She wanted, needed it to be real this time.

    The voices of people.

    She scampered down an alleyway, catching her long dark hair on creepers of ivy. She was more careful when she came closer. The voices were getting louder! It had to be real! A tear of joy rolled down her cheek.

    She turned a corner and remained close to the shadows, not daring to show herself just yet. The leafy branches now protruding from an abandoned car gathered her into their embrace and acted as camouflage - she had picked up outdoor clothes from the deserted stores. She almost forgot that she was clutching her bow.

    They were so close she had to fight herself not to call out. She could almost hear their words. She identified two voices - a man and a woman.

    With her heart now hammering in her ribcage, holding her breath, she dared step out from behind the concealing car and take a look...

    [​IMG]

    TAG: @SirakRomar @Darth_Elu @RachelTyrell
     
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  8. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Julia
    Pankow, Near Schlesisches Tor

    „I used to eat at an Indian restaurant down there.“ Julia said with a sad smile and pointed down the street they were passing. „Was living five minutes from here, you know? They mad an amazing Tikka Masala.“ She looked at her companion and gave Yohvan a smile. „Probably never will have a Tikka Masala again.“ She laughed at him and then saw the deer. She stopped for a moment and wondered why it was not running. Maybe it considered this now to be more it‘s own territory than theirs. Maybe it was right.

    Getting batteries was good, but Julia knew they would run out of those sooner or later. Cans were probably less of a problem. Having once fed six million people the super markets should hold plenty of those for four people. „Do you think this happened everywhere?“ Julia asked the question that had been going through her mind all day. „I mean if the USA or Asia would have been spared we‘d probably have helicopters by now over the city. Or airplanes, at least, right? Nobody came. I guess that means there is nobody out there to come anymore.“ She signaled Yohvan to wait and went to one knee, pulling her mostly empty backpack from her back to check her gun and take a sip of water. The city felt terribly lonely. It was beautiful with all this green, but nevertheless . . . This was Berlin. She had patrolled these streets once. Crowded, hyper-active Berlin felt now like an overgrown cemetery of humanity and all it could have been.

    Tag: @Darth_Elu, @Kurisan, @SirakRomar
     
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  9. Sir_Draco

    Sir_Draco Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2007
    Justin Pfeiffer
    Subway Base

    The apocalypse was more work than he had anticipated. Stockpiling food for a few years was actually quite an effort. He had made it a habit to sort the cans by expiry date and content and had developed a rather sophisticated system to do so.

    „I gotta show you two things.“ Karl said and scared the hell out of Justin.

    „Man, I still expect an Alien to show up any second, you can‘t sneak up on me like that old man.“ He laughed and then got up. His back hurt and he was happy for having an excuse for leaving the cans behind. So he followed the older man to the rails and saw the water. Patiently Karl explained the water was rising and That they had to move everything to a higher level. Everything were a few thousand cans of food.

    „Let us see how bad it turns out. This looks like we got plenty of time before it reaches the edge of the station.“ He knelt down and looked at Karl. He did not feel like moving again. He knew that the concrete would be eroded over time and all that, but seriously? He did not feel like facing that challenge now. They had to survive, not survive and optimize their living rooms.

    "When I was looking at the sewers I found this." Karl added then and took two objects from the pocket of his trousers. One was an empty package of a Snickers chocolate bar and one was a shell. "It is a 12.7 mm shell. Russian sniper ammo. Someone has been hunting nearby. Maybe we should reconsider getting ourselves a gun." He said with a grim look. "We got a lot of food and water stored away. That is valuable. We cannot trust everyone to be so sharing as we are."

    Justin stood up again and took the shell. „We heard nothing, so he might use a silencer.“ He simply noted. Then looked at Karl. „I say we can get guns if everyone feels safer with them, once we got what we need to survive. Hunting might be a thing and all that. But seriously, who would shoot another survivor? There are so few left of us now.“ He shook his head. 160. The number he was not forgetting. 160. „Julia got a gun and knows how to use it.“ He then calmed Karl. „Anyway, where do we get a gun? Do you know any gunshops around here?“ He was shaking his head. Everybody wanted to play Mad Max now, but there were no marauding gangs. The only gang he knew was them and they were not exactly dangerous. „We should put up signs for the guy. Maybe he looks for other survivors like we do?“

    Tag: @SirakRomar
     
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  10. Darth_Elu

    Darth_Elu Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 2, 2003
    Yovahn Cotler IC:
    ~Pankow, Near Schlesisches Tor~

    The scenery around the man strolling down the abandoned street with his female companion was still the same as it had been for, how long now? Lord…Too long. Way too long. And yet still it felt utterly alien and erroneous to him. Yovahn Cotler simply could not get used to it. Like rearranging furniture in one’s home to spice things up, only to find yourself continually adjusting it to find that right harmonic ambience only to find that in the end, nothing worked. It all just had to go back to the way it was originally.

    Perhaps that was just him. He tended to go long periods before ever switching anything up if he could help it and that tended to create habits. Some good, some bad, some that just were. But this one? This?

    It was quite truly beyond his ability to help and it was very plainly bad. Just look how the whole of Berlin now appeared!

    Inwardly sighing, he kicked a small rock off to the side and casually glanced at the sight of the deer standing in the middle of the street a ways ahead of them. The sight, as one who appreciated nature ironically, did lift his spirits subtly. Though only slightly.

    Through this whole internal existential crisis stroll through what was once the breathtakingly beautiful capital of Germany, he had been keeping up a conversation with the woman next to him. Julia Mayer. They had been on a mission. What was it for again? Ah, right. Batteries. Of course it was batteries. Something from the Old World that he had known well. He had sold them for a living. Now they persisted in giving him a living, in an all too real sense these days.

    “I used to eat at an Indian restaurant down there,” Julia had said. Yovahn’s gaze went from the sad smile she displayed then followed the finger she pointed down a side street they were passing right then.

    “Huh. Really?” the older man replied. He felt it deserved a much better response than that, more heartfelt, but somehow he just couldn’t quite drum it up from whatever deep well his mind had fallen into.

    “Was living five minutes from here, you know? They had an amazing Tikka Masala.”

    Yovahn exchanged the smile she gave him then, one that seemed a little more positive than the last. He wished he could match it, though he felt like he was having trouble. Then again, outwardly he probably was doing just fine. Yovahn had plenty of experience keeping what was inside well hidden. Plenty of reasons to learn unfortunately. Plenty more seemed to be adding on.

    “Probably never will have a Tikka Masala again,” the woman laughed.

    “I confess to never eating Indian food a day in my life,” he shrugged casually with a slight chuckle as they walked, “Now I find myself sorely regretting it. You'll have to show me where you used to live at some point. 'fraid I can't offer to give a tour of where I used to live myself.”

    Julia then paused, having noticed the nonchalant deer herself and seemed to be pondering over it. He paused with her, but initially took a much different subject to quietly study. Julia herself.

    Long blonde hair, brown eyes, a fairly surprising positive aura about her, and a vibrant youth to her that she still seemed to carry despite everything going on in the world. To be completely honest, ever since Yovahn had stumbled upon the little group he now was a part of, he couldn’t help but think Berlin was not the only beautiful thing around.

    Still…

    His eyes slid to the deer again at this point, before his current partner would notice his lingering thoughtful gaze.

    Am too old for her and things are way too crazy right now to even contemplate romance. You fool, Yovahn.

    They began to move again, with Julia unknowingly jerking him back to reality once more.

    “Do you think this happened everywhere?”

    Yovahn only glanced at her with his eyebrows raised as she continued. “I mean if the USA or Asia would have been spared we’d probably have helicopters by now over the city. Or airplanes, at least, right? Nobody came. I guess that means there is nobody out there to come anymore.”

    He mulled this over for a moment. Admittedly, it was something he had pondered too. It was highly likely both Justin and Karl had done so as well at least once. Who wouldn’t given the circumstances?

    “It’s hard to say. There might be something at play keeping them from sending in people, but…” he trailed off with a hint of unease, “…you’re likely right. It is hard to imagine someone in the EU or anyone really not at the very least flying over some care packages. Food and such. Maybe a drone for scouting.”

    His dark hair shook along with his head at the end of his statement, as he paused at her signal to wait. “One thing is for sure; Berlin as a whole appears affected. I only hope this is all temporary somehow. It’s a bit much to cover everywhere.”

    Or so he told himself. And her, such as it was.

    It was then he quieted, partly because he had nothing else to add and partly because he wasn’t sure if he had heard something nearby. Unable to place the sound. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the street, waiting for Julia to be ready again.

    Perhaps he had imagined it?

    Tag: Julia, Aya, & our All-Powerful GM @RachelTyrell @Kurisan @SirakRomar
     
  11. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Julia
    Pankow, Near Schlesisches Tor

    Julia smiled. „Yes, it is. Everywhere is a damned big place.“ She sighed. „But there were rumors before this happened. Strange things, people with Gifts. I don‘t know, I think someone must have messed this up.“ Julia looked up at him and gave him a smile. She liked the optimism of Yohvan a lot. But now she saw his eyes narrow and within her backpack she closed her hand around her gun. Her eyes followed his and tried to find anything unusual, but could not make out anything.

    „Everything alright?“ She asked and slowly stood up, the gun now in her hand. She had not readied it yet, but that would take a second if she had to.

    Tag: @Darth_Elu, @SirakRomar, @Kurisan
     
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  12. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Near the Subway Station of Schlesisches Tor, Pankow, Berlin


    There was a sound not belonging to the city and then they both say Aya coming from the sidestreet leading into the city. Another human. Since they had found Yohvan they had not seen another soul anywhere.


    The Asian looking girl was wearing a bow and Aya saw Julia holding a gun, also not pointing it at her yet.


    Tag: @Darth_Elu, @RachelTyrell, @Kurisan



    Eastern Train Station, Berlin East


    Karl looked at Justin for a long moment and then shook his head. „You are too trusting, too reckless, Justin. Have you ever read in one of your books how long it took in New Orleans for people to return to their primal instincts? In Thailand after the great flood? Humans cannot be trusted. We are animals, only very smart ones. Carnivores actually. Predators. Humans have been the most dangerous species of all, hunting other species to extinction almost daily. We are not all cooperative people of reason? What if we find someone whose plan on survival is not as humanitarian as yours?“ He raised his brows. „What if we find someone who wants to do us harm?“ Karl sighed. „Cannibalism, tribe-mentality, religious fanatism? I cannot even hold it against anyone, if he believes this is eat or be eaten. Nature is about natural selection. I do not want to be sorted out.“ He put his hands into his pockets. „Anyway, I have thought about it. Who has guns? There are the embassies in Mitte. They all had guardsmen and would keep a stash of weapons for the case of an attack. The army had no presence here and we have no way to find out where gunshops or hunters lived. But we can find police stations. One is here, right around the corner? One hours by daylight tomorrow and we could go there and have a look. Just have a look if we find anything we can quickly grab?“ He raised his thin eye-brows. „What does our greats thinker say? Julia will know her way around.“


    Tag: @Sir_Draco
     
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  13. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Julia
    Near Schlesisches Tor, Pankow

    She saw the girl come out of her hiding and the first thought was obvious. Hotpants? Really? Did not even get the apocalypse the upper hand against the fashion industry? But then she saw what looked like a composite bow and that was now a little bit of a different danger. She armed her pistol and stepped next to Yohvan, who had probably seen her by now. „She is armed.“ She whispered and took her pistol into both hands. It was hard to kill a man with a bow if you were not a very trained hunter, but wounds and their lack of medical expertise could easily be as deadly. So she would not let her do anything that would harm Yohvan or her. „Hey there. Nice to meet you.“ She shouted to the Asian looking girl, who she dubbed Hotpants in her mind. „Glad to see you, but could you please put the bow down?“

    The woman would probably bürstender why a weapon would make her nervous. Hopefully. She did not feel like having her first shoot out right after the apocalypse.

    Tag: @Kurisan, @Darth_Elu
     
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  14. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    IC: Aya, Near the (former) Subway Station of Schlesisches Tor, Pankow, Berlin

    Aya saw them. They even said something. She walked towards them, her heart beating. The woman looked nervous. Oh, the bow. She kept it lowered and behind her. Emotions overwhelmed her. She dashed towards them now.

    "Honto? Honto ni imasu ne?"

    She sank to her knees and began sobbing.

    "Suggoku ureshi wa... ningen da! Kore wa..." she gestured to the city around them, "Kore wa dekimasen... doushiyo?"

    They didn't respond. She said it again. "Doushiyo?"

    It took several moments of their blank stares for Aya to remember they would not understand her. She had been alone so long, whenever she thought, or spoke aloud, it would be in her native Japanese. She had to think for a moment to remember where she was. Where this place had been. Berlin.

    "Doitsu-go wakarimasen!" she cried. She only had one hope...

    "I am Aya. I am alone so long. You are real? What we do now? What we do?"

    TAG @RachelTyrell @Darth_Elu @SirakRomar
     
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  15. Darth_Elu

    Darth_Elu Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 2, 2003
    Yovahn Cotler IC:
    ~Pankow, Near Schlesisches Tor~

    "Yes, it is. Everywhere is a damned big place. But there were rumors before this happened. Strange things, people with Gifts. I don’t know, I think someone must have messed this up.”

    Yovahn briefly glanced down at Julia before he narrowed his eyes and looked around. “True, I think I did hear a few things about that too. Wasn’t sure what to make of it. You think someone was behind this? I don’t know…maybe a government experiment gone wrong?”

    One hell of an experiment if so.

    That was when he heard the sound, or imagined one, and looked about with narrow eyes. It seemed his companion noticed unsurprisingly. Julia was observant, which was always a boon.

    “Everything alright?”

    “Not sure. Maybe I just ima—“

    And then there she was. An asian girl suddenly appearing cautiously out of the side street. Not only that; she was armed. A bow, not a gun. But a weapon nonetheless. Given the situation they all found themselves in and the fact that this girl chose that weapon meant she was likely trained, at least moderately so, in its use.

    “She is armed.”

    “So I’ve noticed,” he whispered back. Yohvan was not quite sure what else to say.

    Aside from taking in the weapon behind held, he was still practically registering that there was another person before them. It had been some time since he had run into Julia and the others, he almost wondered if he’d be the last to be found. But no, there was another survivor.

    Yet. Was he was ecstatic? Or afraid? He had to settle for the likelihood of an odd, unpleasant mixture of both.

    Julia began to engage the woman in conversation after quietly arming her firearm and stepping protectively next to him. Very law officer of her. Old habits died hard.

    “Hey there. Nice to meet you. Glad to see you, but could you please put the bow down?”

    It took a brief moment, but the woman lowered the bow and kept it held behind her. Not quite putting it down, but at least a sign of non-aggression.

    Then she suddenly dashed toward them, which caught Yovahn off guard. Involuntarily making a startled sound, simply because he hadn’t expected the movement, he took a step back and held up a hand as if to defend himself. Not really sure why, just an instinctive response.

    "Honto? Honto ni imasu ne?”

    Blinking, he then saw her crying and sinking to her knees. Oh man.

    “Suggoku ureshi wa…ningen da! Kore wa…Kore wa dekimasen…doushiyo?”

    He could only stare at her. There was no other way to explain it. Like himself, this girl clearly had been visiting the area. She was most certainly not from Berlin.

    “Doushiyo?”

    Yovahn only looked at Julia helplessly, giving a weak smile. “Have any idea what she’s saying? Chinese? Korean? Not very good with other languages…”

    “Doitsu-go wakarimasen!”

    All he knew was that this interaction was giving him a spike in blood pressure. She clearly wanted, maybe even needed, help. But they couldn’t even understand her!

    Then it seemed like she understood the situation herself and tried another track.

    “I am Aya. I am alone so long. You are real? What we do now? What we do?”

    Better! Much better! Her English was a little broken, but pretty good all things considered. This he could work with. Giving another glance toward Julia, he answered first.

    “Yes, we’re real…Aya. So you were alone? No one else? Where have you been this whole time?”

    One step at a time. In this new green world, that’s all you could do.

    Tag: Julia & Aya @RachelTyrell @Kurisan @SirakRomar
     
  16. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    IC: Aya, Near the (former) Subway Station of Schlesisches Tor, Pankow, Berlin

    Aya wiped a tear and smiled that she had made herself understood. She gathered herself and rose to her feet again. She bowed apologetically.

    “I’m sorry my crying. All alone,” she said to the man. He seemed friendly. “I think… thought… only me in the world.”

    As she voiced the words, the English began to come back to her and flow more naturally, like getting on a bicycle for the first time in a long time.

    “I make home, I mean I made a home. It’s not so far. I have food. You need food? I made fresh; the tins are not good, like many years suddenly passed. It’s strange.”

    She came closer and noticed something.

    “Oh, you need ofuro, too. I made ofuro. It’s really nice. Come, come with me. I show you?”

    She grinned like a child and beckoned them.

    TAG: @RachelTyrell @Darth_Elu @SirakRomar
     
  17. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Julia
    Near Schlesisches Tor, Pankow

    She looked at Yahrov, as he asked about the language. „Maybe Japanese? Busted once a number of drunken Japanese businessmen and they sounded like this.“ She sighed and the girl offered to lead them to her home and give therm food. „Canned food is alright, Aya. Been eating it for weeks. I am Julia, this is Yohvan, we are from a group near Eastern Station, not far from here. We actually came for batteries, not food.“ She held her gun in one hand, but lowered. Offering food could be a nice gesture or an attempt to poison them. Then she mentioned Oforu, which Julia only knew to be a bubble bath. Had she made herself a damned whirlpool? „Listen, we got friends waiting for us. We cannot stay away for much longer than planned or they are gonna worry. Why don‘t you come with us and get to know them? They would probably love to meet you.“ Julia smiled and looked at Yohvan and spoke in a voice that only he could understand. „We should take her bow anyway.“

    Tag: @Kurisan, @Darth_Elu
     
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  18. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    Aya, Near Schlesisches Tor, Pankow

    Aya's eyes lit up at the woman's words. "Friends? There are more? Ohhh, ureshii wa!"

    She clapped her hands and did a little dance.

    "Please can I come?"

    TAG: @RachelTyrell @Darth_Elu @SirakRomar
     
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  19. Sir_Draco

    Sir_Draco Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2007
    Justin Pfeiffer
    Headquarters

    He looked at Karl and sighed. „I am not your leader, old man. If Julia is cool with it, why would you not go and get some guns?“ He sighed. „If you are already there, they got those transportable batteries, we could probably use. They are heavy, but we can run a damned light for days with those ones. Also have a look if their back-up generator works.“ He put his hands into his pockets. „And I would do for some weed.“ HE said and turned to leave.

    He did not feel like sorting anymore cans if they had to get them out of there anyway soon. So he climbed all the way up to the main station and took out his cigarettes. What a bad time to get addicted to nicotine, he thought. He picked one from his pack and lighted it using the zippo he had salvaged from a store in downtown.

    Breathing in the smoke he looked around and when nobody seemed to look he got out the iPod he had secretly charged with one of their last auto-batteries. A little privilege he had taken, for the work of actually putting everything together. He smiled and put the pods into his ears. Bluetooth still worked. So he put his list in and pressed play.



    Closing his eyes he smiled, enjoyed the smoke and the music as he allowed the sun to shine on his face. For a moment he forgot that humanity had ceased to exist. His parents were gone. His friends, too. Never again he would go to a club, hear a new song in the no longer existing radio or meet someone in a bar. He would not eat Indian, Chinese or Sushi ever again. Woodwind would make no new songs. He would not see the final season of LOST, ever. He would not see news ever again, or talk shows. There would be no new Banksy. For a long moment he forgot all of this. He even forgot, why he did not wanted a gun.

    Because he was scared, no he was terrified of what he might do with it.

    Tag: @SirakRomar
     
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  20. Darth_Elu

    Darth_Elu Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 2, 2003
    Yovahn Cotler IC:
    ~Near Schlesisches Tor, Pankow~

    Julia had mentioned busting drunk Japanese businessmen in the past and how it sounded similar to the language spoken by the woman before them, now identified as Aya. He could only hope she wasn’t drunk herself, because then things could get really volatile or at best, awkward, really quickly. Granted, he wouldn’t blame anyone for wanting to get drunk in these current times.

    Still probably not the smartest thing to do though. Hell, probably even less wise than ever before, despite it being even more understandable. Quite the conundrum.

    “Canned food is alright, Aya. Been eating it for weeks. I am Julia, this is Yohvan, we are from a group near Eastern Station, not far from here. We actually came for batteries, not food.”

    “It’s true,” Yohvan offered helpfully.

    “Listen, we got friends waiting for us. We cannot stay away for much longer than planned or they are gonna worry. Why don’t you come with us and get to know them? They would probably love to meet you.”

    A surprising move, but perhaps not so much when considering Julia’s background. To reveal there was a group, their location, and to immediately offer bringing this stranger back with them could easily backfire. He hated thinking like that, but it couldn’t be helped. Still, he didn’t want to make a scene and he had to admit; he had been brought in the same way. So who was he to argue the move?

    “Friends? There are more? Ohhh, ureshii wa!”

    Yohvan let out a small chuckle at the girl’s antics. Yeah, he remembered discovering there were others too. That’s exactly how he had felt…if a bit more internalized.

    “Please can I come?”

    Rubbing his neck to get a small bit of stiffness that had been forming out, he replied this time. “Yeah, of course. Though first we need to pick up the batteries, so if you don’t mind tagging along with that first…”

    Julia leaned in now and spoke in a low voice. “We should take her bow anyway.”

    He nodded and glanced awkwardly at the…Japanese?…woman waiting for her response. They should definitely take the bow just incase, but it might be best to utilize a good moment in taking it away. No, no. They needed to establish trust. Yohvan decided requesting would be the best way to do so.

    Eyeing her, uncertain how to proceed initially, he finally just came out with it. “Aya, is it ok if I hold onto the bow for now? Sign of trust?”

    Tag: Julia & Aya @RachelTyrell @Kurisan @SirakRomar
     
  21. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    Aya, Near Schlesisches Tor, Pankow

    "Oh, this?" said Aya, looking down at her bow. "It's better than daikyu - umm Japanese longbow - see the balancing here? I can pull it quite well, shoot far."

    She saw the worry in their faces and smiled.

    "Oh, it's only because I saw okami... uhhh how you say? Big dogs, but not pet, like German Shepherd! But grey hair, you know? Ah, wulufu! Hai, yes, wolf."

    She concentrated on getting the pronunciation right. Vs were almost impossible for Japanese.

    "I saw wolves. So I took this from outdoor sports shop. Also tracks - I think kuma-san? I mean, bear."

    She showed them the quiver on her back. She had been quite industrious and had crafted several types of arrows.

    "See these ones; kusuri - medicine - make animal sleep. And these ones not cut, hurt but not kill. You want to hold the bow? Yes, try, pull it!"

    She handed it to Yohvan with a smile.

    TAG @RachelTyrell @Darth_Elu @SirakRomar
     
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  22. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Julia
    Near Schlesisches Tor

    Julia smiled as Yohvan took the bow hopefully and now that she was without a weapon she felt much better. A bow was a terrible ineffective weapon against humans, as it was actually rather unprecise and the point of entry was narrow. You had to really hit the heart or artery to make a kill. Poison was what made arrows dangerous and also this girl claimed she had done a sleeping poison, she had clearly begun preparing poisons. Once they had the bow Julia put the gun to her belt, also somewhere where she could easily draw.

    "There are no bears in Germany. Also next wolves would be somewhere in Mecklenburg or something. They would need to travel pretty far to make it to Berlin." She gave her a reassuring smile, but wild dogs were a concern. German Shepards were smart animals, once they felt no longer bound to humans she was a bit concerned what they might do. Lucky enough most should have died in the Sea of Leaves, locked in flats to starve to death. Made entering flats quite dangerous though.

    "We gotta get going. Come with us. The shop we look for is down the street.

    Tag: @Kurisan, @Darth_Elu
     
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  23. Darth_Elu

    Darth_Elu Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 2, 2003
    Yovahn Cotler IC:
    ~Near Schlesisches Tor, Pankow~

    He listened as Aya explained how her bow was better than a Japanese longbow and how she could shoot far with it. Perceptively she noticed a brief look of worry, not that he had meant to give one, but sometimes things were instinctual. That was when she said something truly interesting. Not that the bow wasn’t, far from, but this had far reaching implications.

    “Oh, it’s only because I saw okapi…uhhh how you say? Big dogs, but not pet, like German Shepherd! But grey hair, you know? Ah, wulufu! Hai, yes, wolf.”

    Yovahn frowned and briefly glanced at Julia before concentrating on their newest companion again.

    “I saw wolves. So I took this from outdoor sports shop. Also tracks - I think puma-san? I mean, bear.”

    Wolves. Possibly a bear. Hell, even wild dogs in general were a potentially dangerous prospect now. This was troubling, at least it was for him. He was barely concentrating on the various arrows he was being shown as his mind was now bent on thinking of the most horrible ways of being eaten alive.

    He was brought back to reality when Aya offered for him to take the bow, which had been the whole object at this point in time anyway. He took it as she smiled, he offered a weak one in return.

    Yovahn even gave a small pull on the bow as suggested. Surprisingly tough to do actually. He’d have to really put some effort into it later. In any event, he made a little bit of a show of it, to give better reason as to why he was continuing to hold onto it. Honestly, he didn’t feel like explaining they didn’t trust her with a weapon just then.

    Julia meanwhile was holstering her firearm and making a claim about the wildlife.

    “There are no bears in Germany. Also next wolves would be somewhere in Mecklenburg or something. They would need to travel pretty far to make it to Berlin.”

    That was reassuring, though he couldn’t recall where Mecklenburg was. He vaguely remembered seeing it on a map however.

    “We gotta get going. Come with us. The shop we look for is down the street.”

    Yovahn nodded and began moving in that direction, thereby continuing their mission now with one extra member. His eyes drifted back over to the blonde. For some reason, he couldn’t help put the idea of bears and wolves out of his mind.

    “You know your country better than I,” he stated, “but tell me…doesn’t Berlin have any zoos? It is possible, however likely, that our recent vegetation could have unleashed new friends into the local ecosystem. Worth considering.”

    It was worth noting the possibility at least.

    Here he looked back at Aya as they moved. “How did you survive alone this long? Were you just playing hunter the whole time?”

    It was hard to imagine though he’d likely would have had to do it if the group hadn’t found them when they did. It was possible he still might have to in the future. Backpacking and hiking in general, yes, he loved them already. But hunting? All this foraging for food?

    Never in his life would he have guessed that it could be his destiny to do.

    Damn Green Apocalypse.

    Tag: Julia & Aya @RachelTyrell @Kurisan @SirakRomar
     
  24. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    Aya, Near Schlesisches Tor, Pankow

    Aya listened to Yovahn and nodded.

    “Hmmm, maybe zoo, maybe wild wolves. They have good smell and travel far when hungry. I studied at university how animals get close to extinction then come back. I did not see a bear, just tracks. I only know what I saw. Maybe from zoo yes, but I don’t think you had one in Berlin zoo. Maybe not bear but something else.”

    Yovahn then said, “How did you survive alone this long? Were you just playing hunter the whole time?”

    She smiled. “Oh, I don’t hunt. I am growing garden. I found lots of seeds and also already growing potatoes and courgettes and other things and I replant. You can cut some roots then replant to make more. You ever see that film the Martian? It is real science. I studied environmental science.”

    She happily followed them to the shop.

    TAG: @Darth_Elu @SirakRomar
     
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  25. RachelTyrell

    RachelTyrell Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2009
    Julia
    Approaching Wrangelstraße

    The Zoo. She had not thought about that one. The damned Zoo.

    Knut.

    „Let us hope you just misread them.“ She said silently and withdrew from the conversation to look for the shop now. The story of the woman had it‘s difficulties. Timetable and all that. Usually the perspective thing was hard, but she assumed they all had times which they rather would not like to speak of. She kinda wished Justin was here. He was good at figuring stuff out. But it had been her idea to go alone with Yohvan on the mission. She just wanted to have some time alone with, get to know him. Now Ms. Hotpants showed up. Actually she was happy they met new people, but she had the feeling this one would not fit in so easily.

    So she left the discussion about the Martian to them and instead wondered why she had the feeling that something was wrong around here.

    Tag: @Darth_Elu, @Kurisan, @SirakRomar
     
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