TRUTH OR DARE

[cactusy]

1) Post your characters, one per comment.
2) Comment around ICly asking other characters "truth or dare?"
3) Truth is self-explanatory; dares should involve tagging out to another character's top level somehow ("Insult someone you find terrifying", "Tell someone you think is hot one thing you find sexy about them", "Strike up a conversation using the most awkward non-sequitur you can come up with", etc.)

Comments

[somethingintangible]

You never saw the sun? Levi...

[ Maddy trails off, quietly and sadly. Her heart is kind of breaking for him a little. This explains a lot honestly, but she's not completely sure what to say in response to it. Her own upbringing wasn't always easy, but at least she could go outside. What would it be like to be confined to underground, ]

Did you ever get to... not... be underground?

[wingbound]

[ Oh no! He didn't mean to upset her! But she asked for the truth... and that is, unfortunately, generally very upsetting in his world. ]

...Yeah. When I was in my twenties. Someone noticed my skills and figured I'd be more useful in the military. Been topside ever since.

[ Blackmailed into putting his life on the line the entire time, but details! He never bore any ill will toward Erwin for that though; it was still infinitely better than being trapped in the dark, damp Underground waiting for the police or lung infections to finally finish him off, essentially rotting alive with no hope for a future. At least up there he could make a difference, and breathe fresh air. ]

[somethingintangible]

...Just like that?

[ Maddy thinks about it. At first glance, there's not a lot of similarity in their situations. Her life has been markedly easier than his in many ways, that's for fucking sure.

But she can relate, a little bit, to seeing only dumb luck and someone else's good graces as the way out of a dour situation. She didn't exactly grow up rich, and the life she's aspired to doesn't seem possible without rich benefactors, mostly in the form of the men she dates. ]

Do you feel lucky? That someone noticed you? Did you ever think it would happen?

[wingbound]

[ No, not quite just like that. But her assessment is pretty much correct; he likely never would have gotten above just with his own power, even if he would have likely become something of a (n unofficial, crime) king in the Underground. ]

[ He has to think about the question. ]

Yes and no. I was given the choice between joining the Scouting Regiment or the gallows. If I had never stood out... [ he considers. ] Perhaps my friends would still be alive. Perhaps not. I can't know that. But I do feel lucky that I got to breathe fresh air, that I was given... a purpose. So I don't regret it.

[somethingintangible]

[ Maddy thinks about that. She's never really thought much about having a "purpose" before, but she's also never been in a circumstance as bleak as it sounds like his was. It sounds like the kind of thing that might make somebody crave that kind of direction in their lives. ]

That's good. I'm glad you don't. [ One thing does stick out to her, though. ] What happened to your friends? Why do you think they might still be alive if you hadn't gone up to the surface?

[wingbound]

[ His face doesn't change much, but she might be starting to catch on that his eyes are a lot more expressive than the rest of the stoic mask he tends to wear. They soften a bit, and look sad. ]

The deal to join the military, it was for all three of us. [ His gaze grows more distant, like he's steeling himself for the rest. ] They were killed in action.

[somethingintangible]

[ He's not the touchiest person, and she knows that. But it's hard to know how else to comfort him. It's not like there's anything you can say to something like that. She can see the sad look in his eyes; she can almost feel the heaviness of his voice.

So she closes the small distance between them. Her hand starts to rest at his elbow, then crests gently to his shoulder, where she squeezes. Gently. ]

[wingbound]

[ He tenses slightly under her touch but doesn't jerk away. Perhaps he thinks she's the one who needs it. His voice returns to the usual inflectionless tone again. ]

That's enough playing for me. Somebody needs to keep the boars out of the camp.

[ He's bailing!.. ]

[somethingintangible]

[ She blinks, a little surprised by the abruptness, but then she nods. ]

Okay. I'll go with you. You can show me how not to get trampled.

[ She won't force him to talk about it anymore if he doesn't want to. But she doesn't think he should be alone like this. ]

[wingbound]

...

[ Well. That's not how he planned for this to go, and he definitely doesn't feel like talking more about it right now -- unless he had reason to believe it would comfort her somehow. But. He's not going to tell her to sit down and stay put either. He knows he himself wouldn't like that, at least. ]

...Fine. Try to stay close.

[ And away they go! ]

[somethingintangible]

[ Fin? <3 ]