First: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1265964051 Previous: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1265964051 Next: none yet PNM3, Grian (This name may very depending on nicknames he has in the story) TW: implied giving the bird, implied d3@th thr3@t, mentions of risking one's life Abolish R Veylocke. What an interesting name. "We have to go, sorry! Hope to catch you later, though!" I exclaim with fake exuberance. He sees straight through it. I can see it in his eyes. "The next time you see me will be your last. Your name is now etched onto the gates of the Veylocke Reaper's tomb." "Your attempts to thr3@t3n me are cute." I respond, lifting my hand, a single finger raised. "We don't have any of your fancy equipment, so every mission is a brush with d3@th. One more thr3@t one the stack won't make a difference." He rolls his eyes as I turn my back, the van's loading ramp slamming up against now-closed doors. Skizz claps me on the back, Gem gives me a thumbs up, and the other five manage a scattered round of applause. "Holy heck, man, that was amazing!" Ren, one of our new recruits, and a Mimic at that, exclaims, shaking his spouse Martyn, a Yokai. Chuckling, I give them my thanks. Martyn chokes out an 'I'm dizzy!' and Ren lets go of him, apologizing profusely. I force and then stifle a chuckle. Emotions may not come easy on the inside, but as far as the outside is concerned, they come as easy as breathing.
PNM4, Veylocke Reaper (This name may vary depending on nicknames he has in the story) TW: arguing, talk of d3, implied child n3gl3ct, someone gets sl, cults, harming of kids "I heard you failed every one of your missions. That'll put a stain on our record." As usual, my mother doesn't even bother to face me. I bow before speaking again. "I failed the first mission. The rest were taken care of by the time me and my team got there." I inform her, remaining in my position. "By G.I.G.G.S., who you were supposed to arrest. That counts as a mission failure." I bristle, and this time, I act on it, snapping back to a standing position. "It's not! The job was completed successfully, and the people are safe! Why does it matter who did the work?!" She stands up and turns around as one fluid motion, her chair launching backwards towards me. I redirect it into the wall, leaving a dent. "Abolish, what would your father think of you letting two violent spirits get away and still trying to call the mission a success?" "Dad's d3, mom. And the people they mvd3red were cultists! They were s!cing their own kids to a made-up deity!" I scream. It feels good to let some of bottled resentment out. She slaps me. I can feel the tears begin to form at the stinging pain her palm leaves behind. "Nothing the Facility says about ghosts is true! The official websites and encyclopedias all disprove them! Get your head out of the gutter and actually read the facts!" Her eyes widen as I continue. "And it doesn't end there! You're so deep into your bias that you've stopped treating your own son like a person! It's not my fault I came back like this, but you won't even look at me!" She shifts her eyes around my outline, rage boiling inside them. "See?! Even now, you can't look at me! Don't look away! Look at me!!" Every object in the room that's not secured begins to float. I can feel my earrings and the chain decorations on my suit lift. "Please." My voice softens, while her face only hardens. She makes eye contact with me. "You were never my son. My son died six years ago. You're nothing but a Poltergeist I tolerate in his place." It's been six years since my death, and we manage to end every single one of our arguments like this. I arrange my face back into carefully constructed calm. "I apologize, Mrs. Veylocke. I overstepped." She gives me a curt nod. "I would think so." After a few seconds of silence, her voice fills the room again. "I'm assigning you your next lineup. See to it that you complete these properly, Regret, or we'll have to reconsider your position as a squad leader." I nod. "I'll see it to that you won't have to take me off the front lines, ma'am." And with that, I leave.
