we're a ( catastrophe ) // toni+xenos

Stare
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and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

we're a ( catastrophe ) // toni+xenos Jul 13, 2017 19:29:52 GMT -5

Post by Stare on Jul 13, 2017 19:29:52 GMT -5

[googlefont="Sanchez:400"]

do what you want to me
what have i got to lose
we’re a catastrophe
both of us black and blue

Gunnar liked to pretend everything was simple, but Toni knew better. He'd asked for volunteers and he'd gotten them - plenty - but she'd seen the expression that crossed Xenos' face as the makeshift living room of the Roost emptied out. Gunnar ignored it, walking past the two of them without a work, and it took all her willpower not to pull a face at his retreating back. Instead, she turned her attention to the sharpshoot.

It was a gamble, and she knew he could never resist one of those. But this was different. This was their lives on the line. She wanted to tell him that she felt the same anxious twist in her stomach, the same reluctance to dive in way over their heads, but that wasn't how she and Xenos worked. So instead she pulled a deck of cards out of her back pocket, gesturing toward the beat up coffee table and shooting him a quick smile. "Care for a game?"

She distributed the chips evenly between them - like hell was she going to be the one to take all his money - and tried to ignore the heavy silence as she dealt two cards to each of them, peering at her own and then glancing at him. "Your bet." A pause. "Do you want to talk about it?"

oh no the vertigo’s coming
can’t keep me on my feet
god knows i’m trying to be someone
my vision’s failing me

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we're a ( catastrophe ) // toni+xenos Jul 13, 2017 19:55:34 GMT -5

Post by Benson Sharpe D3M [Tom] on Jul 13, 2017 19:55:34 GMT -5

Xenos Holmström

There's a knot in his stomach. He's had stab wounds, gunshot wounds, and broken bones, but the knot in his stomach never went away. There's a fear in him that one of the Crows could die. One of them could get caught and punished for it all. There was so much on the line that Xenos could feel his heart beating out of his chest. He's already had his smoke for the day. He's already put on a smile for Gunnar and told his father that he loved him. There was a disgust in his eyes as Xenos had come home in weeks, but he wasn't going to let his last words to his father be. I'm gonna be out.

He couldn't do that to his father. They're emptying the room and he can feel his hand shake for a moment, but he halts it as he can feel Toni's eyes on him. There's no smile on his face, but he can feel himself slowly relaxing as she pulls out a deck of cards. He knew what would come next. A simple game that could relax his nerves from all of the crazy talk that they had done just minutes ago. Death looming over with a hand on his shoulder and he would aim like it mattered if he had to. This was his job and he was good at it.

"Care for a game?"

He only nods as he sits down at the table. Tw0 cards to him and he can already tell that lady luck had blessed him. Her words seem to create a warmth to the air and he can feel himself relaxing just a little bit. "Your bet." A pause comes right after she speaks. There's nothing more than that knot that eats away at his stomach. He can feel himself growing nervous. He places the revolver in his jeans more comfortably, so he can lean forward. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He places a bet of ten dollars and smiles softly at Toni. He speaks calmly as his hand moves along the table, face turning neutral again.

"Just nervous... for everyone is all. Just wanna make sure we all get out of here alive."

He looks at his hand again and then back into her eyes with a small smile.

"Your turn, hun."

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Stare
Retired Staff

3,105 POSTS

Pronouns: she/her
last seen Feb 15, 2024 23:43:11 GMT -5

and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

we're a ( catastrophe ) // toni+xenos Jul 13, 2017 20:13:35 GMT -5

Post by Stare on Jul 13, 2017 20:13:35 GMT -5

[googlefont="Sanchez:400"]

do what you want to me
what have i got to lose
we’re a catastrophe
both of us black and blue

She smiled, tilting the corners of her cards up briefly before tossing in a chip of her own. "I call."

There was more two it than what he was saying, and the reality of it was heavy and uncomfortable between him as she dealt three cards into the middle. King of spades, seven of clubs, and nine of clubs. She glanced at her cards again, chewing on her inner cheek. Gunnar was the one who didn't bother with feelings - he pretended he was above them even though they both knew it wasn't true - but Toni didn't like leaving words unspoken. They only came back to bite later.

They could slaughter us all. We're rats, and they're the kind of people who like to exterminate.

But Gunnar had talked her into it, anyway. He was the only person who could do that. She bet she'd jump off a cliff if he used the right words to tell her to. Now, without the excited glint in those normally expressionless eyes, she felt an edge of doubt creeping in. It tasted bitter and far too much like regret.

"Gunnar wants to put crowns on our heads." She said at last, gesturing to his pile of chips to indicate his bet. "He wants to make our pockets heavy, elevate our names. He wants us to be something bigger than we are. Kings and queens." She paused, sighed. "But we're not, are we? We're fighters, instead."

oh no the vertigo’s coming
can’t keep me on my feet
god knows i’m trying to be someone
my vision’s failing me

Benson Sharpe D3M [Tom]
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Pronouns: He/Him
Member is Online

OowoO

we're a ( catastrophe ) // toni+xenos Jul 13, 2017 21:07:52 GMT -5

Post by Benson Sharpe D3M [Tom] on Jul 13, 2017 21:07:52 GMT -5

Xenos Holmström

Eyes stare at the center cards and he looks at his hand. There's only a neutral expression on his face and then he speaks again.

"I call."

There's a glance up at her eyes and he's looking for a sign of a bluff or not. Either way, he didn't mind who won. Toni deserved to win more than he did. Toni deserved a lot more than what she got in general. Emotionless Gunnar always talking Toni into getting what he wants, but this plan of theirs to work with others was insane. They would make big bucks off of it, but he didn't like feeling like the distractions. The rich stayed rich and the poor suffered. He didn't want it biting them in the back in the end. They were nothing more than a bunch of hired hands and poor kids who had to fight for survival. They were fighters. They fought for everything that they could get and that's why they were family.

"Gunnar wants to put crowns on our heads." Crowning them like kings and queens. THey weren't that. He knew that all he wanted was riches, but companionship was another thing that was more important. They were all like a family to Xenos. As she continues to talk, he pats his thigh with his finger. He's nervous and the game's helping, but he's scared for everyone.

"He wants to make our pockets heavy, elevate our names. He wants us to be something bigger than we are. Kings and queens."

A sigh comes from her throat and he's already putting on a cheerful smile to the best of his abilities. They weren't that. They would never be kings and queens with crowns of gold. There would never be elevated name of Xenos Holmström. Only a name that would live in debt and in a gutter with nothing, but violence and flirty words. He's silent as she continues on.

"But we're not, are we? We're fighters, instead."

He speaks up now with a finger tapping his jeans, foot slowly shaking under the table.

"If I wanted to elevate my name, I would have become a Peacekeeper. Would have looked good in all white too, but we weren't meant to be Kings and Queens. We are fighters, but there's only so much fighters can do. I just want us to stay alive. I want us to keep doing our own thing."

A sigh escapes his throat and the hand that was once tapping his jeans runs across his shaved head. He continues.

"I'm scared of losing the people I care about, Toni. Could I even save you if something happened? What would we do if we had to go into hiding? All of these questions are running through my brain."

He admits the one thing that he hates saying. The one thing that he's never said out loud to anyone ever. Not even his own parents. He was strong and brave. His trainers used to tell him admitting fear would get him killed.

"I'm scared, Toni."

Made by hesper hart 🐺 d9f