[Chloro Smoke]

we are the lost and the silent    tags: Kishka Burzanova   WHERE THE SKIES END -- STARSET  outfit: As described words: 544/544 Her leg was still aching but wasn't broken anymore when she took back to Haven at night. She wanted to keep hidden from anyone who knew her too much. She didn't want to see them right now and she definitely believed they didn't want to see her again as it is. Her first stop was her room again, grabbing some more supplies and tools for her makeshift home she had going right now back in the Ground District. Thankfully, her bike had made a reasonable recovery to be used again, so that would help with transporting all the goods back home. Tonight however was ominously calm, and she did want to take advantage of that. She knew a little spot nearby on a cliffedge too that was good to let her thoughts wonder. So once her tools and supplies were gathered, she fled the building and took her bike to the spot. Letting the engine rev up and break the nighttime silence, she took off towards the edge. In her satchal kept some of those Killer's grenades as well as a few bottles that kept her company during her more insightful moments of work that allowed her to work harder. Taking it slow this time though and letting the engines rumble keep her company, she cruised through the forest that leads up to the spot, allowing her time to think. Where she should go and where she would end up from this moment in time. Whether to come back to Haven or not. Whether to join the Kozak's or not. Hell, whether to go it alone or not again. What she found at the spot however, was something new. A small tree with a sign, as well as a few shards of glass. Pulling the superbike up and kicking the small stand out to keep it up, she climbed off and took her staff off the bike too. It looked... like a memorial? Definitely need to investigate and as she looked over the sign, tree and flowers, it was a memorial alright, to that Holly Hock girl. Opal, Berwyn, Bianca and some others had mentioned her name multiple times, yet the public view of her were one of a terrorist. So... what was she? A puzzled look came over her face as she pulled away from the memorial and turned to the view off the cliff. Using the staff to lean on, she took off her helmet and rested it on the seat of her bike as she let her hair loose and billow in the slow but steady wind that carassed the mountainside. Who is Holly Hock? How could one be a terrorist and what it seemed, a student? That question had been in her mind for the past month or two, hell before the Christmas nightmare with the toys she had this question. It was a curious one, one that shouldn't take her time as much as it had done, but one she'd like answered. She debated sending a message to Bianca or Berwyn but... they wouldn't want to talk to her. It would be stupid to do so. Taking a bottle from her bag, she'd uncork it and drink lightly with small sips as she kept her eyes on the horizon. ♚ Made by SYLVIA of SA and GS ♚

[Kishka Burzanova]

KISHKA BURZANOVA

It was quiet. She didn't mind that, normally, but lately, it was harder to be left with her own thoughts for company that it had been long ago. She'd fallen apart, picked up the pieces, and now she was gluing everything back together. Like Shadecloak said, it took time. She felt tired. But she was strong. And dammit, she wasn't going to let this defeat her. She couldn't. She owed that much to Holly. The night air was cool against her face. Not as snowy as it was the first time she'd been to this cliff face. And not raining, as it had been the second time. Just a plain cool breeze in the still February night. She cupped her hand against the wind, and lit the cigarette dangling from her mouth, the flicker of hot flame standing out in stark contrast to her surroundings; the click of the lighter shattered the silence that filled the world, offering her a kind distraction from her mind as she made her way to the spot. She coughed once, clearing her throat as she idly reached for her bag, now that she had a free hand to open it. Within was a small flowerpot, bearing some of Holly's gardening. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, exactly- or what it might have meant as a gesture, if given as a gift. Holly would have known. "Hopefully I picked a good one, huh?" She sighed, shaking her head, as she continued along her path to the cliff. And she recalled how not so long ago, she had almost met a pretty grisly end at the foot of the very same spot. The memories were hazy- most of that week was. And her relapse, a week later, for that matter. It hadn't been an easy time. In fact, it was a constant uphill battle, every single step of the way. She was fighting herself, even coming back here, honestly. But she needed to face this. Needed to try and move past it. Nothing she could do would ever bring Holly back, so there was no need to torment herself over it any longer. She could still always come talk to her friend, though. Wherever she was. Kishka wasn't especially religious, though she wasn't disinclined to believe that in a world filled with semblances and dust, an afterlife might exist. She hoped if that was where Holly had ended up, that it was nice. Warm. Flowers and fresh fruit, for miles around. A motorcycle sat in the same place where she had battered the trees into submission long ago. Her muscles tensed; eyes narrowed, and she reached instinctively for her weapon. A figure was visible by the edge of the cliff, just past Holly's "grave." She allowed herself to breathe again upon realizing the identity of the stranger. Just one of her classmates. One she hadn't seen in a while, though. Not that she had been in much of a mind to pay attention to those things lately. Chloro Smoke. Underclassman. Stealthy, with a unique semblance better suited to a common burglar than a Huntress, if she was being blunt about it. Still, she seemed like a relatively decent trainee, and she was Bianca's friend, so Kishka could give her the benefit of the doubt. "Hey." She gave a half-wave of her gloved hand as she approached, making at least a little effort not to startle the girl too much. Her gaze settled on the bottle in Chloro's hand, as she drew close enough to notice it. She frowned a little, and took a longer drag, exhaling misty smoke into the clear sky, as she averted her eyes from whatever the other girl was drinking. "Rough night? How's the leg?" She leaned against a tree, between Chloro and the little memorial, as she unzipped her bag to retrieve the flowers. Tall, on slender stems, they were a vibrant bright blue, with five big petals each. About a dozen of them decorated the little soil-filled pot. She found herself staring into them for a long moment, as she awaited Chloro's response in whatever form the mute girl found most suitable.

WC// 696 | TWC// 696

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[Chloro Smoke]

we are the lost and the silent    tags: Kishka Burzanova   WHERE THE SKIES END -- STARSET  outfit: As described words: 386/930 Keeping her eyes on the horizon of purple and orange, it gave her time to think on many topics and subjects. With each swig, the subjects shifted and changed and the topics cycled anew as her brain lazily glossed over the problems she was facing. Her life seemed to have dipped again, as it always did when she disappointed people. Maybe she was just destined to be alone. Left to her own devices, the one with no friends, just... acquaintences. As shitty as it felt, it also didn't feel too far from the truth. She wasn't strong, pfft hell she was definitely one of the weakest. Maybe she should be stronger in a different, more complex way... As her thoughts pondered, the footsteps that encroached and the simple greeting gesture brought her back to the world, and she instinctively reached for her staff as she turned around, only to see Kishka. Chloro only knew Kishka in passing, a friend of Bianca and Berwyn's, shared one or two classes together but outside of that, just another acquaintence. She was definitely a more welcome face out of those that could've appeared. She raised a hand in greeting as Chloro gave her a once over. Holding some flowers, it brought her eyes to the memorial of sorts for a second before back to Kishka again. So she planted it, so maybe she had answers. She brought out her scroll to type away at a message, using some fancy new text-to-speech app on it so hopefully it would help with finding more information about her desire to craft a neckpiece. Once she finished it, she pressed play and held it up slightly, so the voice of the app could speak for her. "All nights are rough lately, leg's doing fine. Hurts still. You?" Shutting her scroll once more, she pulled herself onto the seat of her bike, balancing and making sure it wont topple on her for a moment before crossing her legs and facing Kishka. Kish was one of the stronger ones in the school, one of the two that stopped some terrorist plot during the Dust Ward incident. It was impressive, but with every passing day Chloro drifted from the idea of becoming strong in the sense of strong-sake. She was cunning and brains, not brute and brawn. ♚ Made by SYLVIA of SA and GS ♚

[Kishka Burzanova]

KISHKA BURZANOVA

She had somehow forgotten Chloro was mute, until she heard the mechanical tones of her text-to-speech app. Not that it mattered much- she found her own ways to communicate. And if it worked, then it worked. Kishka nodded, a bit longer than intended. She was still a bit lost in thought, and frankly, hadn't been expecting someone else out this far in the woods. It wasn't so remote that the possibility was unthinkable, but it definitely wasn't a hop and a skip from home. Not too many students wanted to deal with the hike there, and the brush and brambles in the unmarked path. She set the flowerpot down and crossed her arms, as she leaned against the tree, mulling over the single-worded question. "Been better." It took a while to come up with the words, and another moment or two to continue. "All nights are rough lately." A dry smile aimed at Chloro, as she parroted the faunus's words back to her. She'd seen better days, for sure. And worse ones. She took a drag of her cigarette, taking the time to exhale a long, thin, stream of smoke, before reaching down to her pocket, and retrieving the rest of the pack. She extended it towards Chloro, with a quizzical expression; if the other girl seemed receptive, she'd toss it over to her, and a lighter. Otherwise, she'd shrug and pocket the smokes again. She stood in silence for a minute or so, unless Chloro felt obliged to break it. Her eyes were cast down at the dozen flowers, potted carefully beside her. Maybe it wasn't noticeable to the average person, but for someone perceptive enough, who was good at recognizing body language, it would seem that she was mentally preparing herself for something hard. And, at last, if it hadn't broken already, she broke the silence herself; "Well. Don't mind me. Just stopped by to visit a friend." Almost reluctantly, she pulled herself away from the tree, reaching into her bag for a small trowel. She scooped up the flowerpot in one arm, and knelt before the little memorial, gently digging out a spot in the soil. The ground was cold, and a little hard, from the recent thawing snow, but it gave way with a little work. Scoop by scoop, she dug deeper, hoping to fill the hole in her chest, as she left a different one in the earth.

WC// 406 | TWC// 1102

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[Chloro Smoke]

we are the lost and the silent    tags: Kishka Burzanova   WHERE THE SKIES END -- STARSET  outfit: As described words: 292/1222 Kishka was right. The nights have truly been long, longer than Chloro liked to admit. However, it's been recent that herself has been able to claw her way out of the abyss of depravity... Kishka? She wasn't so sure. Stepping forward and taking the offered cigarette, she would pull out her own lighter and strike it ablaze, scorching the end and taking a long drag before blowing it off the cliffside. It wasn't great compared to the cigars she had in the workshop, mixed with all the motoroil but it will do. Watching Kish in silence, she noticed the small bits and pieces within her body, as she gave a small frown before looking to the now-obvious gravesite as the grieving girl began to dig. As she watched the girl dig in silence, something began to weigh on her. And weigh heavily it did... She never made a grave for Misha. Chloro gave it a few minutes before she let her text-to-voice app speak for herself as she keyed in a message. "Can I help with the digging and planting?" If Kish would turn to her, she'd notice a few tear-stains on her cheeks, before Chloro would focus up again and take a deep breath, hardening her gaze again to not look so... pathetic in her own eyes. Yes Misha was the closest friend she ever had, and losing her was really really hard, but it was also many many years ago. Her hands trembled as her mind continued to focus on the subject however, causing more doubt to plant in her thoughts. Maybe she never got over the death? Maybe she buried those thoughts and feelings long ago to keep surviving? Hell, is tonight the time to let it out again? ♚ Made by SYLVIA of SA and GS ♚

[Kishka Burzanova]

KISHKA BURZANOVA

The digging was quiet. Almost meditative. She wasn't sure if Holly would have liked that or not. She was full of life, loud and brimming with energy. Silent reflection didn't seem to suit her much. It was a bit easier for Kishka, though. That had been one of the ways she and Holly had differed. Holly loved freely and openly, threw herself at people. People weren't Kishka's strong suit. In fact, up until she'd met Holly, her friends had been few and far between. Argent. Nik, for what he was worth. Could she count Colton? She was never sure about that friendship. Lately, she seemed to have collected more. Rose and Bianca. Erytheia. Hell, Aegle, some days. Try as she might, she couldn't continue living like she was an island in a vast sea. Maybe that was why it hurt so much. Holly had opened doors long-since sealed off. And now she couldn't close them anymore. It would be easier to just retreat into herself and suffer alone until she burned away too, leaving nothing but a husk of herself. That hadn't happened, though. Shadecloak and Bianca refused to let it. She wasn't sure yet if she was grateful for that, honestly. It was a struggle, every day. Just being alive. It was hard. Some mornings she woke up and wondered if it would have been more merciful of them to just let her drink herself to death. If that would have been a kinder end than forcing her to live with her shortcomings and failures every day. She shook her head, returning her thoughts to the cold, hard, ground. It was resistant to the trowel- she was fighting the earth itself for the chance to bring Holly those flowers. She'd get through it eventually, bit by bit. A smile crossed her face, for a moment. It was funny- baby steps. That's all she could do. At anything- her entire life was an uphill climb. An electronic hum carried Chloro's "voice" to her. She turned to face the girl immediately, admittedly a bit out of unfamiliarity with the text-to-speech. It lacked the subtlety and nuance of an organic voice- began abruptly, with sounds that she never expected, and matter how often she heard it. Always took a moment to process that it was a classmate, and not some strange thing. She was crying. Had she and Holly been friends? Kishka wasn't sure. Which stung a bit- Holly had been right, that day in the Gardenin Club. Kishka hadn't been a great friend. Didn't know Holly's other friends. Never bothered to learn who she hung out with when she wasn't hanging out with her. Maybe Chloro and Holly had some kind of bond. She wouldn't know. She didn't say anything at first, just nodded after a moment, and handed her the trowel. The returned to digging, now with a cupped hand, scraping and scooping the earth out of the way. Slowly, but surely, the hole deepened and widened. "Were you close?" A soft question split the silence after a while.

WC// 510 | TWC// 1612

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[Jay]

XP Distribution:

Kishka Burzanova: 16
158 + 16 = 174 XP

Chloro Smoke: 12
381 + 12 = 393 XP