endternal

[endternal]

WHERE: outside sweet cheeks cabaret WHEN: 1st may WHO: anyone! ( @anchoragestarters ) CAP: none for now

Perhaps it went without saying that events like these were, well, not exactly Karam's scene. He'd likely have garnered himself a reputation for avoiding them were it not for the fact that he was, by his own design, too elusive to even cross anybody's mind. Yet, the only force in Karam's life stronger than the burning desire to be left alone at all costs was his morbid curiosity – he'd noticed the sordid pattern of town events ending in strange, often tragic, ways and had been keeping a watchful eye on things. Yet, despite these noble goals, he'd barely spent much time inside the building before a stranger made brief eye contact with him and he was so rattled that all he could think to do was abruptly march away from them (although not without swiping a plateful of chicken from the buffet first). Now, instead, he was squatting outside, just by the entryway, and tearing chunks out of a chicken wing with his teeth.

Or, at the very least, he was trying to. The regular comings and goings of bodies through the doorway made things a little trickier than he might have liked. One of these bodies brushed past him, grazing his arm with just enough force that he lost his grip on the wing he'd been eating and dropped it. On the ground. In the dirty old asphalt. He lifted his head to shoot this stranger a withering look, only to discover it was the same person he'd already escaped indoors. "You," he said, his irritation barely restrained, "are a nightmare."

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 starter. 」 #anchoragestarters #SORRY THIS ONE'S A LITTLE STRANGE BUT I WANTED to use the lottery to throw karam at the event...against all odds & logic hehe #i feel like i've had a few confrontational opens lately so...my next one will be nicer <3 #some of my muses are just VERY BAD at making friends

[endternal]

WHERE: old dilapidated cabin in the woords WHEN: unspecified date in february, 2024 WHO: bronx dong-geun ( @thvnderr )

Karam's memories were littered with cabins just like this one; crooked old things, hidden amongst the trees and away from the prying eyes of the world, where he would be kept studying and learning, fashioned by some greater authority for eventual use as a kind of tool. He had been stood in the centre of that dusty old room when he heard motion outside, the sound of the door handle turning, and slipped soundless into the shadows, careful to avoid the curious weapons that had stared him down upon his own entrance. He'd meant to steal a closer look but, alas, there was no time for it now. From his vantage point, it had been easy for Karam to see who had entered the cabin and he had recognised them immediately. One of his own kind, of his own order: Bronx. He had known Bronx, vaguely, although they were younger and belonged to an entirely different order -- the same as Mindy, if he were to recall correctly. Karam rarely recalled incorrectly.

And, rather than reveal himself and ask what it was Bronx was doing here, Karam settled upon merely watching, silent as Bronx searched the floorboards for something unseen, gaze flitting from his fellow Grim Fox to the various dormant weapons and back again. Surely, the sense of dread rising along his spine was misplaced?

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 starter. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & bronx. 」 #thvnderr #sorry this took a hot minute!! #i thought abt ending this with karam getting shot but since that happens after bronx explores i wanted to let u #have a chance to work through that first if u wanted! #didn't want to just skip ahead SDGASHSH #so that's why this is a lil vague i guess! #but lmk if this needs fixed!

[endternal]

"Mmhm," nodded Karam, on whom the Daredevil reference was totally wasted. For reasons much too complicated and, even more than that, confidential for him to ever explain aloud, Karam was not all too clued up on pop culture, least of all comic books and super heroes. But, because he'd never been fond facing up to gaps in his knowledge, he awkwardly shrugged it off. "Maybe. Might slow things down a little. Not that the exact timeframe matters when you're dead." If that was a needlessly intense response, it didn't occur to Karam. He preferred to be honest about things, because he found the business of convenient half-truths confusing and fiddly, and was of the opinion that, after the past year or so, the threat of death should be a common expectation for the people of this town. He'd never bothered to ask if anybody else agreed. He let out a short sigh, not one of disappointment or derision but simply of mild exasperation. It wasn't really this person's fault, Karam's patience just had a way of wearing thin too quickly, not that he was prone to outbursts. Usually, he would sit quietly with his frustrations instead, perhaps even leave a conversation prematurely, but he couldn't shake the feeling he ought to stay put this time. He wanted this person to heed his warnings. “If I tell you that, I'm putting a target on my back,” Karam said, fixing his cool gaze on them. His one rule, this whole time, was that he'd only share what he knew with a person he trusted wholeheartedly. He wasn't certain such a person existed. But it was true that he'd been raised a Grim Fox and even that alone was a truth too heavy for most. This one knew too much. He'd heard, through some filtered grapevine, a note to that affect had been found with that dead woman's body and he had taken it only as a warning. “I'm not trying to belittle you but...if you must go around playing amateur detective, at least find someone to go along with you.”

Andrea couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head a little. "Yeah, that would be super helpful if I'm up against Daredevil wouldn't it." She would always tackle humor with humor and being a nerd in more ways than one. "It's better than nothing if you think about it." They replied, placing their hands in their pockets, their eyes never leaving the strangers as the two of them conversed.

Their eyes watched as the leaves fall from his hair and down to the ground below, going a bit faster thanks to the gentle breeze that had caught them. "Really? What suspicions have you had?" She asked curiously, she moved a bit closer to him, but kept the space between the two of them. "The investigations don't put me off either, but I feel like sometimes the people of the town can do quite a bit to get that investigation closer and closer to the finish line." The blonde looked at him with a little smirk on their face. "Who says I'm not a culprit?" She asked before waving her hand a little. "I'm not but I honestly don't care, it wouldn't be the first time somebody was watching me."

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & andrea. 」

[endternal]

As far as warning people, there was only so much Karam could do if the other person had other ideas. It was worth no more effort than trying to grow sunflowers in a dark room. He had had his doubts as to the usefulness of a single metal torch against a group of assailants and he suspected, if the spectres haunting this town could have been taken down with a bottle of mace, they would have been stopped long ago. But it wasn't as though he had all the answers himself. There was no way he could begrudge them their curiosity. Instead, all he said was, “Mace is just another way of blinding your enemies. So long as they're missing both eyes, you'll be fine.” (This was, of course, a sarcastic remark, not that Karam was all that good at tackling sarcasm himself.)

“The investigations don't put me off,” said Karam, brushing the leaves out of his hair with one hand and letting them flutter and twirl to the broken asphalt at his feet. “But that's only because I had my suspicions about this place before that.” Although Karam was wont to keep to himself and rarely made casual conversation with others, he'd made himself, by accident or design, privy to many of the town's stranger rumours. A place like this was ripe and ready for ghost stories. “I wouldn't go around looking for clues, if I were you. At least, not if I weren't planning to keep it to myself afterwards,” he said, lifting his chin and wearing a cautious expression. “Why put yourself on the culprit's radar?”

Andrea looked down at the torch in her hand,granted it probably wouldn't be the best thing in a fight, if it hadn't been a metal torch. "I mean I could always give them a hit with it. These metal torches can pack quite a punch if I wanted it to." She replied admiring it once more before bringing it back down. "That and I have mace in my pocket." Giving a gentle pat to their coat pocket.

Their eyes followed his finger to where he was pointing, over towards the overgrowth, of course they would find themselves in the middle of the woods with somebody that wasn't chatty, but in a way they were okay with that. "Yeah I know that they are doing investigations around here, seems to have become a common thing around here." Andrea replied before shaking her head a little in reply to his question. "Not at all, sometimes going on these walks could be helpful to an investigation, could find a clue or something. Does it put you off?" She asked curiously.

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & andrea. 」

[endternal]

Karam glanced back over his shoulder, staring down at the undergrowth from which he had just surfaced, and then up at the sky, eyes narrowing against the setting sun. Finally, his gaze returned to this sudden stranger and all he could offer them was a quizzical look. It was not yet dark, he'd just left his hiding place. “I was about to leave,” said Karam, his bewilderment fashioning what should have been a simple statement into something that sounded a little more like a question. “I'm not so stupid as to make a hypocrite of myself.” It was difficult for Karam to even attempt hypocrisy, because he tended to think things through so thoroughly. If ever there came a time where he set a rule for someone that did not apply to himself, he would most certainly have a strong argument as to why that was. He could be unfair, certainly, but never truly hypocritical.

“You could have a steak knife in your bag for all I care,” he said. “It's still not safe here.” Although he did not want to cause any unnecessary upset by saying so, Karam had his doubts that a taser would get anybody very far around here. He'd heard enough of the strange rumours about Pinella Pass to gather that there were things happening around here that most people would not understand, even if this specific person was better armed than he was. That is to say, of course, that Karam was not armed at all. “People disappear all the time in this town. What makes you think it's a good idea to march right into a lion's den with the equivalent of a spotlight on you?” Then, after a short silence, he had a thought. A sudden thought that he found himself voicing before he'd even finished running through it; Karam was not always as calculated as he'd like to be. “Did you come here because of all the rumours?”

What many a soul didn't inquire about was Hermione's investigative side hustles. Alright, well, deeming them side hustles was more than a stretch — it was glorified homework for the plays they would construct on their typewriter and ultimately shove in the depths of their desk as none of them were as pristine as they appeared to them in their mind's eye. They were young, they were learning, still, it was infuriating to not immediately hone a skill you've just picked up in the past few years. Certainly twenty months should be enough to make a competent writer out of oneself! At least, that's what the starling once believed. The library's worth of wasted paper rotting in their trash bins would respectfully disagree. But that was neither here nor there, as they had undertaken a new project that would, fingers crossed, catapult them into success at last.

That project of course being the events that transpired leading to the grisly discoveries at Pinella Pass. What else? It was quite possibly the easiest way they could research a topic without nearly physically fighting one of the computers at the cafe... Not that it was an option anymore. Or that it ever was. Approaching the scene with their trusted journal for note-taking and standing on business in their freshly polished Mary Janes, the starling cocked their head sideways whenever their presence was questioned by another perhaps too-curious resident that was summoned from the forest, presumably from the click of their heels. "And you should be?" they countered on instinct. "I have a flashlight. It doubles as a taser."

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & hermione. 」

[endternal]

The Grim Fox had not designed Karam for combat. He had been trained to stay in the shadows and kill from the distance; the cold fingers of death may have dug their nails into the throats of his targets but he was never to lay a finger of his own upon any of them. He had been raised to kill, like any Miroir, but his body had never been the weapon so much as his brain had been. Even now, his appearance from beneath the undergrowth, as though he had been summoned from the Earth itself, was a remnant of that particular training. He knew how to fight solely because he had taught himself so, this being skill that had proven necessary when he'd lived on the streets, but he fought dirty, making up for his lack of brute strength with speed and agility and a talent for biting down hard. But he'd tried to leave all that behind him, as though he'd locked that whole period of his life away in a drawer, too high-up for anyone to reach and reopen. He had no desire to ignite any conflict here today.

And, yet, his spine felt stiff, his shoulders tense. Her hands in her pockets, away and out of sight, begged his caution. He kept his own hands out in the open, a show of good will as much as a safety precaution. Karam was not armed.

“I should not,” said Karam. No, I should not be here. The words were enunciated quickly but carefully and, though his voice was not monotonous, it lacked somewhat in melody. Not as reckless and loud like a raging rapids nor as bouncy and trickling as a stream but thin and silvery like the calm of a river. This stranger, she was something more like a lit flint waiting to ignite or a storm cloud ready to burst; perhaps it was just own his own well-buried nerves threatening to surface but the air felt to him thick as though there was thunder on the horizon. At her next question though, Karam found himself smirking despite himself.

“The sun has never shone on me,” he said, an eyebrow raised, as he inched a half-step back, shifting one foot behind him without really moving. To back away so obviously would be to make prey of himself, when the truth was simply that he liked his personal space. “I kept to the shade. I think I ought to keep it that way, so that I'm not blinded.” The words were cryptic, not quite a direct answer to her questions. He'd never truly learned to trust; the few people he'd bestowed upon whom he'd bestowed any trust at all were people he'd determined could not destroy him if they were to betray him anyway. This was not a mindset of which he was proud but a lifetime of being used as a tool had a way of twisting and shattering a person's perceptions. No matter how innocently she behaved now, Karam would not let his guard down. That had never been an option.

Then, finally, the source of that anxiety finally into place. He had been so fixated on watching her, making sure he knew her every move, that he'd lost all sense of his surroundings beyond that. He had never meant to leave his back open to the rest of the Pass behind him but now that he couldn't spare a glance over his shoulder, he felt open and vulnerable, like a gaping wound sat waiting for poison to be poured into it. With a bitter hiss of breath, he was forced to accept that he did not have the upper-hand here. A fox had no advantage over a wolf without an easy escape. Without thinking, Karam brushed a hand against the base of his throat, almost as though protecting it from the piercing of fangs determined to tear it right out.

“Beyond this is a place where not even the moon will shine,” he said, his voice low now, as quiet as the wind rustling through the trees. “We shouldn't be here.”

It was likely that snooping around town wasn't a good idea — especially when someone had strangled her at the Halloween party. But even with her family's abundance of resources, there were still no clues as to who it had been, and no further orders from the Scarlet Nightmare except to rest. Others had come to conclude that it was nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. After all, her incident was only one of many. Somehow, she doubted it. Because it had been said that there were two types of 'come what may' — involuntary and deliberate. Ara Kwon would always choose the latter.

She had been heading into the outskirts when the branches rustled and a stranger emerged from shrubbery, and for a moment Ara thought that nymph was a more apt description than person. The setting sun filtered between the leaves and left a rosy haze upon him, nature's halo; the sun's whisper of a kiss against his skin. Almost uncomfortably ethereal, and it only made her tense more; made her more untrusting. Because through the sunlight and the trees, there was a certain contained energy he seemed to emulate; a sudden tensing of muscle that was innately human; innately violent. Like a drop of blood in a corner of heaven.

She found she didn't quite mind it.

Still, Ara stuffed her hands into her pockets, cool metal of a pocketknife meeting warm skin. He didn't seem hostile — tone notwithstanding — which was almost disappointing. Previous near death experience or not, she would always enjoy a good fight.

( Because when a wolf defends — isn't it the same as an attack? The beast's innate need for violence dressed up in society's excuses and asked to dance. )

"And should you?" Ara tilted her head as she studied him, coquettish grin upon her lips as she stepped closer. Because if this stranger was a drop of blood in a corner of heaven, then she was the last sliver of light in the Underworld's perpetual darkness — the fleeting warmth in which one could not make a distinction between real and imagined; hope and mockery. "Or does the sun really shine brighter where you're standing — so that the darkness does not apply to you?" Another step closer, features still arranged to be a caricature of innocence. "Should I find out?"

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & ara. 」 #wipes forehead....i got SO into this one HSHDHDH #all these words just for karam to say like 4 cryptic things <3

[endternal]

Karam remained silent while Mindy burst back into the hall, the only reaction coming in the form of uncharacteristically unsubtle wince, his hands raised and posed as if ready to cover his ears. It was only once they stopped screaming that his expression finally fell. “That is what's wrong with you,” he said, brows furrowed in confusion as much as they were irritation. This wasn't quite true, a pointless barb invented on the spot. He was starting to think the suspicions he'd held earlier in the day, that the pair of voices echoing through the entire stairwell from floors below had belonged to Mindy and their hapless friend, were true after all. (For what is was worth, Karam did not know the first thing about that friend and their sole meaningful reaction had occurred months ago when the thief had tripped up on the way into the elevator and knocked Karam down like a bowling pin, further convincing him that the fire escape was the only decent way of leaving the building.) Whatever the issue they'd both been having was, the leftovers were now being dumped in Karam's reluctant lap.

Their positions in the Grim Fox had sat worlds apart from each other and so their training had skewed their own realities in vastly different ways. An arsonist's explosive nature was encouraged, if not celebrated, and Mindy's apparent inability to reel themselves back was a good example of that. People like them had never been taught to temper the fires burning in their guts, only to spread those flames out into the world. The toxicologists were different; they remained in the dark, in the silence. It was worked that required intense focus, that couldn't allow the risk of emotional blindness. And then there was Karam. They'd picked him out as a less emotional child, because he was quiet, and then forced him to swallow his own feelings when they realised he was fully capable of having his own outbursts. (He was supposed to be clever, that's what he was designed for, they didn't see why he should he cry over things that didn't bother the other children.) He didn't know how to express his own feelings well nor did he really know how to make sense of anybody else. He'd always been different from the other children at the facility and the overseers had built a thick wall around him to ensure it stayed that way. Had this been anybody else showing up his door and spilling their guts to him, he might have sent them away or even left his own apartment. Of all the Foxes left abandoned on the roadside, it seemed as though very few of them had reared their heads since. Karam wondered how many of them had wound up dead for the second time. But he and Mindy were close enough in age to have grown up in the system together. In a twisted sort of a way, they were (almost) the closest thing he had to family.

“I'm really the only person you could have asked about this?” Karam mused, canting his head like a cat trying to make sense of its surroundings, in the way he always did when he was confused. That didn't sound right to him. He wasn't sure of the full extent of Mindy's social circle but he'd always assumed it was at least a little wider than this, which seemed to consist of maybe three people. With some further thought, however, he supposed it might simply be that he was the only person left for them to ask, particularly considering it seemed as though they'd barged in the room off the back of a relatively less pleasant interaction. “I don't think it's not bad but I also don't think that matters,” he shrugged, slipping away from where Mindy stood half-panicking and towards the small kitchenette in the corner of the apartment. The last time they'd come around, they'd stolen his milk and, although he was still a little annoyed about that one, he'd taken it as a sign to stock up for their sake. He dug about in the fridge for a can of soda and yanked a large back of chips from the cupboard, before tossing them both in Mindy's direction. If they'd been a Fox worth their salt, they'd have the reflexes to catch. “Sit down, calm down,” he said, jerking his chin towards the dining table. There wasn't much space for more than one person to sit and eat, with the rest of the table being cluttered with books and potted plants and a sketchbook open on a page filled with pencil renderings of pigeons, but Karam was content to stay over by the fridge. “You say a lot of things I don't understand. If that's how you are, isn't it better to get that out of the way early on? I had always assumed love involved embracing a person's flaws.” (If this even counted as a flaw; at this point, Karam wasn't sure what he was meant to think.)

Sometimes, it felt as if the Grim Fox going dark and everyone getting the pink slip handed to them and tumbled out onto the streets was a sick fucking joke. As if Mindy had a lick of sense how to handle the brunt of society, lest they were held upside down by their ears and laughed at for it. Which was to say, after Ash's hearty busting of a lung at their expense, they'd almost expected of Karam to hash the same response. Mindy had made a fool of themselves once today, and it would be a never-ending hellscape of replaying it in their head with no advice or leg to stand on... and they'd already tearfully flubbed to Ash about how much of an ignoramus they felt. If they could crawl back to which hole they came out of, whatever machine spat them out unto the cold earth from some sci-fi cryopod, then they would have been seriously reconsidering it. Freedom had never been a wanted asset... it was something handed to them rudely, in their eyes. Storming their way into the apartment without further ado, they let out a gasp. "Why, what's wrong with me?!" Needless to say, they were sensitive after their own fuck-up. Whipping around with wide eyes, they were rebuked by Karam's next remark.

That woman... You told her you came from an egg, didn't you?

"What?!" There was a stunned beat of silence, as if the veil of their hypothetical was not opaque as a white sheet in the sunlight, and they sputtered as they thought of a rebuttal, their saliva flying everywhere as they gaped, "What makes you say that!" A foot stomped against the hardwood floor, the reverberation of the hard bottom of their platform definite to resonate through to the tenant below them. They puffed out their cheeks indignantly, avowed to an uneasy silence as their face turned redder than a maraschino cherry before they blurted out, "NO! Maybe —" Turning around with their lips pursed, they glared at the laundry chute sticking out of the hallway like an eyesore and pried it open, letting out a primal SHRIEK down its metallic chute. Their fists clenched up as a huff deflated their chest, turning back to Karam, the sheen of embarrassment palpable upon every feature. Mindy had never been deft at hiding their emotions, nor did they bother in the Grim Fox. They could behave as wily as they wanted as long as their tasks were carried out and their belly was full. Now, their stomach was on fire and the smoke was coming out of their ears, Ucalegon with no refuge in sight. "Do you think it's bad?" they finally ushered, biting their lower lip, "Like, is she gonna break up with me? I'm not sure if we're even dating. Oh my god, I'm gonna have to walk around Anchorage with a paper bag on my head."

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & mindy. 」 #WHY did i make this so long !! #starting to accept i might actually never write a truly short reply for karam #not karam accusing mindy of saying things he doesn't understand when half of what comes out his mouth is weird cryptic bullshit :pensive:

[endternal]

Karam let out a thin sigh; he had half-suspected that a town so prone to horrific 'accidents' (or so they said, not that he agreed; the Grim Fox never would have let Karam go out into the world so naïve) would have grown more cautious, more willing to heed warnings of danger. His gaze washed over this stranger, down and then up and then back down again, finally settling on the torch in their grasp. “What use is that on its own?” asked Karam, canting his head to one side. “I suppose you plan to get by on blinding your assailants?”

If he had been the more talkative type, he might have added that 'always' meant nothing in a town where some new threat lurked around the corner with each passing month. Just a year ago, there had been nothing particularly noteworthy about Pinella Pass, besides its abandonment and dilapidation. That could not be said today. Karam lifted his arm slowly, pointing a finger in the direction of the overgrowth from which he'd appeared. “I was sitting in there. That's what I was doing.” And then, after a short pause, he added, “I don't like speaking about myself. They're doing investigations around here, you know.” Karam's brows were furrowed now. He wasn't known for being particularly expressive most of the time but confusion had always looked painfully obvious on him. “Doesn't that put you off?”

People would have thought that Andrea was a little bit strange for going out for walks at night. However, the blonde always made sure to bring a light with her, usually just a small torch if she ever decided to head in to the woods, which was very rare. They were usually walks to get her mind off of work, especially if it had been a rough day and that day had been rough, mainly thanks to some of the rudest customers she had ever had to deal with.

They were lost in their thoughts, not even realising that they had stepped on a twig until she noticed somebody making their way from the overgrowth causing them to move back a little. Had they really been lost in their thoughts so much that they didn't even notice another person was there. "Oh it's okay, I always go for walks in the dark, I'll be fine, see." Andrea spoke, holding up the flashlight she had in her hand. "What are you doing out here?"

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & andrea. 」

[endternal]

Seeing Sky's face came as a strange sort of relief. Karam could not quite say he trusted Sky, because trust was not a thing he gave out too willingly, but he liked him well enough. In so many ways, the two were nothing alike. While Sky's family were vastly wealthy, Karam had spent years on the streets, scraping and scratching just to get by. Sky was bright and friendly and good with customers, in all the ways Karam most certainly was not. Although Karam had not fully made up his mind about Sky, for he had enough strange secrets of his own to know not to take anybody in this town at face value, he was happy to have his company. Karam felt a shallow sigh escape from his own chest, and he was aware now just how tense he had been.

“I was just leaving,” said Karam, glancing briefly back over his shoulder before snapping his gaze back on Sky. “I like places like this. It's good to escape for a little while.” In the past, he might have said he preferred the quiet here, that the city was too busy and hectic, but these days, a heavy cloud seemed to hang over the place. For the most part, people were going on with their lives as normal. Karam was still forced to jump over the same ever-nonsensical obstacles laid out for him by stubborn customers. But, at the very same time, the drone of the city was just so slightly muted by the gloom. Unable to make much sense of it all, Karam had been drawn more than ever to the natural world, a place where he understood the rules. No matter what, the leaves would wilt and fall from their branches and the pigeons he raised on the roof of the apartment block would come and go as they pleased each day. “In any case, I'm fine. This place, not so much.” Any elaboration on that was dismissed as too much work. He shook his head like a wet cat, dislodging most of the dead foliage caught up in his hair, and finally moved to meet where Sky where he stood.

And Sky was right; the sun was sinking ever lower and the sky was rapidly darkening. He thought to ask why Sky might have come all this way, only to turn back so readily, but he decided against it. For reasons he couldn't quite justify, Karam had no desire to talk about the pass. His only interest lay in leaving it behind. He strode on forward, expecting Sky to meet his pace or, at the very least, trail behind. “We've never met outside of work, have we?” asked Karam, abruptly turning to face Sky head-on. "Right now, we may as well be strangers." Although it was not immediately clear, this was Karam's way of being nosy.

Few people dared to adventure into the lonely parts of town and much less the woods. Legends and gossip had been running rampant across town about the murderer's identity. Some people were fierce believers of something supernatural haunting the area, of some strange monster or creatures stalking and striking down people during important holidays. Hm, that was true. Most attacks happened during a special occasion... Sky would have to write that down.

The rumors of someone crossing the threshold carefully established by nature caught his interest and so, rather sooner than later, the heir was following behind unknown steps, aware that this little promenade could be the last. He made no attempt on concealing his presence; if something or somewhere were to strike him, then he'd be prepared ( hopefully ).

Still, the encounter was unexpected, but rather positive to his own eyes. The neatness of his own persona, with crispy white dressing shirt, khaki trousers and petals stuck in his hair made a noticeable contrast against the wildness and even darkness that Karam seemed to emanate. Twigs and leaves on his friend's hair added a rather charming aura according to Sky's thoughts and so, when ominous words were directed at him, he simply stopped on his tracks with his forever-present smile before answering. "I could say the same about you, my friend." His own eyes staying on the movements of the other. "Is everything alright? If there is no problem, we should probably head back before the night engulfs us entirely."

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & sky. 」 #this feels a little rambly but asdfgh don't mind me! i hope this all makes sense #karam saying the least amount possible to get his points across sdfghj

[endternal]

WHERE: outskirts of pinella pass WHEN: late afternoon, sunset (around 4:30PM); january 2024 WHO: anyone! ( @anchoragestarters ) CAP: 4/4 FULLY CAPPED

In the overgrowth, he sat half-hidden, crouched low and in silence save for the scratching of his ballpoint pen against a tattered paper bag. He was sketching the tree in front of it, its leaves long since lost to the cruelty of Winter. The bark of it was gnarled and twisted but it spoke of a free life lived out in the open, something to which a much younger Karam could have never related. At this time of year, this part of town was not much to look at. Unlike the Spring, when the road was dressed in lush greens, all that survived now were the plants hardy and wretched enough to survive the cold. Still, Karam liked it. He often came here on his days off, just to be alone, for it was usually quiet while the sun was up. What happened after dark, he did not care to look into; he had his suspicions about this place and was happy to leave it alone.

The deafening snap of a twig cleaved in two echoed out into the clearing and Karam snapped to attention. He shoved the bag and pen into his pocket and pulled himself to his feet. Time seemed to run away from him out here; although the snow had taken on a cool peachy glow, he had only just noticed that dusk was falling. Peering through the branches of a dying bush, Karam saw that the intruder was nothing more than a regular person. That likely wasn't a good thing.

Karam slipped noisily out from behind the overgrowth. He could have chosen to be silent and run off without a trace if he'd wanted. A part of him did want to, it was about time he left this place anyway. But, because he needed to catch their attention, he had no choice but to make his presence known. Once he was back out in the open, he pulled himself up to his full height. Karam had never been tall or physically imposing but, with his hair littered with twigs and grass, but he stood with purpose. One might even mistake him for some sort of strange spirit, bound to guard the trees. "You shouldn't be here," he said, words sharp but not quite hissed, before looking up at the dimming sky. "It's getting dark."

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 starter. 」 #anchoragestarters #to the mods! i hope this setting was okay for me to use! i kept it outside the actual pass just to be safe! but lmk if it needs changed! c: #tbh the mio open being nice & short was honestly just a precursor to the fact i knew this wouldn't be ASDFGH #anyway!! there's no need to match exact length; i just wanted to set a scene #(other replies will come later; i'll be queuing them later in the week <3 just wanted to get this posted)

[endternal]

TAEMIN The Rizzness Performance Video Teaser Image

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 visuals. 」 #long post // #weeeeeee hoohoohahahahaaaaaaaaaa i am obsessed #sorry for the dash spam with this i just really like these photos 🥹

[endternal]

"It doesn't matter," said Karam, barely masking his disappointment. He'd been banking on someone who would give a bolder response but he was stuck with someone who'd sooner tremble out of their skin; not a problem in and of itself, and Karam could at least sympathise with the desire to escape a sudden social interaction, but this wasn't what he'd been looking for. "If you have nothing to say, just tell me that. I'm a stranger, after all." The concept of people pleasing was one Karam had never quite been able to grasp; he would prefer it if he'd been told he was acting strange or inappropriate to being given an answer someone thought he might like to hear. Truthful insults were always more useful than platitudes. (Although, somehow someone who's doing their job made him feel worse, if only because he didn't want to be cramped behind this counter right now. Karam's distaste for being forced to live a 9-to-5 lifestyle was, however, entirely his own concern and not something for any stranger to worry about.)

His eyes fell to the flowers in the other's grasp. It was hard not notice the way they were clutching them tight against their chest. "I'm not going to bite," he added, slouching against the counter and resting his chin in his palm, face slackened by bewilderment. And, then, another question occurred to him. Perhaps any other person would have thought better than to ask it but Karam had never been very good at gauging, or indeed caring, how things sounded once they came out of his mouth. "Are you scared of me?"

Suraj was only there to pick up flowers, it wasn’t unusual for them to do errands for their boss, not that he specifically asked for it, but there was a way that he posed the question that gave away that he knew Suraj wouldn’t say no to it. After all, it was often within their hours - or their break-time - and they could leave the diner for a bit, which to them was a great freedom. Sure, they were on an errand and expected to be right back, but it was still better than being in the smell of grease and meat. 

They had already paid, and were ready to haul the order back with them, when the question was posed. They looked confused for a moment, frowning a moment longer, and then wondered if this was a test of some kind. But they couldn’t come up with any reason why anyone would think of such a test and what purpose it had. They looked around, then back at the attendee. “Uhm. Sincere,” they responded. “But uhm… in general, just like uhm… someone who’s doing their job, I guess.” They hugged the flowers to them. “Why uhm… why do you ask?”

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & suraj. 」 #karam faced with an emotional response he can't immediately rationalise: #' don't know if it like that :| '

[endternal]

It was fortunate, at least for Mindy, that Karam tended to stay up late (and, even when that was not the case, he slept light). He'd been wide awake when Mindy knocked on the door, doing little of interest besides staring out of his window and up at the moon. He'd travelled many different places on the missions foisted upon him by his higher ups back in his Grim Fox days and, although the people and the buildings and the weather all changed, the moon and the stars would always remain the same. They had been the sole constant in his life and yet they were utterly unreachable. Without even a sigh, he tore himself away from his spot on the floor in front of the window and opened the front door, allowing Mindy to make their bold entrance. Somehow, this had become a new constant in his life, these sudden appearances from an old ordermate. Even though they'd been tasked with entire different roles within that order, somehow it was enough of a connection to keep them tied together. Loathe as he was to admit it, Karam appreciated what they had in common. Maybe that was why he'd never bothered to try and get rid of them. Or maybe that was because Mindy put up far too strong a fight.

Unlike Ash (who, unbeknownst to Karam, had nothing if not needlessly pedantic about the specific details of his familial situation), the remark about Karam's lack of parents landed without much fanfare. "I wouldn't date you," said Karam, throwing the door closed behind him. He did not share Mindy's concerns about the other tenants on this floor, not when his reputation was already shaky. Now, this remark wasn't anything personal. Karam wasn't interesting in dating anybody. But he struggled to envision himself in an impossible scenario. If it wasn't something he would do, then there was no imagining himself doing it. It didn't make sense. Karam leaned back against the door and frowned, visibly exasperated by their questions. "I would never break up with you because I would never date you," he said, as though his first remark needed any further clarification. "I don't understand what you're asking me. Why would you tell someone that?" Then, the coin finally dropped and, although only just a little, his eyes widened. "That woman...you told her you came from an egg, didn't you?"

@endternal ; karam's apartment ; september 2nd, 2023

"Karam! Karaaaaam! Open up!" A fist beat on the door with significant urgency as soon as Mindy reached the top floor of the apartment complex, sparing some idle amount of politeness for the ungodly hour by encumbering themselves from picking the lock and barging in themselves. By now, the fellow Grim Fox had to know that they were an immovable object in the limbo of a dumpster fire they'd put into motion by their own gaucheness. "I need to talk to you, and Ash is like, ignoring me to focus on some slime or something —" Their arms crossed over their chest in a huff, their foot stomping impatiently as they bided their time for the toxicologist to plod his way to the door, biting on their tongue as they cast a glance over their shoulder. As soon as the door opened, Mindy made a beeline past Karam, throwing their hands up in the air, partially conceding that if they continued to make a commotion, they would be kicked out of the building. "Okay, so, like, you don't have parents —" An opening line that had already proven incredibly lucrative when used on Ash, they turned around, arms over their chest and the ashen expression on their face bereft of the usual, irrevocably lurking hints of impishness. "So, like," they marched forward to close the self-made distance between Karam and themselves, pointing a gaudy hot pink acrylic at them, "Let's say you're, like, a normal person. You were never like, raised the way we were. And we're dating. And you wanna know what my parents are like, and if I said, I don't know, I came from an egg —" Their arms flapped up and down then, contorting their visage to a state of distress, and stomping their feet. "Would you break up with me?" Well, there wasn't anything to break up... was there? They thought it over. "Or block my number and never see me again?"

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & mintra. 」 #nvghtcrrors #unlucky for mindy...KARAM IS BAD AT HYPOTHETICALS

[endternal]

"It's a small store," said Karam. He liked it better that way; it wasn't as busy or overwhelming, the overheads lights weren't designed to be so bright as to bore into your skull and it was convenient to reach from Seal Harbor. They didn't always have the best stock because of this, and because Anchorage was tucked away from the rest of the country, but he'd gotten used to the staff working there and they knew him by face. He'd stopped by here, at this clinic, because it was still preferable to the fuss of a big name pet store. "They do their best." At the next question, however, he tensed. He wasn't expecting to be asked anything, really.

He thought for a moment about the number of birds he owned. And then her thought about the number of birds he planned to feed. The second number was a lot harder to quantify; after all, he'd made a good habit of feeding the feral flocks. Some saw it as a nuisance but Karam believed it was better in the long run than letting them eat out of bins and dumpsters. "Uh...I can't accept rations, I need a whole bag." An awkward pause. "I could buy it from you outright? Or go elsewhere." Karam knew that was an usual thing to expect of a veterinary clinic but, given this place's shaky reputation, he figured the rules might not hold up so well.

That was good, Matevos was happy to hear that the birdseed was to feed the birds. Not that he could come up with anything else one might use it for. There were probably other ways to put it to use. He nodded along with the story, trying to think of whether he had some left in the back, but he waited for Karam to finish. “No stock for bird feed?” he shook his head. “That’s bad business, plenty of people with birds in Anchorage.” He knew that for a fact. “Alright… uhm, since you’re probably not the only one, if I do have some birdseed, I’ll dose it out. How many birds do you have?” he asked. 

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & matevos. 」

[endternal]

All that softness, all that kindness, was only met with a look of undisguised bewilderment. Many months ago now, he'd been baselessly accused of murder and barely flinched but this had caught him off-guard. He had jumped into the conversation, already settled on the answers he expected to receive. Perhaps it was the florist getup or, indeed, the fact he was working as a florist at all, that softened him in the eyes of some customers. He had also lately dyed his hair back to its natural black in preparation for a Halloween costume and found that it didn't quite match the sharpness of his previous icy blue colour. The change had been praised by his boss, who'd insisted it was a far more professional and appropriate look, but Karam wasn't certain he'd stay this way for long. Although he was the one asking a stranger whether or not he seemed cold and unpleasant, he liked being unapproachable when it suited him.

"It's as I suspected," he said, resolutely. "The people who complain about me are looking for problems." It was the sort of thing a person didn't say out loud if they were determined to follow the laws of customer service. "They want me to make more small talk with customers," Karam added, by way of apology for what was ultimately an awkward interaction. He'd gotten away with hiding at the back and working on arrangements for so long that he felt a little exposed being made to stand at the register like this. Handing his own work to customer was supposed to add a personal touch but Karam just felt like he was standing in the overwhelming glare of a great big spotlight; he wasn't nervous, he just couldn't be bothered and it was bound to cause a headache. "Hard to find things to say besides 'I hope you like your flowers'. Telling people about what they'd ordered didn't work out either." (Likely because it wasn't small talk. He tended to overload people with information whenever they asked for advice.)

if there was one thing outside of the black and white keys of his chosen instrument that brought jonghyeon comfort, it was flora ( and fauna, of course ). just as he'd been graced with musical prowess, he had an undeniable green thumb; the garden of his home tended to with utmost care. naturally, the flower basket had become a frequented place in the short period of time he'd spent thus far in the glacial town. whether bouquets were given to congratulate a colleague, a gesture of affection for his partner, or to simply liven up a room of their house, blossoms were one of his favourite things. plants, after all, were easier to deal with than people — and arguably, better than. humans were complicated, what with their complex emotions and egocentrism, but the former were peaceful. all they needed was a place to grow. if something was blocking the sun, instead of trying to change the flower, you changed the environment. that had been the case for him, when the band moved from seoul to jeju-do, and now, anchorage. people had a tendency to put others in boxes of unattainable expectations, and having been in a number of them himself, he concluded that people should draw a lesson from it.

the florist's words caught him slightly off guard as he took hold of the colourful arrangement, gaze of wonderment fading into curiosity. slowly, he shook his head. what had prompted that? “ i don't think so, ” his answer was earnest, as it was soft in tone. empathy had always been a strong suit; the more thought given to the question, he might have understood where it came from. despite his kind-heartedness, his aversion to most social situations had rubbed people the wrong way many times before. the maliciousness of dispatch, unhappy interviewers, first time commenters... cold as ice wasn't a nice way to be described. he felt for the other. “ you come across just fine... not unfriendly at all. ”

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & jonghyeon. 」

[endternal]

It had happened almost too fast for Karam to follow; the sudden plunge into darkness, the sizzle of electricity followed by the stench of burnt wires, the deafening echo of cracking wood and the sound of choking and of bodies being repeatedly whacked with what would turn out to be baked goods. (Anything could become a weapon if used correctly, Karam was well aware of that.) And then, there was silence. If only just for a moment, the air was deathly still. His eyes adjusted to the dark quickly enough. He was used to it, after all. Years of hiding away unseen and slipping into the shadows had prepared him for that, and even the years spent aimlessly wandering had seen him trailing the outskirts of this town in the dead of night. It was as though he'd been built to survive in the dark.

Karam's first instinct was to find Anka. Although he'd remained unflinchingly rooted to the spot the whole time, he was keenly aware that they may have gotten lost in the commotion. Yet, before he even found a moment to reach out to them, they fell right into him. He placed his hand on their back to keep them secure. Although he did not feel comfortable with such close content, adrenaline had done away with the usual awkwardness. Immediately, he knew they were bleeding. He felt it on his shoulder, the warmth of it hitting his skin through a carefully torn hole in the fabric of his shirt. It was too dark to make out Anka's features in a lot of detail but there was a darkness around the bridge of their nose, a nasty bruising that was already beginning to spread. Something was beginning to burn quietly in the pit of his gut. It felt like it might have been anger. "It is bleeding. Probably broken too," said Karam, speaking as calmly as he could. He did not feel calm but he knew he needed to stay focused and giving into the anxieties bubbling deep within was simply not an option. "But it'll heal, that's what matters. You'll be okay. You are okay." There were no other answers he could offer for now.

Karam looked around himself but saw no further signs of immediate danger. That was most unsettling of all. Could this be a distraction? There's something happening elsewhere, I'm sure of that. Something worse. But there was no guarantee of things remaining this way. What would happen when the lights came back? At least the dark provided cover. Keeping his narrowed eyes on the nearest door, Karam took in a sharp breath. "We need to hide."

@endternal ; after 11.30PM in the dining hall

Everything transpired too quickly as the dominos fell, and at first, they were too arrantly in shock to process the extent of it all. Their hands had automatically clasped over their face in sheer astoundment to be hit with something so strongly within seconds or less, and Anka had yet to figure out that the culprit was a heap of donuts fallen flat around their ankles in an unceremonious, but unsettling circle. They turned into Karam instinctively, rather than their fellow baker — someone that jostled a sense of safety akin to their wife's aura, a rarity of someone who had spent part of their adult life enriching it to the fullest, only to look over their shoulder every time the night fell. Cowering was not oft an occurrence that befell the belle — they could hold their own within reason. The unknown, that was unsettling as the expectancy that a letter would show up in the mail, claiming they knew where Anka was, or claiming their order over the Creamery one morning and stumbling face-to-face with a past haunt. Then, and only then, as they covered their head, did they form awareness of something hot and wet dribbling puddles into Karam's shirt... besides their tears. It was syrupier than that, and they let out a gasp as the blanket of disbelief melted away. A fiery vengeance was overtaking their nostrils, as if pincers were bearing down on their cartilage, and they pulled their head back, whimpering, "Where is it? Is it — is it broken? Am I bleeding?! I don't wanna touch it!" The other horrifying sounds in the background were being drowned out by the blood now rushing in their ears, unable to see themselves — or him — in the twilight now encompassing the once well-lit dining hall, thus they blindly grabbed onto the fabric of his costume, their voice walking the line of shrill as their chest tautened. "What happened to the lights?!"

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 replies. 」 #« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 & anka. 」 #blood tw #i rambleeeeeeeeed <3 as per usual <333333

[endternal]

ANCHORAGE TASK 04 / HALLOWEEN COSTUME

FEATURING...KARAM SHIN as ERIC D.RAVEN (the crow)

Karam hasn't even seen this movie. The costume was actually Anka's idea. Initially, Karam had no plans of even showing up to this party; he was set on ignoring it like he did with most events but having Anka specifically invite him along was enough to spark a change of heart. Knowing this, you might be surprised to see that Karam has fully committed to the costume. It's the first time he's done anything like this and it seems as though he's making the most of it. Anyway, he'll probably be tagging along behind the Hex Girls group because he doesn't know how to talk to people. (karam is participating bc he managed to accidentally sign up somehow. don't ask.)

#« 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌 » / 「 aesthetics. 」 #anchortask04 #karam doesn't know what he's doing and he has no idea what's going on but i think we should support him anyway #he's having his fun lil goth moment and i think that's all that matters