Lost in the Woods [OPEN]

[Deleted]

With the auction looming overhead just mere weeks away, Oliver saw fit to take Lili to the underground to explore the wonderful world of bidding and buying. It was an arduous process that involved many irritating complications, not to mention listening to the men stand around and discuss prospects was frightfully dull.

“Who will be up on the stage this time?” Oliver inquired of an older, aging gentleman. A small stack of papers were pulled out, each with the names, faces, and special powers of the mutants up for grabs for the upcoming auction. With a hand on Lili’s shoulder Oliver he pulled her somewhat closer. “We’re looking for someone with an intimidating face. They don’t need a destructive power as long as their face can scare someone…”

He lowered the papers to her height and she looked. Tall people, scary enough. Just what he wanted. The scowl alone on one could kill a man…

Seemingly pleased, Oliver returned the papers to the elderly gentleman and continued to speak.

Distracted by much more interesting things that lay beyond the main lobby, Lili slipped away from her father and his equally uninteresting friends to explore this place she’d never been before. Security was… unexpectedly light and she wondered why. Was there a lack of guards somehow, or did they simply have that much confidence in the integrity of their cells?

The comforting white of the lobby gave way and melted into a dismal grey. The lights dimmed, and walls were no longer comfortably decorated with paintings and various other expensive trinkets. Society seemed to change more and more with each step she took, until finally she wandered through corridors of unfathomable darkness, surrounded by iron bars, glass, and suffering. This was a view of the world she hadn’t experienced before. She… knew.

She knew, deep inside, that surely things were as beautiful as she imagined. Those mutants that inhabited her house, as she assumed from whispers behind her back that she were sure she could not hear, that happiness was an unachievable thing as a mutant. You are born, you are given up to the government willingly or otherwise… you grow up, are sold, you live and die. A cycle of suffering and pain. The bleakness make this unbearably clear.

A world hidden from her by forced smiles, forced happiness, and masked lies.

This didn’t feel good. She should never have come, but oh, how Oliver insisted. And now he was gone, elsewhere, distracted from his usual desire to keep her safe by the world of status and riches. And now Lili was here, lost in a block of cells, unable to retrace her steps for all directions looked the same. Her presence seemed to encourage anyone in the halls or cells to simply disappear. Her voice shaking with trepidation, she called quietly into the hall, the word rippling into an echo.

“Hello?”

Word Count: 482

Tags: erryone

Notes: rawr

made by MISSO for use on IoF

[Deleted]

559

Tags: Lili

Notes: blub

A simple magazine, it was a nonsensical life and fashion thing for the super rich that some visitor dropped with in reach. Of course he picked it up and hid it under the mattress before some guard noticed. That was a couple days ago, and when the coast was clear he’d through it as if this useless little thing was his ticket to something else. It definitely wasn’t anything significant but it was like some sort of reminder of an outside world. Sooner or later he’d be bored with it and he’d simply put the now useless magazine where he’d found like it’d been untouched all a long and some guard would pick it up as discarded trash from that day’s crowd of passers by.

Apart from that there were other events from the days past, his fights in the arena left him sore and possibly missing a few extra braincells, All marks having long since healed up the only trace of the fights were memories and the blood that had long since been soaked into the sand or scrubbed off the walls. A pipe down the hall had also burst, after hours of course, the sight of the puddle creeping closer and closer to his end until someone finally fixed it. It was luck that his cell wasn’t soaked but from the complaints afterwards and the amount of mutants moved out of schedule meant that others weren’t so lucky. In all honesty the only reason they were moved and the cells cleaned was purely for better appearances because of the up coming auction, otherwise they probably would never have bothered. Oh yes and some stupid guard had been talked out of some alcohol in a water bottle they’d snuck in for themselves, the pride of that small success was felt until the buzz had turned into a hangover yet the move was still savored regardless.

Today though, the visits were few, oddly few and guards were also few. It was strangely quiet for the day which made it dreadfully boring. Food wasn’t going to come for a long while and the arena didn’t have fights until the evening making most events a long way from happening. So he pulled his magazine and sifted through it for the tenth time or at least thats how often he could count. With how quiet it was around him the chance of getting caught with it off guard was relatively slim being that every foot step sounding like an echo made it easy to give himself enough time to hide the thing.

That was when he heard the voice of a girl, a sound so innocent and out of place in a dump like this. He still wasted no chances to hide his little luxury and peer outside and down the halls. Curious as to what he’d see. The girl look terrified as if an entire world had ended from being in these halls. The person would bring such a thing down here was quickly labeled as a sadist, because no one except a sicko would enjoy such a move. This place was a hell and it sure seemed that the girl had never set foot in it her entire life. Out of curiosity he decided to respond.

“Hello?!”

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made by MISSO for use only by NYX

[Deleted]

This hallway she stood in was dark, empty… silent.

This, excepting a light drip of water from somewhere in the hall, likely a faulty pipe that the building’s keepers were unwilling to repair. Given the state of these chambers, it seemed clear to Lili that only the building’s antechamber was worth keeping spotless, and everything below it was left to decay. As she stepped down into the hallway her heels clacked against the tile, but none in the cells made a move to acknowledge her and simply slunk away to the back shadows where she could not see them. They hid quietly, but she could feel their eyes on her as she passed – bitter, contempt, hatred. The air was tense with a complete and utter dislike of this person invading the sanctity of their ‘home.’

It was the first time in her life she really felt… small and unwelcome. The first time she could feel the searing heat of another person’s hell. It was something she never noticed before or, groomed into her by her parents and her status, chose to ignore. The pressure crushed her confidence and her steps forward grew fewer and more nervous as she continued, the hall ahead of her only grew longer and the light at the end seemed to suddenly succumb to the darkness around her. This was not a good place to be and she regretted the decision to explore, preferring to exist in blissful ignorance than become painfully unaware of the world she was living in. This was a world where the rot was masked by powder and jewels.

She passed by a particular cell, in which at least one of the occupants was huddled closely to the bars.

“Hello?!”

Lili whirled around on her feet and stared directly into the blue-eyed man trapped behind the bars. She didn’t plan on what to say if she happened to get a response. Even if she had planned for it, her mind was blank. People were down here, filthy with tattered clothes, their hands and faces soiled with blood and dust. This man hadn’t been given the opportunity to really bathe himself in a while, though the drippings betrayed the presence of basic plumbing. Simple water wasn’t enough to keep someone clean.

Lili stood tall and swallowed her fear, closing her eyes for but a brief moment before giving the man a short bow as a greeting of courtesy. Were her father to see her he would be mortified, but one does not greet a new person by delivering a high-class scowl upon what he might have interpreted as an obvious inferior. She was still nervous and scared of being trapped in this forest of steel and concrete, but the voice that them escaped from her lips held within it a touch of joy at finally being allowed the company of a sapient being.

“I didn’t expect someone would respond to me,” she replied simply, completely honest. She sighed with relief and gave the man a smile. Lili knelt down towards the bars, leaving a foot or so of space between the steel base of the prison and herself. “I’m glad you did, though… I think I might be a little lost.”

Word Count: 538

Tags: erryone

Notes: rawr

made by MISSO for use on IoF

[Ludwig A. Beilschmidt]

News of the upcoming auction had spread like wildfire through the Underground, and you could almost see the hope fluttering about amongst the newer, younger mutants. For some, this would be their first auction, their first chance to escape from the long hours of boredom and the vicious arena fights: all but a few had been walking about with extra energy in their steps, their heads held just a little big higher and a desperate, determined look in their eyes. Ludwig could sometimes hear them pacing around their cells late at night, too anxious to sleep.

Ludwig, of course, held no such cautious optimism. He'd been put up for auction before, under a variety of different banners and costing a different price each time, but he'd never been bought. People had been interested, but no one seemed to want to run the risk of owning him, even if the excerpt under his photograph always labeled him as quiet, responsible, well-behaved. To keep everyone looking decent for the auction, the amount of matches in the arena had been cut back, and Ludwig had been left in his cell for days now, trying to come up with new and different ways to fight off boredom. He'd already made the place as spotless and tidy as he could; to be honest, he'd half-hoped that the water from the broken pipe would reach his cell and mess things up, because he'd have a reason to keep cleaning. But the creeping water hadn't reached his cell, although a handful of other lucky mutants got soaked and were moved somewhere else.

Lying on his stomach on his somewhat lumpy bed, Ludwig the empty cells across the corridor. The cold air circulating here had begun to smell like mildew, and for a moment he considered trying to dry the rooms up. But that didn't seem like a judicious use of his abilities. The guards could deal with it, Ludwig decided, and buried his face in his pillow. He supposed he could do push-ups on the cell floor. He'd have bothered a passing guard for a newspaper or something, but none had come this way in a while. Sighing, he was considering just trying to sleep when he heard the echo of voices drift in from outside. Instantly curious and grateful that something different was going on, Ludwig was on his feet and at the bars immediately.

A little ways down the corridor, a young girl was talking to someone in one of the cells, a man who looked familiar but that Ludwig couldn't match a name to. Resting his hands on the cell bars, Ludwig tried to get a better look: the lone visitor wore lovely clothes, but the fact that she had come alone was what piqued his curiosity more. That certainly took a measure of courage. However, as he eavesdropped, Ludwig realized she hadn't come alone on purpose. He heard her words clearly, despite her soft voice: "I think I might be a little lost." Just the fact that she was speaking so normally to the mutant in the cell intrigued the man. That kind of courtesy was rare. And she didn't look that old. Perhaps she was telling the truth about being lost.

But she would have had better luck asking a guard about the way out. Even with how often he was let out for fights in the arena, Ludwig didn't have a good idea how the Underground was laid out. A map would have been nice, although with how often people tried to escape, it was completely out of the question. He could only offer advice, then.

"Miss," Ludwig spoke up, "did you pass any guards on your way here? They know this place better than we do."

[Deleted]

559

Tags: Lili

Notes: blub

He listened closely to the girl, also noting how terrified she was of this place and possibly of the people. He learned to get used to the fact that cleanliness was only a dream at least with soap anyways. The streaks from the sand long since caked from whatever else was layered on top of it. The site if he had a mirror was probably the last thing from a friendly site.

He noted that besides all that she was extremely kind, the small curtsy almost cute and mismatched in the dreadful place. A small part of him hoped that she would be gaining courage and if she found her way back return for more visits, such a person was needed around here but the likely hood that she would be allowed back was slim. When she knelt in front of him Mathias crouched as well, for what reason he couldn’t figure out but it was easier than standing. “Well, things were kinda quiet and kind visitors are always welcomed around here” Honesty in that bit of cheeky humor made it rather bleak but it had to be said, there was no other way to explain the pocket of time and this new happening that came around. Of course by kind he meant ones that treated them like what they were before they showed signs of strange, people. The other version of nice was rather pathetic and designed to kill any dignity, the kind that saw himself as no better than a dog in a cage. Something his pride refused to return respect to.

Then it came clear, the girl was lost. How else would an innocent child show up in this place? Not willingly thats for sure. Right when he was about to open his mouth he heard someone else speak, the guy across the hall and far enough left to be out of site that he never really paid attention to. A chuckle escaped at the suggestion, try to find a guard. “I think thats what she was looking for in the first place, usually they’re everywhere but today it’s like they never existed” Maybe it was nice to not have them breathing down their necks for once but for the girl, this place was a maze to even the longest inhabitants which is why visitors were rarely let into the halls with out a guide, not to mention there were plenty of inhabitants that wouldn’t think twice about making one more human disappear with a trace out of vengeance or because the walls drove them mad enough to try such a thing.

“I’m sure someone will come to get you soon though,” He started off, once again talking directly to the girl. “For now though, I suggest you stay here, we’re all friendly at this end and we don’t want to get anymore lost now do we?”

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made by MISSO for use only by NYX

[Deleted]

Her presence there, and the voice of the man in front of her, both seemed to prompt the further responses of others. No sooner had her initial conversation with him ended did a second man join in, asking her about the guards – something she didn’t have any issues with, which seemed very suspicious. It continued to bug her as she stood there in front of the bars, staring in at the mutants before her. And yet, despite how vulnerable she currently was, she found herself lacking fear. These mutants seemed kind enough. What was there to be afraid of?

“Well, things were kinda quiet and kind visitors are always welcomed around here.” Spoke the first mutant. Lili nodded and knelt herself down to the floor politely, just off the center in case someone, somewhere and somehow, decided to walk down this particular hallway. Unlikely.

At the question, though, she frowned heavily. Missing security meant she had no one to guide her back. She feared the worst – getting absolutely lost. There was no telling when Oliver would finally realize his precious jewel was missing, and his first assumption would be that she was taken, not that she went off on her own. Oh dear…

“I think thats what she was looking for in the first place, usually they’re everywhere but today it’s like they never existed.”

“No, I didn’t see any guards.” Lili’s face shifted to a more puzzled and inquisitive expression. Given how many mutants were here, surely given all the powers, the halls would be more tightly guarded. But there was… no one. Not even a patrol. “Are there usually more people in the halls? It seems so empty and lonely here.”

As if they had never existed. Yes, more people were usually here… this was very unusual then. Why? That worried her quite a bit, but the first man – hrm, perhaps she should ask names – assured her that all were friendly and no bad would happen. She couldn’t see anyone random coming into this building to assault her, but that wasn’t going to help her find her way back. Invited to hang out, though, she felt much better about her situation. This would feel a lot worse if the mutants were hostile.

Lili scooted closer to the bars and held her hand just inches away, offering a handshake to Mathias. “My name’s Lili. What’s your name?”

If any other mutants showed up, she might feel a little bad for breaking the monotony, but maybe that’s just what they needed. The feeling of dread earlier, however, had left a lasting impression. She felt like an intruder here and sooner or later, someone was going to step up and tell her she was unwelcome and should leave.

Word Count: 457

Tags: erryone

Notes: rawr

made by MISSO for use on IoF

[Ludwig A. Beilschmidt]

Before the lost girl had a chance to answer, the man in the cell spoke up -- and Ludwig felt his cheeks flush.

"I know that," he shot back, his tone a little more irritated at the obvious call-out. "I'm just saying that it's her best option. It's not like I know where this hallway goes." To give himself a little more credit, Ludwig could roughly trace the routes to the arena in his mind: there was only one arena, and if one fought often enough, it became a good reference point. But sending the lost girl in that direction would be the exact opposite of helpful. Some might have, but Ludwig wasn't that mean-spirited.

"Are there usually more people in the halls?" the girl asked. She had sat down in front of the other cell. "It seems so empty and lonely here."

Ludwig snorted quietly, but sank down against the bars of his cell to sit and listen all the same. Lonely was an understatement. At any one time, the Underground could be packed with mutants and guards, but that didn't make it less lonely. The guards existed to do their jobs and push you around. The other mutants, more often than not, looked out for themselves -- which wasn't an unreasonable position to take, but it meant that genuine conversation rarely took place. You didn't make friends in the Underground; everyone Ludwig had spoken for more than a few minutes with had been someone he'd known from the Weeds.

"Usually, there are more guards in the halls," the German helpfully supplied. "I have no idea where they've all gone." Well, he had a few ideas: they could be slacking off, as some frequently did, or they could be busy betting on the fights. But gaming the system here involved keeping your mouth shut about things like that, and Ludwig wasn't going to ruin his good standing. Plus, it would ruin the mood. The girl -- Lili, as she'd introduced herself to the other mutant -- seemed curious and kind, but also delicate, a little bird that would go fluttering off at the slightest ill omen. And Lili had single-handedly destroyed Ludwig's boredom. Her unplanned visit was the most exciting and different thing to happen in months, and the man stayed leaning against the bars, watching the whole scenario unfold.

"It's not dangerous without the guards," he decided to reassure her, just in case. "They're mostly here to keep everyone from escaping."

[Deleted]

717

Tags: The 2 awesome cellmates

Notes: I don’t know

He sighed watching the girl. It really was a pity that she’d gotten lost at least a pity on her end. The Dane on the other hand, he was pleased just to have the kind of company she was giving. It was clear she thought she would be a while from how she sat too, well knelt. To ease her he crouched as well, probably no where near her hight of course but the gesture was there. Chucking he replied to the other across the hall “Well I don’t know either and I’d rather not get her even more lost”

The Dane in this place was never lonely thankfully. Ever since the officials figured out he got along with even the most aggressive he practically always had a cellmate. Sure they expected him to make him behave but that wish was rather futile. It was boredom that drove him silly. Sitting in the cell day and night with almost nothing. the guards and visitors only helped somewhat as they were usually only temporary. Days like this it was really clear how forgotten the mutants where. The silence and empty of the halls, and how even a small lost visitor could stir even the dead that lurked in the cells, it was proof to how the days went by.

He nodded in agreement to his across the hall neighbour before responding to her “it’s usually crawling at this time of day, with guards and other people.” He paused again to think a little “No, we don’t really know why no one here either its like they decided to vanish for a few hours.” As he spoke he shifted, now sitting on the floor and leaning slightly against the bars as if it was more comfortable. Just from the posture and how the small girl acted he could already tell that she would make a very good friend, one not behind bars and most importantly, one that could be truly trusted.

For that he grinned, agreeing with the other once again. “yeah he’s right over there, the guards they’re only here to keep us in and feed us. No one will hurt you, at least no one in this hall.” As if to solidify the offer to stay with them and chat, of course until a guard showed up to lead her back to the exit. Till then though, till then it was good enough, and possibly make a new ally, ally and friend. Of course though it would help to know their names, the girl’s and the fellow mutant’s both. It’s good that the girl made the first move.

Taking her hand gently to shake it the grin stayed. “Nice to meet you Lili,” He began again “and it’s Mathias”

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[Deleted]

This was, indeed, quite odd. No guards, no trace they were even around. How could that be? The security in this place should have been tighter than this. If anything, the realization that no one would be coming to save her anytime soon made her stiffen with worry. Her face only faltered slightly, her smile slipping briefly into a frown before picking itself back up. Letting herself panic or become worried would surely only make her situation worse.

The blonde mutant in the adjacent cell seemed to sense her discomfort. "It's not dangerous without the guards. They're mostly here to keep everyone from escaping." She hoped they wouldn't be dangerous. It'd be even more stupid to have dangerous mutants in cells they could break easily, but if that were to happen they would have to be stuck down in what was basically a concrete freezer. How humane was it to keep these poor people in a place with no warmth? The blankets they were supplied were barely sufficient, being made of... burlap, was it? It sure looked like burlap to her.

She took his reassurance to heart and laughed at the banter between Mathias and himself, scooting over slightly to get within hand-shaking distance. "I don't think I got your name, though." She inquired softly, pressing a hand to the ice-cold iron. Her hand recoiled immediately, as if worried her fingers might freeze to the metal as one's tongue might, should they decide to test the age-old theory that they do, in fact, freeze to poles. She shivered at that point, not from fear or worry but from cold. It seemed to be so much colder down in the holding area than it was outside.

“Yeah he’s right over there, the guards they’re only here to keep us in and feed us. No one will hurt you, at least no one in this hall.” Mathias added in assurance. Even then, the mutants were quiet as well. She wondered why these two were speaking to her, and wondered if they were odd among their fellows.

These two seemed nice enough. Strong, too. Perhaps the perfect candidates her father was looking for in a more combat-oriented mutant for the purposes of being a bodyguard. If anything it would give one of them a more comfortably way of living for the winter should the auction work out like that. Seeing the state of the cells as they were, however, made the girl wish she would take them all home with her. This was not deserved, mutant or not, and she frowned heavily at the thought of how long they must be down here dealing with this kind of treatment. It was... different, to say the least, from how she and her family treated theirs, aside from those that disobeyed or somehow irritated the household's master. Lili was much more forgiving and less easily offended.

"I'm very pleased to meet the both of you," she said, returning her cold hands to her lap in some attempt to warm them up again.

(( well mat's color seems to hate my templates ))

[Ludwig A. Beilschmidt]

The other mutant pointed out the obvious with his reply, Ludwig noticed, somewhat unimpressed.

“Well, I don’t know either and I’d rather not get her even more lost.”

"That's what you're supposed to do anyways when you get lost… at least in the woods or something," Ludwig offered, shifting just a little against the bars of his cell to get more comfortable. "It's safer to sit and wait for rescue in one place instead of running off and getting even more lost," he lectured gently, remembering a lesson or two about outdoor safety from his childhood. Of course, Lili had no chance of falling into a river or tripping on a rock here: if anything, had she kept walking, she probably would have found a guard sooner or later. But the change in the usual pace of the Underground, having someone new to talk to, that was rare. Ludwig wasn't about to let that go to waste.

As the mutant in the nearby cell explained that they genuinely had no idea where the guards went, Ludwig nodded in agreement. The halls emptied with some regularity: during the changing of shifts, for instance, or when it was time for any kind of break. But even at those points, there was supposed to be a pair or two of guards to cover the overlap. Ludwig had asked one of the older guards about that, one who knew him well and knew he wasn't planning on making any kind of escape, and the man had been more than happy to fill him in. Ludwig in turn had offered advice on how to make the schedules overlap more efficiently, although odds were likely that he'd be ignored; the guard, to his credit, had thanked him for the information.

He wasn't close enough to shake the hands of either of his two conversation partners, but he did know their names now. Mathias, that was the other mutant. Ludwig wondered what he could do.

"I'm Ludwig," he introduced himself in turn, "pleased to meet you." Normally he wasn't all that fond of his name, but it was archaic and weird enough that it tended to stick in people's minds, and that would hopefully make all the difference when his name came up for auction again and… well, when someone felt like buying him. He still hadn't worked around that problem yet.

As Ludwig watched, he saw Lili brush one of her hands against the icy bars of Mathias's cell and quickly recoil, hiding them in her lap as she shivered. She really wasn't dressed for this kind of climate -- well, not that any of the mutants were either, although years of the cold had inured some of them and Ludwig had never needed to worry about that particular problem.

"Are you cold, Lili?" he asked. "It doesn't ever get very warm down here. If you need a blanket I've got a spare." He hadn't been assigned a cellmate yet, and the clean sheets and blankets still rested on the two empty cots. He'd thought for half a second of offering to use his abilities, but quickly realized that it would literally be playing with fire; even if his intentions were noble (which they were) and he only wanted to keep the girl warm (which wouldn't be a problem), he would still be using his power on a civilian he didn't belong to, without receiving any kind of orders. The guards, whenever they did come back, might not like that idea at all.

SPOILER: Click to show

I am a terrible person and made you guys wait way too long.

[Deleted]

450+

Tags: Sve

Notes: He decided to take things, very not seriously

"Yes yes, repeat what I just said" He teased at the other blond mutant somewhere down the hall from him. The lecturing tone from him wasn't helping either, considering this was pretty much common sense. Stay put cause this place is like a maze and not everyone was friendly kinda thing of course was point of it. "we can give her a flare to light up too," The Dane kept teasing reciting things that would be found in a rescue manual in a cheeky childish way.

He pouted a little when the hand was recoiled but when testing the iron bars himself he couldn't exactly say they were hot to touch. Neither would his fingers freeze to it but he guessed it was better save than sorry. Not wanting to get in trouble for an accident on the girl's part when she attempted to be friendly. A rarity among humans in general these days. Then hearing the other mutant introduce himself he nodded. "Nice to finally know the name who keeps giving the guards advice, and yeah I hear you when you do that." He started off chuckling heartedly "I'm sure you've noticed it's futile, most of them act high and mighty to the point where they think they're geniuses even if they're total morons, and they thing we don't know anything"

As if the Dane had to point out a piece of reality, a reality of this place. One of many realities of life in the Underground. Turning back to the girl sitting in front of his cell he grinned and once again continued conversations of sorts "So, what brings you down here Lili? Well before you got lost of course" He nodded to her to go and take the offer of the blanket though. He'd give her one from his cell but not only were they still a little damp from the soaking they were also all called for. Doubting how happy any of his cell mates would be if he let some girl borrow them. He was already on shaky ground with one of them for his antics and was rather not liking any more scratches for it.

Of course though half the reason or at least the personal reason for encouraging her to stay was purely for well. If anything company was welcomed especially from someone so kind to his type. He wasn't speaking for the other of course but he knew personally it was welcomed, though strange. No one could give him trouble for so called helping the human either. It was technically suppose to be his job. Keeping them safe and helping them with chores.

Turning to the other mutant, in a weird way not being able to really see them very well he almost had a curious look. Asking a rather obvious question around here "so err, what can you do?"

made by MISSO for use only by NYX

[Deleted]

When the man known as Ludwig offered her his blanket, she retreated back a couple of inches, shaking her head. It was incredible how he could think of her when he was trapped in this freezing environment with barely enough to survive. She felt so degree of comfort in the fact he would offer such a thing when he could not spare it - she, who had a warm home to go back to when this conversation was over, she whom he might never see again, who would, for all he knew, do nothing constructive for the sake of helping them the moment she was out of view.

She felt disappointed in herself when the most latter thought crossed her mind and her gaze felt downward into her lap. She shook her head again. "No, but thank you. I appreciate it." She lifted her head, smiling weakly at Ludwig. "You need it more than I do. I'll survive."

"So, what brings you down here Lili? Well, before you got lost of course." the Dane inquired. Good question... Her answer was silly and nonsensical. Only a fool would venture into the depths of the underground, especially those fools who didn't know the place. It was her fault for coming down into the freezing halls with no guard or guide, and as she sat there shivering a small feeling of uneasy regret filled her chest.

"Curiosity, mostly." Her grin turned sheepish and she scratched at her hair, embarrassed. "I've never been here before. It's my first time actually looking at mutants and my father thought it'd be a good idea."

And he was up there talking. Perhaps he'd noticed she was gone by now, perhaps not. Maybe he was discussing a purchase... who knew, other than himself and the gentleman he was speaking to. "I thought I'd explore while I waited. I didn't expect to get myself so lost. By the time I realized I didn't know where I'd come from I'd taken a turn too any in the wrong direction."

And now came the challenge of finding her way back, or the challenge of people finding her. That was a lengthy wait in the making. If she stayed put she might no have to worry about accidentally avoiding the rescue party, but if she at least found her way back to a lit hall she might increase her chances of being found more swiftly. Also, warmth, but she didn't want to be alone in a place like this. Too quiet.

She sighed and watched her breath. It was that cold? She looked between the two men in the cells and frowned. How were they so calm about this impending freeze?

"Aren't... you cold?" She asked.

Word Count: 453

Tags: erryone

Notes: rawr

made by MISSO for use on IoF

[Ludwig A. Beilschmidt]

Scowling in return to the continued teasing he received from the other mutant, Ludwig knew full well that Mathias was probably trying to push his buttons on purpose. To what end, he hadn’t yet figured out (maybe he was just one of those types of people who liked to see how far they could needle someone). And normally, Ludwig wouldn’t have cared; his skin had gotten considerably thicker since he’d been dragged of to Weeds all those years ago. But he’d only wanted to help — and to talk to Lili, the strange little lost girl who seemed nothing but kind. Compared to the usual dull daily routine of the Underground, her unexpected visit was a welcome surprise. But getting his nose rubbed in his own advice just made him feel humiliated, and the further retort about the guards wound the German’s nerves even tighter.

”I don’t give them advice!” he snapped hotly, his cheeks pink. ”If they knew how to treat us properly, there’d be fewer problems and fewer fights between the guards and everyone else.” Certain mutants didn’t like to be manhandled, others just wanted to be afforded a little politeness instead of the customary gruff orders, and there were plenty who feared the guards so deeply that at the slightest hint of violence they went screaming and pleading into a corner of their cells and fought viciously against all contact. Ludwig had observed and catalogued and analyzed all of this. Even a blind man could have seen that perhaps some of the mutants needed different treatment in order to cooperate. And while Ludwig held no great love for most of the guards, he couldn’t argue against less violence, fewer fights.

But it was difficult enough to convince the guards to give them more food and thicker blankets, let alone to treat them gentler. Mathias was right about that, at least, although Ludwig could at least take some small pride out of the fact that he’d even raised the issue. Nobody else seemed to care.

Setting his blanket aside with a nod as Lili declined it, Ludwig made himself comfortable again and listened to her speaking. It was both strange and completely expected that this was her first time ‘actually looking at mutants’, as she had put it. Perhaps there were secret mutants or undiscovered mutants that passed her by outside the walls of the Underground. But she wasn’t here to learn about mutants, certainly. Her father had clearly come here with a singular purpose in mind. But Lili didn't seem too curious about who went for what price or who would make a good pet or helper. She hadn't interacted with mutants before, Ludwig realized wryly, because she still treated them like humans -- albeit cautiously so.

When Mathias asked about his ability and the girl asked if they were cold, the blond saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Carefully, he slipped a hand through the bars of his cell, cupping his fingers protectively up. Ludwig barely had to concentrate: a small fire kindled in the middle of his palm, the flames flickering in the indoor air currents that blew through the long hallways of the Underground. Letting the fire warm the air and light things with a warm orange glow for a moment, Ludwig shook his hand out, and the flames vanished.

"I'm good with fire," he explained. "So you don't need to worry about me. I keep myself warm enough." His attention went to Mathias. "What about you? What got you sent here?" Maybe now that he knew Ludwig had the ability to warm this place up, the other mutant would be a little less reluctant to humiliate him in front of their visitor.

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554

Tags: Luddy and Lili

Notes: sorry for lateness

"Ludwig was it?" He started off rolling his eyes at their response. If the guards knew how to treat them better was a good one. How nieve was this person? Sure they ment well but there was one thing Mathias knew about the guards all too well. "It's not that the guards don't know, apart for maybe the new ones, they see us less than stray dogs. Asking them to treat us like, anything worth more than the money we bring it during the fights and at the auctions is like asking a mouse to be a cat." He stretched out more, the tone was less teasing and more welcome to reality. " They think actually bringing you your meal counts as treating you nicely and not cause they don't know any better, they just like the power trip they get out of keeping our face in the dirt."

He glanced at Lili an apology though what was said was true. She deserved to be spared some of the realities of this place. The nieve advisor however, well he lived in these cells as much as the Dane did, it was best they learned where they kept their efforts flowing. When he heard the response from Lili, he made a face, probably one of an odd kind of sorrow. She really was innocent, she really meant well but luck is kinda an odd one to deal with for her to learn how her world worked like this. Thrust into the filth and the grime that mutants called home. Her family's fancy pets indeed lived here first. " I see, first time here" That was the only spoken words he could muster for it. "I hope we didn't make your adventure boring now even if it's for the best."

He grinned at her question, about well whether or not he was cold. Just before he was about to turn up the sass with his answer his neighbour from across the hall beat it to him. It was fiery thats for sure, fiery and well showy. No wonder they could keep warm in here. "unlike him, Miss, I keep warm via cellmates, might not be as warm as he's got but it's cozy and snuggly" He added in before focusing his energy on the other mutant. A little bit of fire wasn't going to scare him, Mathias was way too stubborn and prideful for commonsense like that. Not to mention burns while painful would simply heal like any other flesh wound. In other words he was a total idiot who though he could indeed survive anything and walk away with a smile.

"Me? what was I tried for? Oh just a little bit of well this sort of thing." He dragged on his words having and letting thin long spines poke out the knuckles like built in knuckle busters only to to take them back in and have spines show along his forearm in a wave before everything was smooth normal skin again, apart from the spots the bones poked through closing up and turning red and rather sore. He was of course showing off, for both of the people he was talking too. He was how ever more showing Lud that he wasn't the only one here that had a nasty trick up their sleeve.

made by MISSO for use only by NYX

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Fire bloomed in the German’s palm and Lili’s face lit up with delight. A power! The mutants she knew in her own home usually had pretty benign powers, like a superior penchant for gardening – a literal green thumb, if you will. But to see flames dance about in another’s hands with no wood to kindle it seemed to enchant her. Of course, she was well aware that mutants were capable of such things, but her eyes had never beheld some of the more… destructive powers.

For a moment she was tempted to touch it, to see if it was real, but the man shook the fire from his hand before she could do so, perhaps to her benefit. It wouldn’t look good on the mutant if she hurt himself on his fire.

“I… see what you mean.” Lili stammered. “It’s beautiful and impressive.” So perhaps she wasn’t stealing his warmth when he offered the blanket after all, but surely he wasn’t able to keep that kind of power up forever. She always imagined the use of powers sapped their energy like batteries. He’d run out of juice eventually – and then he’d need that blanket! So it was still a good thing she refused. She had a warm bed waiting for her at home. These men did not.

When Mathias’ turn to show off his powers came up, Lili could only scoot away from the cell’s bars as his bones shifted and cracked visibly, emerging from his skin as rock hard protrusions in his knuckles. As soon as the appeared they retreated back into his skin, which was broken along his forearm by large spikes. If the noises weren’t enough to disturb her, the sheer sight of it was. How was he even doing that? How was he not screaming?! The way the bones shifted and moved, the way they escaped his flesh like—feathers? Was that comparison apt enough to describe what she was seeing?

“Doesn’t that hurt?!” Lili squeaked, clapping her hands to her mouth. “P-… Please don’t do that again.”

Lili felt herself almost becoming physically ill – almost. She swallowed back the desired to throw up. How unsightly it would be to do so in front of these mutants. She straightened herself up and attempted to regain her composure. The sight of Mathias’ power definitely disenchanted her interest in their abilities, but one question remained that’s he felt she had to ask.

“If you don’t mind my asking – and forgive me if this is a stupid question – if you have these powers, what’s stopping you from breaking out?” Lili regretted asking the question the moment the words left her mouth. Surely there were plenty of security measures in place to prevent escapes, otherwise they would be running around all over the place.