Haven: A Lit Yaoi War rp ; Open and Accepting!

Wanna join?

yus	86.7%	[ 26 ]
nuu	13.3%	[ 4 ]
Total Votes:			[ 30 ]

This poll closed on March 7, 2012.
No longer accepting new votes.

[VV r e n]

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄ Tsume ○ R. ○ Sou x▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄


Theme: One Day in May

▬▬▬▬ ● ▬▬▬▬ I found an empty month

xxxxAnd tried to fit it into something ▬▬▬▬ □ ▬▬▬▬

▬▬▬▬ ♦ ▬▬▬▬ Other than the way I thrive

xxxxThe things I do to stay alive ▬▬▬▬ ○ ▬▬▬▬

▬▬▬▬ ■ ▬▬▬▬ I found an empty month


▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄

For a man who seemed to get a lot from other men, Finch seemed very curious about love. And, though reluctant at first, he'd told him about what it felt like for him to love and be loved. It was kind of odd... as he rinsed himself off, he saw the other flush, as if ashamed, but Tsume didn't mind. When he and Keisuke broke up, they knew they weren't going to see each other again. It was with a distant mind that he wondered if his other half was dead. After all, he'd seen death in some of the most vile ways imaginable; he could have sensed the other's death and would have had it confused with another's. The mere thought saddened him. As he traced the brands of the other's skin, Finch spoke of each in a deathly serious tone. At the mention of the first brand, Tsume pulled his hand back. He knew about the camps, the brandings, the executions. One of his late friends had told him that they were probably in even worse conditions than the Jews during WWII. Just by touching a brand, he'd offended the other by reminding him of the past; no use in hiding it. He could tell by the 'don't touch' quality in the older man's voice. Tsume pulled himself out of the bath after the other, and used the towel Finch had grabbed from the floor. He dried himself off in silence, and figured there would be no use in trying to apologize. Stories like this, he'd learned, were sad, but they didn't call for sympathy.

When the other spoke again, his tone of voice was less cheerful, more serious. And with this change, the younger man figured he finally caught a glimpse of what the other was truly like. When Finch realized his mistake and changed his tone once more, Tsume smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes "I'll go with you, but I think I can clean my own clothes," he replied as he pulled on his clothes and attached his sword once more to his side. As for the comb, he placed it in his pocket. Maybe later he would ask the other to help him comb it. Tsume didn't have many items to clean anyway, just the clothes on his back. With a hint of amusement, he acknowledged the thought that he would be naked for the third time this night. And there was a high possibility that Finch wouldn't be the only one watching him in this state. It didn't take long for them to ascend the cellar's steps and made their way to the top floor. When they arrived, Tsume looked around with a mild interest to see what fate Haven had brought to these people. Though some were healthy and asleep, most cases were not. Some, who were affected by radiation poisoning, looked pale in their resting places. Some threw up, and some of the worse cases had most of their hair missing. He felt bad for them, but there was still hope. Those who could be saved had small white pads on their arms; the common iodine patch. The younger male distinctly remembered a time in which he had to wear such a patch for a couple weeks. Luckily, his hair hadn't fallen out. The wounded were a whole planet and a half away from the radiation-sick. Some were raped -he could tell by the way they lay on their stomachs; some cried-, and some were horribly disfigured. In the corner, he saw a man of about 40 with an arm and a few fingers missing. The poor man didn't look like he'd last the night. And some people were helping the wounded.

The two of them neared an alter boy on their way out of the church, and as they passed, the older man --as Americans call it-- hit on the boy. Tsume, taken slightly by surprise, looked up at Finch and raised a brow, but didn't comment. He hadn't known that was coming, but he was sure now that the other was a bit of a letcher. However, Tsume wasn't one to judge; after all, he sold himself every now and then. In other words, he was a prostitute. He didn't have the right to judge.The younger male felt a pang in his heart, but he dismissed it. Now was not the time to be jealous, however small the feeling was. He needed to be alert. He laced his finger's neatly with Finch's outstretched ones and waited patiently until they were both ready to leave.

Small torches lined the main roads; the only visible light present except for the presence of stars. The moon was not in the sky, for it was a new moon. The two kept a comfortable pace and their fingers still laced, but Tsume's mind was a bit chaotic; he hated to travel on the main roads at night. It was like begging everyone to be beaten, robbed, murdered, or raped. Maybe all of the above. He wasn't sure. Had he been alone, he would have taken a more discreet route. The younger male calmed himself with a few steady breaths, then drew closer to Finch. This gave him an opportunity to look at the stars, and they were beautiful. Since the cities around Haven were powerless as well, there was no light bright enough to interfere with the soft glow of stars. It would have been a perfect moment if it hadn't been for the usual sounds of Haven's night life. 'b*****d!' screamed a voice from not too far off, 'I'll kill you!' Ahh, how lovely. Tsume stayed right next to Finch as they passed some houses and relaxed as they neared others. Now in the open, he was reminded by how many people held grudges against him. This main road, shrouded in both darkness and light, was an entirely new route from the one he was used to. He couldn't help himself... "Are we nearing the river?" he asked quietly. Though things were relatively peaceful, that didn't mean bad things wouldn't happen. In fact, Tsume expected it. A figure walked past them, head down, face partially hidden, Tsume took a close look at the man, and with puzzlement, found he was familiar. But why? The younger male discarded his thoughts and gave his head a mental shake. Enough with this paranoia; he would worry about these things after his clothes were clean. Instead, he focused his interests on the small shops that presented themselves only at night in this small district. Prostitutes --some who actually knew Tsume-- called out to them while the sounds of a few at work made themselves known from dark alleys. Tsume looked away from that and looked at their intertwined hands thoughtfully until they were out of the district. After a few minutes, the sound of naturally running water floated into his ears, and for the first time during their walk, he stepped forward a bit. Somehow, being near the river excited him, though he never liked to bathe in it. Perhaps his family's affinity to water affected him as well.

[I A b s o l]

( ⊱ ❥ I C A N ` T B E L I E V E T H I S )xxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ┊ ` ♬Consume me like wildfire...

xxxxxThe tip of my sword...___________
x
__________________________ ♫ x───x ♬ x───x ♫ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
______________________

I need you ( t o l i v e ), I want you ( t o b r e a t h e ), I love you ( t o d e a t h ) !!!
Hold me only o n c e // Smile only o n c e // Feel it only o n c e // Smile only o n c e



" I W A N N A B E Y O U R S A V I O R"

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ♫ ▀▀▀▀ ▀

"Ah... are you nervous?" He asked the other, looking over to him just slightly seriously. He didn't want to say that too cheerfully and offend the other. Atticus smiled sweetly and turned to face Tsume. "We are almost there, don't worry. I bought you for a week..." Ahh... why did saying that not feel right? "So that means I am going to also protect you." The sounds and smells of this s**t hole were almost too familiar to him. Although he usually didn't roam around at night, it wasn't unfamiliar to him. There were dangers around them both, but he did not draw his sword. His face was docile and there was nothing threatening about him except his name. People knew him and knew of him. Prostitutes around them made passes at him, asking for another go. Finch was a very quick man, quick to live, quick to love, quick to let go of people. Normally he got rid of people before they got attached to him. Never before had he gotten attached to anyone. With Tsume... the thought of yearning for him barely occurred to him. A young looking boy came up to him, with dark brown hair, a dagger at his hip and a pair of cute looking eyes. "Atty~ did you find someone else? Don't you want to have another night together?"

Atty... at least that nickname was better than when a partner called him a Sparrow. He was a Finch, a golden finch. From his hip pouch he took out a small wrapped piece of granola and gave it to the boy. "Go home Will, you look like you need to rest." Atticus rubbed the boys head and the boy, although he got something to eat, didn't seem to have gotten what he wanted. The boy nodded anyways and headed off. With Tsume, he continued on his way, ignoring the horrid sounds of the Haven they lived in. When the river came into view, he wasn't surprised to see a few people bathing in it down where the rocks made the water pool up. He went down the other end to avoid them mostly. He set down their stuff and only a second later did he hear a movement that didn't belong to either of them. He whipped around and snagged the petty thief by the wrist, not even bothering to draw his sword. Being a peacemaker to him meant to keep the peace, not spare the wicked. If he had been alone he probably would have given the other a token to leave with, but not when he had company. When the boy winced, he realized how young these thieves were getting. How old was this boy? Seventeen at best? Sighing, he let the other go and watched as the boy ran off.

"Ah, so many kids wandering around, taking my attention." Finch looked up to Tsume and grinned at him. Leaning down a bit, he gave the other a kiss on the lips, quite passionately too. But now was neither the time nor the place. He knelt on the ground and put his things in the water. "Keep watch. I will only take a minute. Don't kill anyone." He ran the soap over his clothes to mostly clean them. When he saw a hole he sighed. At least he knew how to sew. He finished up quickly and rung out his clothes the best he could. He had a line in his place that he could use to hang up his wet clothes. "Well, I am all set, let's head back." Since he had the wet clothes in one hand, if he wanted to hold Tsume's hand then he had to trust the other would protect the two of them if the time came. Unfortunately he was sure that his morals were a bit different than Tsume's. From the make shift shops some tried to sell them drugs, tempt them with games of poker or other things that seemed interesting. Atticus had messed with drugs only once, but stopped as soon as he figured that he needed to get off them to survive.

"People here seem to know your name..." He muttered, feeling a tiny bit of jealousy, which wasn't normal. "How often do you sell yourself?" Finch realized that was probably not the question to ask since he had been quick to buy him and another one of his partners had come up to him earlier. Unfortunately he just felt upset. His grip tightened a little and he pursed his lips. "Hm... don't talk to any of your previous buyers... and I won't talk to any of my previously bought." He said, just making the deal now even if the other didn't want that. Clearly Finch was more open with his jealousy than the other. Once they finally made it back to his den, he locked up for the night and hung his wet clean clothes on a line in his room. Once he was done, he hung his swords up and grabbed hold of the other. Although at first it seemed like he would play rough, his kiss was soft and gentle. It was meant to entice and invite the other in. "That's something a lover does~ Isn't it?" He asked, honestly feeling as though his sweet kisses were exactly like one from a lover. Finch clearly didn't understand the whole lover thing, but he would pretend. "For a week, even if you pretend, I want you to be my lover~! Let the necklace be a token of gratitude rather than what I bought you with."

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ♫ ▀▀▀▀ ▀

[OutOfTime; ..]

[VV r e n]

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄ Tsume ○ R. ○ Sou x▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄


Theme: One Day in May

▬▬▬▬ ● ▬▬▬▬ I found an empty month

xxxxAnd tried to fit it into something ▬▬▬▬ □ ▬▬▬▬

▬▬▬▬ ♦ ▬▬▬▬ Other than the way I thrive

xxxxThe things I do to stay alive ▬▬▬▬ ○ ▬▬▬▬

▬▬▬▬ ■ ▬▬▬▬ I found an empty month


▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄

At the other's question, Tsume glanced in his direction, then focused on the road ahead of him. There was little noise that came to his ears to immediately alert him to danger. The younger male, assured of that fact, relaxed a little. "Only alert," he replied. If it had been a full moon, he wouldn't have even gone, for merely walking the main roads was a risk itself. He paused as Finch turned to face him. He frowned slightly, but cleared his face and nodded. He didn't need protection, but he needed to be on guard. There were, unfortunately, only one Atticus Finch and one Tsume Sou. If both were taken by surprise by even four people, he doubted the survival of both of them. The younger man's thoughts came to a halt as an even younger boy came to confront the other. There were a few things wrong with this kid's mentality that first popped into his head, and he had half the mind to correct the other, but he looked pointedly up at Finch. His patience was being tested. They continued on, and when the river came into view, he let go of Finch's hand he removed his shirt; not because it was hot, but because he also needed to wash his only clothes. As he removed his pants, a few things happened. Some of the men bathing called out to him, which he ignored, and Finch caught a thief by the wrist. When the older male let the other go, Tsume watched him go thoughtfully. He didn't even hear the thief himself. At Finch's comment, he gave a wry smile. "Then focus on me," he replied teasingly, "Before I get too jealous." Though it was meant to be a tease, the tone in his voice was partially serious. That was a surprise. He received the other's kiss, then went to work. He waded a little bit into the water, then bent down to rinse his clothes. Though river water wasn't the best water, it eased the smell. He placed his somewhat clean shirt in with the rest of Finch's clothes, but wrung out the pants the best he could before putting them back on. After all, he couldn't make it back to Finch's house utterly naked. He doubted he would make it halfway. A quarter? Maybe... Tsume picked up his sword and sat on a nearby rock as he watched Finch wash his clothes. The people bathing on the other side were becoming a nuisance.

"Hey Tsume, got yourself a new man? You into peacemakers now?" The speaker was a man in his late thirties; one of the first people he'd sold himself to. "Come on baby, I can make you scream." Tsume threw an icy look over his shoulder to the men. Yes, he had screamed until his voice was hoarse, but given the chance, he would make the man scream right back. True, he'd sold himself to the man, but he was treated horribly in the process. Looking back on it now, he thought of it as paid rape. Tsume stood when Finch wanted to go, then clipped the sword to his side. He walked close to the other as they left, but he didn't hold his hand. Finch seemed to be at a disadvantage already with the wet clothes on his arms. Though he was confident in his own sword wielding skills, he decided Finch would have the best luck of defending them. And, where Tsume needed only one arm to fight, the older man needed two. "Here," he offered, taking the other's clothes in his own arms. "This way, we can both fight if a time comes." He tucked the clothes in one arm, held Finch's hand, then they continued to walk.They passed the same district, and with little surprise he found his working friends were no longer at the edge of the street. Prostitutes were very popular in Haven. Some of the older survivors who hung around this little district knew Tsume, and at least a third of the people who knew him had bought him at some point in time. His friends called out to him, and his previous partners watched him quietly; only a few of them nodded or waved. His thoughts wondered until Finch spoke up again, and this question was a bit of a shock. The younger man flushed, but didn't meet the other's face. When he'd first come to Haven, he'd been brutally raped; more than once in fact. Little visits to the hospital were numerous then. He'd met his first friends in one of these areas and they'd taught him it was better to sell yourself than to be raped. At least from there, you'd get a profit. Tsume took that advice, but sold himself only when he needed to. Killed when he needed to. And he would do either when and where he wanted to. He sold himself, but in a way, he made himself free while he did it.

"Only when I have to," he replied brazenly. There was no point in being dishonest. Tsume felt Finch's grip on his hand tighten, and he looked up into the other's face. He seemed upset, and a bit jealous. When the older man spoke again, Tsume nodded once as a sign of his agreement. Yes, that would probably be best. When they returned to the room, Tsume placed his shirt next to his bag and watched Finch take care of his things with quiet observation. Why was the other so jealous after one night together? This hadn't happened to him before, so the subject was alien to him. The older male grabbed him, and he stiffened a little, believing the other would be rough, but the presence of a gentle kiss confused him. Tsume exhaled slowly, and looked Finch in the eye calmly. "I can't pretend to be in love with you," he said in a serious tone. Though he could treat others like a lover, he could never truly love them; he had to fall in love. Sadly, that was just the way things worked. He gave a saddened smile, hoping the other would understand. "I'm sorry, but real love takes time. It needs to grow... like a flower. I suppose I could fall in love with you in time, but it won't happen today, probably not even this week." He let the subject of the necklace drop. He really didn't want to rain on Finch's parade by saying the necklace was what it was.

[DeansCherryPie]

~/Bartholomew/~
Del Rosa

~~~

Blinking and staring, Bartholomew looked twice as displeased that his path had been blocked. This guy smiled too much, he certainly had his short comings but he was not stupid. Anybody who smiled too much was not to be trusted. That little nickname was starting to irk him too, though it seemed he was familiar with his....reputation if one could call it that. Bartholomew just tilted his head and allowed his eyes to widen just a bit, giving off an almost owlish expression. "I don't have to be anything to you," he then said, he really didn't want to be bothered with this man, he had more pressing matters to attend to anyway, "Now...if you don't mind..." Bartholomew moved to walk around Terra only to have him walk away first. Where exactly he was heading hadn't clicked until he noticed a familiar bag sitting outside an equally familiar building. He hated that bag...he wanted a new one...Eyes narrowing as the other drew a sword and proceeded to at least attempt to entice him to take his bag, Bartholomew just gave him a incredulous look.

This guy was terribly presumptuous, he approached him and now he was expecting questions? Perhaps he wasn't giving off the right "leave me the hell alone" vibes because the other didn't look ready to do anything of that sort. Heaving a heavy sigh Bartholomew walked over and crouched down next to the bag, it was old and had an odd smell, opening it to study the items inside he found the only thing worth keeping. Removing the smaller bag as well as a single canteen, he set them off to the side before lifting the bag and tossing it away. Picking up the two items he was keeping, he stood once more and finally gave Terra some attention.

"Either tell me what you want, or leave me the hell alone," Bartholomew glanced towards the door, he was so close but he didn't want this guy following him around if it wasn't absolutely necessary, "Though, whatever it is you want me for..." his lips slowly pulled into a deviant grin, "I'm not cheap."

What was he doing? He didn’t want to negotiate with this guy, he wanted to be left alone so that he might go and confront Ao for the usual. Just thinking about it made his lip twitch slightly, Bartholomew shifted before swallowing back a dry lump that had formed at the back of his throat. Giving the canteen a small swirl to check the contents, only to find it woefully empty, he turned his gaze back towards Terra before scoffing. His patience had reached its limits, answer or not he turned, “Look, whatever it is…it can wait until after I finish my business here.” He’d found it rather bothersome that he was called the druggie thief, and while he had no grounds to deny such a title, that didn’t mean he had to take it with a smile. There wasn’t a soul in Haven who didn’t have some sort of ungodly vice and he sure as hell wasn’t going to be bothered by someone meddling in his.

[xDaishox]

▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▤▦▤

▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▤▦▤

XXXXXXXXX▦▦▦▦▦ ❖ ▦▦▦▦▦XXXXXXXXX

→XXXXD R .XXXX←

ℭ x U x O x M x A x S

N E V A L A I N E N

XXXXXXXXX▦▦▦▦▦ ❖ ▦▦▦▦▦XXXXXXXXX

▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▤▦▤

▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▤▦▤

The familiar sounds of light static and smooth jazz buzzed through the hospital, filling the otherwise sterile and solemn place with a light ambient sound. A trumpet blew true in the familiar tune, 'My Funny Valentine'. The doctor tied his long strands of hair back, reciting the melody in his head, but not a sound did his mouth make. He had taken a quick break to eat a few slices of stale bread soaked in a rather bland soup with chunks of mystery meat, but now that his stomach was full of warm food, it was time to continue his work. He sterilized his hands, using the hard-to-get liquid soap. From the open window outside he breathed in the scents of pollution and decay. For others it may have seemed pungent and unpleasant, but Tuomas was used to the smell of infection, rotting flesh and especially in haven the feces covered smell of death. Compared to that the air seemed fresh.

Snapping on a pair of rubber gloves, hard won through some negotiations, he entered his work room, met instantly with the smell of dirt and blood. With a grim survey through pale green eyes Tuomas set to his tasks, working with the most severely damaged who could still be salvaged, and leaving those without hope to die. He had been hard pressed since his assistant died early from one of the many rape cases. He was able to treat the tears in tissue, but apparently the man doing the raping was not free of disease. Since then the bags under the doctor's eyes have only gotten larger and his tolerance level smaller.

"Doctor, please!... the sounds of a man's pleas were cut off by the sound of puke spattering the floor. A sneer came to Tuomas' face. Leaving a half stitched extensor digitorum muscle he strode over to a pale looking lad, mid-twenties at best.

"I, I need t-the patch..."

"What do you have for me then?"

The poor fellow looked absolutely shocked.

"Where do you think you are? Canada? Stop wasting my time and my food. Come back when you have something for me." As he spoke his Finnish accent pulled at his vowels, only furthering his dismissive tone. He turned his back on the man, intending to finish up the stitches before cleaning up and having to re-steralize. He was looking for someone to at least be able to clean up after the bloodied, barfing rabbits, but half of them would make the floor dirtier from their own filth before cleaning it. With a headache from overworked hours the doctor went about, treating the countless rapes, administering iodine patches and taking blood here and there from dying, yet healthy patients. Glancing over at his water supply he'd have to either gather and boil from the river or make a trip over to the church soon.

Evenings were easier - most came for foodstuffs, and even still infrequently. It gave the doctor a chance to sit and rest his eyes. And so he did, drifting in a stiff chair to the easy sound of jazz.





XXXXXXXXX▦▦▦▦▦ ❖ ▦▦▦▦▦XXXXXXXXX



▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▤▦▤
▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▦▤▦▤

[I A b s o l]

( ⊱ ❥ I C A N ` T B E L I E V E T H I S )xxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ┊ ` ♬Consume me like wildfire...

xxxxxThe tip of my sword...___________
x
__________________________ ♫ x───x ♬ x───x ♫ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
______________________

I need you ( t o l i v e ), I want you ( t o b r e a t h e ), I love you ( t o d e a t h ) !!!
Hold me only o n c e // Smile only o n c e // Feel it only o n c e // Smile only o n c e



" I W A N N A B E Y O U R S A V I O R"

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ♫ ▀▀▀▀ ▀

But I bought you. He wanted to say. That wasn't fair though. Tsume still partially had his freedom, freedom to love? Maybe. Finch looked half confused and half upset. Mostly confused. Not to self, that wasn't a kiss that lovers shared. He had no idea how lovers kissed. The fact that's what he felt was wrong showed how ignorant he really was. Despite his smiles, maybe he was just loveless. That wouldn't surprise him. Finch's smile faded and he let the other go. "Right then." Never had he been refused like that, but he had never asked for a loving relationship before. He had no idea how to react. "Okay, well... that's fine." He rubbed the back of his neck in a confused manner and went over to his bed. He sat down and took his boots off. He set them on the floor at the foot of the bed so no one would trip on them. "Why don't we go to sleep for tonight, I am rather tired anyways." He suggested, pulling his pants off but leaving his boxers on. That's normally how he slept anyways. He adjusted the sheets on the bed and only kept the candle on that was next to the bed so that the other could get in. Other than that, the room was dark and silent. The bed squeaked and groaned everything time he moved even a little bit. The covers kept him warm while the night air cooled their skin so they wouldn't be too hot.

"Well... good night anyways." He turned to face the other for a moment and smiled. "I can still do this though." He gently placed a kiss on Tsume's lips, a real good night kiss. With that done, he turned to face the wall and rested his head on the pillow. Okay, well now he was determined to figure out this love thing. He would now take on that challenge. Only time will tell. Atticus drifted off to sleep and what seemed like just minutes later, he opened his eyes. Light streamed in from the manhole cover, illuminating the room a bit. Since nature called, he crawled out of bed and headed up the ladder to go outside. The sun hurt his eyes a little bit, but it wasn't unwelcome. He hated that he had to carry a sword with him to go relieve himself, but that's how it had been ever since he went into the military. Even now, being in Haven, everyone was an enemy pretty much and it took one second of having your guard down to wined up dead.

Once he was done, headed back down and figured some food was in order. He took a long gulp of water and set the empty bottle aside the other few. He needed to stock up on some water today. Then they could go on the hunt for food. He had some things to trade for some food. One was a rusty iron dagger, but that would get them food for at least a week, if not more. Finch went over to the bed and kissed the other on the forehead. "Wake up~ we have the whole day ahead of us." He ran his hand over the boys head and ruffled the soft hair. It was really quite gorgeous.

(( Sorry... bit of writers block. x.x ))

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀ ♫ ▀▀▀▀ ▀

[OutOfTime; ...]

[VV r e n]

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄ Tsume ○ R. ○ Sou x▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄


Theme: One Day in May

▬▬▬▬ ● ▬▬▬▬ I found an empty month

xxxxAnd tried to fit it into something ▬▬▬▬ □ ▬▬▬▬

▬▬▬▬ ♦ ▬▬▬▬ Other than the way I thrive

xxxxThe things I do to stay alive ▬▬▬▬ ○ ▬▬▬▬

▬▬▬▬ ■ ▬▬▬▬ I found an empty month


▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄

Tsume bit his lip slightly as he looked up at Finch's face. Some people didn't take this news lightly... His gaze was concerned as the other let him go. Had the other misunderstood? Finch murmured that it was fine, then climbed in to bed. Tsume followed. The younger male placed his shoes beside the other's, and so he wouldn't make the bed damp, he shed his clothes and climbed in. Once on the bed, he blew out the candle which shrouded the room into darkness. "Good night," he replied quietly. The kiss from the other was sweet, yet chaste. He felt bad... He must have really shocked the other. The thought kept him awake for about half an hour, but he didn't sleep even after that. Something was amiss. Finch, now fully asleep breathed deeply, peacefully. Tsume didn't want to wake him up. Slowly and quietly, so he wouldn't disturb the other, he rose from the bed and made his way to his bag. The process was slow, but he managed to find his shirt, which was long enough to cover everything necessary. With a pause, he grabbed something else from his bag, a small thin dagger, a secret weapon and a gift from his mother. He figured a dagger would be more discreet than a sword. Tsume looked in the direction of the bed and made sure the other was still asleep before climbing up the ladder.

The night was dark, but a nearby torch nearby illuminated the area. Tsume climbed fully out and walked out of the trap zone. Someone was waiting for him. The person he'd seen before as they walked to the river made his face known, and with a horrifying realization, he realized where he'd seen him before. The shock of it hit him like a bucket of ice water. The young man before him was shrouded in dark clothing, and looked about 5 years younger than Tsume. But unlike him, Haven hadn't treated this one well. His emotionless face held many scars, and the once vibrant eyes were only dull mirrors of what they'd once been. The dark hair of their people was also faded in a way; messy and neglected. Tsume opened his mouth to speak the other's name, but the boy merely held out his hand in a 'stop' gesture. He wasn't there to listen to the other's words. "I've been tracking you for the last two weeks," stated the boy in their own language, and for once, his eyes glinted with an emotion. The dull eyes became dark pools of cruelty and malice. "And from my observations, you're no more than a prostitute who sells himself to survive. You'd even whore yourself out to peacemakers for a necklace." As if to prove the point, the boy walked up to Tsume and tapped the copper necklace. The older male did nothing, just stared. The hand holding the dagger had gone numb, and it was a wonder he hadn't already dropped his weapon. The boy chuckled, but the sound wasn't at all pleasant. In fact, it made Tsume's skin crawl; his skin had already paled considerably since the moment he'd crawled from Finch's den. The boy continued "I suppose you're wondering why I'm here in front of you. Well, that's classified." The boy smiled in cruel amusement. He enjoyed to see the other discomforted. "But since you're not going to live long, I'll tell ya. I'm here to kill you. Japan has no need for a prostitute."

The boy paused to let the idea sink into Tsume's mind before he drew a wickedly sharp knife and played with the blade. "Of course, I won't do it tonight, since I don' t want the peacemaker to hunt me down. But," the boy thought a moment to look up at Tsume, who was still frozen in place, "I suppose my group could kill you both. I hear the guy has enough merchandise to get a few people out of the border." Tsume blinked, and stepped backwards to make his way to the den. To warn Finch, but he felt the p***k of a dagger graze the soft skin on his back. His eyes widened, and he gasped. The boy hadn't come alone. The boy gave a pleasant smile and looked to the man behind Tsume. Being a bit shorter than the older male, the boy pulled him to his level by pulling his hair. "I suppose if you're a good boy, I won't kill your buyer. But if you tell him, I'll think of a good way to torture you both before you die. Maybe I'll give you to my boys. They haven't had any for a while. Maybe I'll have your new man watch." Laughter came from the dark areas around them, and Tsume's face blanched further when he realized the other meant it.

The boy's face was satisfied, and with a nod, the knife to Tsume's back disappeared. The older male let out a shaky breath and dropped his own weapon. "Now remember: Keep~this~a~secret-❤" The boy put a finger to his lips to let the other understand further, then turned away. Tsume sank to his knees as his brother began to walk away.

"Jun..." Tsume's voice was quiet and pleading.

The boy stopped and looked over his shoulder. "You're not my brother anymore, Tsume. You're my target. I'll see you later, though. In a few days. By the way..." Jun looked back and gave a wicked smile. "Keisuke's still alive." Tsume's heart wrenched, and obviously his face showed it, because the younger male looked satisfied. Jun and his friends --Six or seven of them from Tsume's count-- melted into darkness, and Tsume stayed on his knees looking after them. It took him a good ten minutes to recover. How was he supposed to feel? He didn't know. Betrayed? Definitely; by both his family and his country. Afraid? Yes; he was marked for death, and the worst thing was, he had to act normal. He didn't want to pull Finch in with him. Saddened? Fractionally. His brother had been ruined by the world ravaged with war. They probably sent Jun to Haven just to kill him. This reunion had not been a pleasant one, and for the first time tonight he felt tired. Exhausted actually. Tsume stood up stiffly, picked up his weapon, and made it through the trap area. He then descended the ladder to Finch's den. From there, be began his silent act of simply taking off his shirt, placing it where he'd left it, hiding his dagger in his bag, and sliding under the sheets with Finch once more.

Fine, he wouldn't speak of this to Finch, but he would keep close to him, at least for a day. He doubted he'd live long enough to fulfill their deal. Tsume kissed the other's shoulder --his own goodnight kiss--before he closed his eyes. From there, until morning, he knew nothing. A light kiss woke Tsume up from his dreamless sleep. He opened one eye and looked up at Finch as he ruffled his hair. It felt good... "Morning," he breathed sleepily. Tsume sat up, feeling a bit tired. His hair was probably a mess. "Wanna help me comb my hair?" he asked. It seemed Finch loved the feel of it. The younger male sat up and picked up his pants from the side of his bed. From its pocket, he extracted the comb. Tsume offered the comb to the other and wondered what they had to do for the day. It was obvious Finch was more of a morning person than he was, but that didn't mean Tsume was unwilling to complete daily activities. Tsume remained seated on the bed, as bare as the day he'd been born. He really didn't want to dress today, but if they were going out, he supposed he would have to.

{Hope that helps with the writers block later on. And yay~ I love a good twist}

[The_Final_Checkmate]

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xcccccccccccccx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxcccccccccxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX

████████████████████████████████████████████████

████████████████████████████████████████████████

Letting out a sharp laugh, Terra mock stabbed himself as his grin turned into a darker smirk. Finally, he was getting some sort of entertainment from someone. Looking down on Barthlolmew, he stroked his hair lovingly as he stared down on him with anger and enjoyment. "Ow! That really hurt don't you think? I think I need a damned apology thank you very much."Letting out a small huff, he stepped back and moved out of the way as he continued to glare at the other. It seemed as if Ruby Eyes needed to do something, so Terra was more than happy to wait. Besides, he seemed like an interesting guy.

"You wanna go pick up your drugs ish things correct? Hurry it up then~ I am being very VERY patient with you..." He paused for a second to think about what he was going to say next. " so get on it before I accidentally follow you whichIamsureyoudon'twantmeto." Terra grinned as he licked his lips calmly. He absolutely loved screwing with people. Especially if they have a short fuse. No matter though, he made sure not to get too close. He was a 'special' person. Someone beautiful and talented that didn't deserve to be here. He shook his head lightly as he noticed a half decent window that was almost transparent.

Exhaling deeply, he dusted off his coat lightly and attempted to peak through the window to get a peak on what was going on inside. It made Terra nervous, being around an area he didn't know too much about. He squinted his eyes and managed to see another man. Considering he looked more... royal, the young man safely guessed that was the drug leader... of some sort. He shivered lightly, trying not to grab the other's attention though the window. Besides, if this guy was one of leaders of the Haven, he didn't want to hang around.

Terra sighed as he thought of the worst possible cases. He absolutely refused to drop down to a druggie's level. Never. The young man wanted to stay the best. Refined. Beautiful. But even though he HAD to mingle with other beggars and such, he had to stay the best of the rest. Survival of the fittest, like the saying goes. He quietly placed his right hand on the handle of his sword, just in case that old man decided to come out to see him.

╔══════════════════╗
Ŧhe end is near...
╚══════════════════╝

Company - .... Ruby Eyes.

Location - ..... Streets in the Haven

Feeling – ... excited yet nervous and jumpy

OOC – .....URK!

[VV r e n]

xxxxxxx







"Don't blame me for your addiction."


Things were going well according to schedule. Ao stood in front of three men and looked each one in the eyes. It was through this eye contact that his people got their orders for the day. And why did he bother with this? Well, a few years back, someone targeted the drug cartel and listened in on his morning instructions. That person -a very self-righteous peacemaker- quickly learned their schedule and started to hunt his lackeys down one by one. Ao hunted the man down himself and made sure the damned peacemaker felt the same pain his men had. As for the people who survived, they learned a new schedule, a silent schedule, which made things a whole lot more difficult to 'listen in to'. If any of his men didn't understand his silent commands... Well, Ao was nice enough to train them until they could understand. They learned pretty damned quick after the first time he taught them. First, Ao gave his second in command a steady glance, then swept his gaze across the the others. It was a silent command of maintenance. He wanted his left hand man to review the work of the rest of his men today. His second nodded, and next, he looked to his delivery boys. To the first, he gazed, then slid his eyes to the left, and to the second, he gazed, then slid his eyes to the right. Both nodded, then picked up their packs. He'd given the command to take and deliver orders from both the east and west sides of town. In the corner were two huge men. Though they weren't invincible, they were pretty damn hard to kill, and dangerous to cross; he'd taught them to fight himself. To them, he only gave a nod, which was a simple order of 'protect'. They both nodded and picked up their swords, both of which looked big enough to easily slice a human in half and wickedly sharp, too. They followed his delivery boys out the door with his second right behind. Now that he was alone, he had time to spare. To think.

There was a shuffling of feet as the boy from his bed, fully awake and fully dressed, made his way to the door. Ao knew he wouldn't come back until he needed another fix, the main reason he was in his bed in the first place. For a daily dose, he gave most the option of sharing his bed if they didn't have anything to trade. Most didn't have anything to trade, so they took that option. But, there was an exception; they had to be clean and free of STDs. The leader wanted pleasure from inducing pain, not the other way around. As for being clean, he had large bathtub in one of his rooms. It had to be filled with boiling water every day but it was worth it. He had people who did bathtub duty when the time called. There were also a few people he knew who made soap. When the boy opened the door, he heard voices, one familiar, one not. So, he thought with a trace of amusement, Bartholomew had come for his bag. But, he knew that wasn't the only thing he'd come here for. A third man, as big and deadly as the other two who'd left, walked into the room and took his place in the corner. Unlike the other two, Ao had taught the other to use two short swords, and the result was deadly. Because he was the best fighter of the three, Ao had given him the position of personal bodyguard, and he did his job well.

The cartel leader heard a rustle near his windows, and half turned to see a man peering into one of his windows. Perhaps the other had seen his silent exchange? Well, it didn't matter unless the other was a spy. He assumed it was the person Bartholomew was speaking to. Ao gave a wicked smile and put a finger to his own lips in an innocent enough gesture of keep-a-secret. But his eyes said something else. They gave a truly evil look of cruelty and hatred just hot enough to melt steel; a discreet threat. He was not at all pleased with the stranger outside. He thought of a few good ways to get back at him for learning one of his methods. The first would be to either get him addicted or to pump him full of drugs until he died. Another would be to cut his tongue out. Secrets are safe with people who can't talk. His eyes dripped with malice as he silently dared the other to enter his house. Of course, chances were the stranger would leave his house either dead, injured, or addicted. The possibilities were endless... Ao sat on one of his comfortable enough chairs and waited patiently for either Bartholomew or the peeking man to come in. Either choice would be entertaining in the end. He needed some action in this routine morning. Ao's guard stood next to his chair with both blades in his hand. Apparently, both of them had seen the stranger reach for a weapon. The action was first impolite to the leader, but also stupid. Reaching for a weapon was not going to intimidate the second man to arrive in Haven. First this stranger peeks in on things he's not supposed to see, then he reaches for a weapon? Apparently the other didn't know the meaning of subservient respect. Ao had a feeling the man literally had no clue about a drug cartel's etiquette. He raised a brow, then smiled. His eyes mocked the other as if to say 'and what are you going to do with that?'

[DeansCherryPie]

~/Bartholomew/~
Del Rosa

~~~

Bartholomew found himself pausing once more; he stood just in front of the door and was only an arms length away from stepping inside and putting a well desired door between himself and this overly persistent man. However, he just turned and gave Terra a look when he depended an apology. It sounded like a demand, even if it wasn’t; it was still being taken as one so the dark haired male just scoffed. “Please…hold your breath…an apology might come if you’re lucky.” The glare he was being given made Bartholomew shift slightly. What on earth had prompted this guy to pester him so? It was bad enough he was allowing himself to fall victim to this guy’s taunts but really….

Scratching the back of his head, Bartholomew knew that this guy probably wouldn’t be allowed to enter this house without a bit of a hassle, or…if he was allowed in, he wouldn’t be allowed back out without some sort of negative side effects. Perhaps he should try to get him to come in after all…no, that would cause problems for him as well. Sniffing, he gave a final irate glare towards the man before reaching out to open the door only to have it open instead. Bartholomew watched as a boy walked out, he didn’t seem at all surprised and was half tempted to give him a little shove just to let off some of the irritation he was feeling. But in the end he didn’t since he knew the source of the irritation wouldn’t be remedied by a simple shoving.

“Do what you want…” he them muttered at Terra before walking in and making extra sure to slam the door behind him. Grumbling and leaning against the now closed door, Bartholomew brought his hands up and rubbed his face, he’d been fighting back the ticks and twitches so is not to give Terra any more ammunition for his taunts. Had he been in a more responsive mood he would have struck him with something hard just to shut him up. Having a moment, he could just think about what Terra had been saying, what he meant by those words…or what he thought he meant by those words, he didn’t know…he just knew it sounded like he was being made fun off. That it was funny that someone like him wound up like this, that it was somehow his fault.

Pushing himself back up, Bartholomew only had to walk a short stretch before spotting Ao sitting in one of his so called, ‘fancy’ chairs. Standing next to him was his personal guard, without any actual ulterior motive, Bartholomew blew him a mocking kiss before turning his attention back on to the drug lord. “One of these days I’m going to have to start calling you ‘Boss’...” he then said, “So…do I have to read your mind today or can you just tell me if you have a job for me like a normal person?”

[VV r e n]

Hospitals were just not convenient without light. Shiki quickly realized this when he began working for Tuomas. He frowned, squinted his eyes, then brought the candle closer to his hands. Working at night with little light brought an even greater inconvenience. With great concentration, the surgeon managed to run thread through one of his very few needles. They were very hard to come by... His patient, a male of about 24 looked nervously at the needle. And he had a right to be. The needle was bent, and since he couldn't locate tweezers, he was left to sew the boy's wound by hand. "Erm... Doctor?" asked the boy timidly, "Is this going to hurt?" A stupid question. Had Shiki been any more exhausted than he was now, he would have snapped back. But luckily, his self control was only thinking about taking a hike tonight.

"Yes," he replied, "It's going to hurt." The wound had been, the boy claimed, caused by an animal bite, but Shiki believed the claim as much as he believed he could s**t unicorns and rainbows. Just didn't happen. The boy looked a bit frightened by the needle, but the surgeon wasn't stopping now. "Bear through it and hold still," he sighed. As soon as he pulled the needle through, the boy let out a yell. Yep, this boy was a screamer, but Shiki didn't care. This was the last patient he had to take care of, and then he'd have some rest. Five minutes later, he finished, cut the string, and put a gauze patch on it. Shiki stood, finished, and patted the boy on the head. "Keep away from knives," he instructed carefully, before taking his leave. The boy's payment, a pair of stud earrings now glinted in his ear as he wandered down the halls. Not wandered, really, but searched. Tuomas was playing jazz again. Shiki entered the head doctor's area in the hospital and found the other dozing in a chair. The area around him was quite filthy, since one of the patients had recently left their lunch on the once-white tile.

Now that he had a break, the least he could do was offer some assistance. With that, Shiki found a nearby maintenance closet and mopped up the mess with a towel he'd found. Once finished, the surgeon glanced to the side at the figure in the chair. Tuomas had either not noticed his presence or was too tired to care. "Do you need assistance?" he inquired. He had all the time in the world to do favors tonight. Then he'd sleep. Moans issued from the rooms ahead, but Shiki hadn't the will to listen. Moans and screams were just part of the usual noise. Shiki's candle sputtered, and his gaze went over to the shortened stick of wax. He'd have to get another one soon...

[VV r e n]

xxxxxxx







"Don't blame me for your addiction."


Ao diverted his attention to Bartholomew as he entered he house and slammed the door behind him. The cartel leader raised a brow, his eyes amused. He'd never seen his head thief so... confused. Apparently, the stranger in the mirror wasn't liked by either of them by the way he blocked the door. When the thief spotted them, he blew a kiss to his guard, and started talking. "If boss doesn't suit you, Pick another name. I prefer you call me 'Sir' or 'Master' Ao's eyes gleamed mischievously as he made his tease. From there, he went to business... Sort of. "As you can see," he said, "I haven't had any visits from my dear friend, the king. He just keeps himself in that arena and never seems to come out." He paused. "At least, not as himself. He can be quite discreet around his subjects." Ao didn't know if Bartholomew caught on to what his job was yet, but he went on without a care. "Anyway, I'm assigning you to be his nanny. Congratulations." Ao lit a cigarette, then continued. "As you know, the arena's about a day's walk away, and the king's house is somewhere inside, but don't worry about finding it; he'll find you first." he paused to see if the other was interested before continuing. Ao reached into his pocket and pulled out a large red collar. "Wear that," he said, tossing it to the other. "Whenever you decide to go. There's no rush."

The reason for this little visit was this: He needed to check up on his little brother. Well, the king wasn't really his older brother. It was more of an... inside joke. He smiled grimly. His 'little brother' was a bit antisocial, and it was about time to check up on him. "Find out what he wants, then tell me." This was a precaution in many ways. Every few years, he would send a messenger to the arena, find out the king's status, then he would leave his post and leave his second in charge while he visited. It was the way the king preferred things.

Ao supposed he would have to tell the other the purpose for the collar later, but now wasn't the time. "That's your assignment for the year," he said, looking up at Bartholomew. "If you complete it, I'll either give you either a job here, or a free daily fix every day for two months. Interested?" he asked. "As for your daily chore, I need you to fetch one of the hospital's doctors. I have a little job for them." he paused to inhale more smoke from his cigarette. "That one does have a rush. Someone's been targeting my delivery boys, and I'm going to need a guaranteed doctor for them." As an afterthought, he said: "Pick one that looks the weakest. Weak doctors are easy to manipulate." Business aside, Ao leaned forward in his chair, "Is there anything you want from me?" He decided he'd go ahead and prompt the other to ask for a fix. It was obvious the other wanted it.

{ urg, not one of my best posts x.x }

[The_Final_Checkmate]

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xcccccccccccccx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxcccccccccxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX

████████████████████████████████████████████████

████████████████████████████████████████████████

Shifting his feet nervously, Terra continued to stare through the window as he watched Mr. Ruby Eyes talk with the more older and royal looking man. A shiver ran up his spine as he watched the more refined looking druggie. He really, seemed quite intimidating, his serious glare and everyone around him. And the fact that the his guards were threatening didn't make the situation any better. It made the young man slighty jumpy. He refused to be belittled like this, and he refused to get scared. Not in front some royal druggie at least. Gripping his sword harder, he took a small step back.

Somehow, he got the feeling, he now knew something that he shouldn't have known. No matter, information was quite valuable.I'm not scared of you fool. Want me? Come and get me. You want me dead don't you? Letting out a sickening grin, Terra straightened himself up and narrowed his eyes to the older man happily. If he was going to die here, why not cause some trouble and drag some people with him? Nothing mattered as he continued to smile, making sure he was prepared for anything that came after him.

With another sigh, Terra's eyes flickered lightly as he positioned himself carefully. Again. he found himself in a life and death situation. This seemed to happen much more often. Remembering what type of person he was, the young man pulled out his sword; just in case. In the back of his head, he probably just made a ton of enemies thanks to his rashness. No matter. He was going to win. Definitely. Now he finished his turn. Time for the real fun to happen. Motioning the other to come out, Terra pointed his blade at the store playfully just to taunt them one more time before sheathing the blade. If they wanted to play, he would oblige.

"Come at me. I DARE you~ Or else... I might fly away~"

╔══════════════════╗
Ŧhe end is near...
╚══════════════════╝

Company - .... Ruby Eyes.

Location - ..... Streets in the Haven

Feeling – ... excited yet nervous and jumpy

OOC – .....!

[DeansCherryPie]

~/Bartholomew/~
Del Rosa

~~~

Scoffing a second time, Bartholomew crossed his arms and shook his head, "Not even the wrath of God could make me call you 'Master' so you best get that out of your head this second." however, rather than rant too much on the subject, he fell silent as Ao got straight to business. The moment he brought up how the king hadn't visited, Bartholomew had a feeling he knew where this was going. While he rarely paid much attention to the matter, he wasn't completely unaware of the fact that the drug lord had some sort of relationship or connection of some sort with the solitary king. It wasn't until the word 'nanny' left Ao's lips that a frown had formed on Bartholomews. His gaze had slowly migrated towards the others hand as it moved, though he didn't fully process what was being tossed at him until his hands shot up instinctively to catch it.

"The hell...I'm not wearing this!" he snapped while throwing the collar on the floor. A collar? Really?! This required, no demanded, a rant of some sort, and the dark haired thief was more than ready to give it but his words caught in his throat. At first he almost didn't hear the two offers that were being given, if he were to complete this task. Hands closing into trembling fists, Bartholomew's gaze had gone from fiery and agitated to something different, it was like his thoughts had gone to a very dark place. He then looked off to the side and shifted his weight, "Tch..." was he interested, what sort of question was that?

Rubbing the back of his head, Bartholomew rolled his eyes slightly as he was given a second chore. He was still a little taken-aback so he just gave an idle shrug, "Fine...I'll find you a wimpy doctor...." he hadn't said yes to the nanny job just yet but he was already deeply considering it. He was in the middle of considering it when the million dollar question finally wormed its way to the surface. Now that he was able to at least muster up enough energy to return his gaze to Ao, Bartholomew grumbled but that had been the reason he came here...that and to get his bag, which he no longer had since he threw it away.

"You know w-what I want..." he then said; though, before another word was spoken, an all to familiar voice rang out from outside. Bartholomew turned to see Terra looking through the window, at first he looked surprised, but then a slight edginess washed over him, he nervously glanced towards Ao, whom the other seemed to be challenging so foolishly.