i'm still alone in my mind — open, intro

[roman]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 600px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt;"][color=black]Mare never did like the weather in Europe. Cold, rainy, sunless. Just a miserable place in general for someone as inherently miserable as she. Staying in Old Ireland with her mother's family was just... horrid. Ireland itself is a beautiful place, but she oftentimes found herself daydreaming about the vast golden fields of prairie grasses back in North America. Flat land filled with nothing but plains and bison and cows and feral horses for miles and miles. Sun is Mare's greatest friend. She loves the sensation of warm sunlight radiating through her tired bones. Suffice to say that Griffingate's location suits the young woman better than her residence prior to the rebellion and the suffering. It's nice enough here, but Mare is not fond of the city. She prefers the openness of the countryside, but she makes do with parks and green spaces where she can find them. The only thing that could make life in Griffingate better is if her parents made it through the rebellion. Or Aoife. She'd take her younger sister's annoying babbling over this crippling loneliness any day.

A wide yawn splits the woman's plain features. Wild brown curls tied back in a ponytail which does nothing to tame its volume, and a lean frame adorned by loose-fitting jeans and a red flannel are all that is visible from a distance as Mare casually climbs a tree. And why is she climbing a tree? No particular reason. She's just bored. Bored and jobless. Bored and jobless and sad, but who isn't these days? So scaling this old oak seems like a good alternative to proactive work. It's not a particularly difficult endeavor. Five minutes and some scraped palms and then she is sitting on the lowest, most stable bough. Climate change has killed off most of the planet's biodiversity at this point, but there are still plenty of birds and small rodents who call the park home. With nothing else to do, Mare retrieves a small sketchbook from her back pocket and begins to doodle a hazel grouse. It's a small, rotund bird with lots of fluff. Perfect for mindless, heavily stylized sketches. Reality is shitty enough that Mare cannot be bothered by drawing realistically. Was that too emo? Yeah, probably. But it's not like she has any friends or family to tell her that.

She yawns again, idly scratching some point on her scalp more as an effect of deep thought than possessing any actual itch. Striking heterochromatic eyes peer down upon another park creature, unaware that some weird, lonely girl is perverting their likeness into her sketchbook in the form of lazy doodles. She sighs. Still bored.

[Beatles.]

[roman]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 600px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt;"][color=black]In the city, it is easy to forget all the death and destruction which has occurred recently. Griffingate is modern and new. One can easily forget that the world has already ended. Some people like to remind themselves constantly that the world is not nearly as peaceful as it may appear, but Mare? Suffice to say that she is perfectly happy deceiving herself that perhaps one day she'll see her family again. Ignorant and hopeful is vastly more desirable than being sad and miserable. Ignorance truly is bliss. That's what she claims, at least. Mare often loses herself in her drawings. Back in her apartment, the walls are covered in intricate murals depicting the vastness of the open plains before the destruction, among other things. Hours could be spent within the comfortable confines of her flat, and she would be oblivious to the passage of time.

Even now, in the relative bustle of the park, Mare finds herself absorbed in her silly little doodles. So much so that she is once again startled by the arrival of Elias. This time, however, she nearly falls from the tree. "You're a sneaky one," she remarks in a low voice after releasing a very colorful string of curses. Mare is well aware that Elias did no sneaking and it was simply her lack of awareness that led to the situation, but she'll be damned before she admits responsibility. Her amber eyes is concealed by a rogue strand of curls cascading down the left side of her face, leaving only the blue to peer curiously at the man before her. He asked a question. She knows that she should respond. But she was startled and Elias is hot and it's a well known fact that Mare is useless when it comes to hot people. It's just too easy to get distracted in admiring his jawline, the stubble, the fashion...

Oh, right. The question. "Uh, you're gonna have to specify. 'Cus I draw all the time but I happened to climb this tree on a whim." Actually, he doesn't have to specify because Mare answered it all herself. Remember? Useless. She's absolutely useless. "Why're you here?"

[Orion]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 600px; text-align: justify;"]THE FEAR OF FALLING APART
Frederick had yet to thank Elias for his celebration, so when he heard the familiar man's voice, he strayed over. Sadly, it wasn't just him, but instead some other younger female with him. An unfamiliar one at that. Yet, he stayed, as he was too embarrassed to walk in the other direction like nothing had happened. Instead, he shot a smile in their direction and continued on his route. Soon, the sovereign was at their position and he let out a sigh of relief. "What a lovely day," he offered as a conversation starter, though their conversation wasn't exactly finished, nor exactly started. The male just happened to stray into their business like it was his own. Ignorance, sometimes, is bliss. Not in his case... Someday some figure would slap him for prodding himself into every little conversation.

Even so, he just clenched his teeth. Seeing her in that tree just hurt his back and caused his heels to sore. Oh how old age punished him so. "I think he means-" He paused. "Well..." Frederick gestured to her on the tree, slapping the trunk lightly afterwards to emphasize his point. "Though, you made your point." 'Shut up Frederick.'

As for the question she asked, Frederick just decided to let him answer. If he was to answer, he'd answer sarcastically or point out that they were all here for the same reason (or so he assumed)... because they god damn lived here.

[roman]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 600px; text-align: justify; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10pt;"][color=black]Out of the corner of her oddly colored eyes, Mare notices an unlikely arrival. Frederick. King Frederick. She was born and raised in the Americas so the young woman is still getting accustomed to the whole...European thing...but she is pretty sure that Kings don't usually mingle with the commoners like this. Not that Mare's complaining. It's very clear that she has a crush by the way her head rockets up and her eyes, one brown and one blue, lock upon the King's figure. Elias is cute, that's for sure. But he isn't a king. Oh God, oh God, oh God. He's looking at me! Shit!!! "Uh, yeah...s'alright, I suppose." She wants to go off on a tangent about how France doesn't even hold a candle to North Dakota but that would be weird so she holds her tongue. Plus, she doesn't want to trash-talk the King's kingdom right in front of the King. Mare does her best to disguise it, but there is no denying the faint blush burning upon her freckled cheeks as she awkwardly averts her gaze. Frederick doesn't know her, but she knows him. And she's already making a wonderful impression...

Thankfully, it seems that the monarch is having just as difficult of a time to make conversation. Although looking cool and composed in front of him would have been better, she'll settle with the knowledge that he is just as awkward as her. "I get what you're tryin' to say." An amused smile tugs at her lips, rough bark scraping at the tender skin on the underside of slender legs as she adjusts her position to face both of the men. The Gods must be testing her today. Two attractive men. One, a sexy bartender. The other, a king. A king! Authority is very appealing. Unfortunately, Mare is an expressive person. And because of that, she cannot hide her emotions. Everything plays out upon her rather plain features like a drama film where she's the tragically comedic relief. Woe is me.

[Beatles.]

[Orion]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 600px; text-align: justify;"]THE FEAR OF FALLING APART
How uncomfortable. Just like Elias, he was already astonished by her various moods. Frederick's hand just raised to the back of his scalp and began to rub it as he laughed a little to himself. This was something he was accustomed to. Though he was rather reserved to himself, he still liked to observe out in the city and enjoy the company of others. Small talk was his thing, really. Even so, every now and then, someone happened to get a little spooked. While reasonable, he too felt the awkwardness during so and only wished he could be seen as a fellow citizen... just with a little more power. Still, his wish would never come true. Every now and then, someone would have to be astonished. It never got old either way.

A sigh left him. "The sight of you on this tree pains me," he offered to fill the silence. Elias seemed like he was also in the same position. "My bones are practically cracking and creaking right now." Though, he thought, there must be a nice breeze up there.

///i want a private thread with mare so bad now!!

[roman]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 600px; text-align: justify; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10pt;"][color=black]Yes, Elias did surprise her that bad. Mare is an easily startled creature, much like the animals with which she shares a name. But it is not because she fears the entire world, but because she is so easily lost within the world of her thoughts. Such is the life of one with an abundance of escapist fantasies. Everyone lost someone when the world ended, Mare is no exception. But instead of moving on and going forward like many of the survivors, she does her best to fool herself into believing that the world is just how it was before it all went to shit. The loneliness is easier to handle when she loses herself in her thoughts. Not that she will ever admit to it, of course. I'm goin' to work. Mare perks up at this. "Already? It's still only nine o'clock. What time does your bar even open?" Weren't bars like...nighttime things? Then again, Mare is not much of a drinker, so what does she know? At least Elias has a job and is productive instead of hanging out in trees all day like everyone's favorite slacker.

Heterochromatic eyes dart over to Frederick once more. She finds him charming when he gets awkward and flustered. "You're not that old, you know," she remarks with a short laugh. "Plus, I'm not even that high up. I've seen what you can do with a sword so I'd be surprised if you couldn't climb a tree." Does that sound creepy? Like she has been watching him? God, she hopes not. Mare only meant to say that she saw him fight at the raid, but words never really seem to work in her favor. Her cheeks are still tinted pink, and they only blaze hotter at Eli's question. "Of course I'm fine!" she exclaims in embarrassment, which only makes her more embarrassed. "It's just hot and I suck at talking to people." Probably because she isolates herself and substitutes human interaction for imaginary relationships with people.

//i can make one if you'd like

[Orion]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 600px; text-align: justify;"]THE FEAR OF FALLING APART
He'd like to believe her, really, but he simply could not accept nor deny that. Many people these days barely lived to his age. Others died between the warring groups, other grew mutated to the point of their own destruction. Hell, if he wasn't royalty, who knows how long he would of lived. For now though, he just smiled and took her word for it, though deep down he knew it was very untrue in a sense. "That's all arms," he pointed out snappily. "I tend to miss leg day." More like his knees were giving out...

Oh Elias... He had to point it out. "If you say so, dear," the sovereign teased lightly.

//that'd be lovely!! thank you <3