libraryof-muses

[libraryof-muses]

RPers, please reblog this if you’re ok with para responses that don’t include dialogue.

        Often it seems like an expectation that dialogue will be exchanged in every para response, but sometimes characters are nonverbal, or don’t have anything to say, or are in a situation that would make talking impractical. If the writer puts enough attention into describing their actions, though, there’s still plenty to respond to even without dialogue.         Non-dialogue responses are not “going nowhere.” Non-dialogue responses are not “filler.” Non-dialogue responses are not non-responses.

[libraryof-muses]

Playlist Shuffle

Tagged by: @cathedralsofcolor

Put your music on shuffle and ​share the first 10 songs that come up. Then tag 10 people to play too!

1. Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith 2. Gives You Hell by The All American Rejects 3. Angels by Khalid 4. Rich White Girls by Mansionz 5. Moments Silence (Common Tongue) by Hozier 6. Empty by Boyinaband and Jaiden 7. LOYALTY. by Kendrick Lamar and Rhianna 8. Location by Khalid 9. Therapy by Khalid 10. Amnesia by Gavin Mikhail 

[libraryof-muses]

Alkali folded her hands in her lap, electricity fluttering between the creases of her fingers and hopping across her collarbone. A striking reminder to the thing that set her apart, if her eyes were not enough.

She listened quietly, thoughts turning over these things he confessed to her. She could see now the mental torment of being put into that position.

"Do you heal differently?" She inquired tentatively, like a child prodding a teacher for answers. She was aware of other mutants with rapid healing abilities, and it wasn't uncommon for most mutants to have a quicker recovery time than normal humans.

“Ah, i-immortality. I’m not qu-quite immortal, but y-your lifespan c-compared to mine w-would seem like i-it. I knew wh-when I found a c-civilization of merfolk th-the first time. A f-few w-were old e-enough t-to remember G-greece.” He said, looking at his hands as if they were strange to him. 

“I g-guess someday, I m-might be th-the old one, r-remembering th-the fall o-of humans.” He said. He shook his head, as if to clear the strange mood from his head. 

“Anyways, it’s a-all odd. T-to grow u-up like that, w-waiting for the b-blow that k-kills you- Only t-to find I’ll a-almost never die.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I s-suppose, if I w-wanted to, I c-could kill myself, b-but that seems l-like a waste of e-effort.”

[libraryof-muses]

Most mutants knew when they were different, typically gifted the mutation at birth. It was an animalistic instinct, a deep understanding within yourself that you were different.

It seemed to be an understanding among mutants, but what is there to say for those who weren't born with it? Whose mutation wasn't chosen for them by some 'higher power'? Mutants who grew into their abilities, painfully, against their will.

Alkali shook her head, brows furrowing agitatedly. "No, no," she waved her hand as if brushing away unwanted thoughts. "The immortality thing," she specified. She brought her hand to push her bangs out if her hair, static crackling between her fingers upon contact.

“Kn-know what? Th-that I’m n-not a human? E-easy. It’s i-in my nature t-to be m-my true form. I h-have always kn-known. Wh-when I was qu-quite young, b-before I heard a-about stories o-of mermaids, I th-thought it w-was something you weren’t s-supposed to do. ‘C-course, a r-religious bitch b-beating you b-because ‘th-the devil i-is in y-you, h-how could y-you give into it?’ d-didn’t h-help. R-ran away o-one day, wh-when my best f-friend- well… He k-killed himself. R-ran as f-far as I c-could, dr-dropped i-into the G-gulf of M-mexico, s-swam a-and s-swam.” He sighed tiredly.

“I f-found o-other m-merpeople. N-never found m-my true p-parents but i-it doesn’t m-matter now.” He said, shrugging. “C-couldn’t stay w-with them. Th-they were s-so carefree, I-” He sighed again. “D-decided t-to s-stay a-above w-water u-until it a-all passes. L-like a bad mood. A-and I’ll be f-fine i-in a couple d-decades o-or so. B-besides, I j-just needed to st-stay a bit longer l-like s-saying good by t-to an o-old home b-before moving.”

[libraryof-muses]

Alkali spun back around to face Max and slid down to the floor, back to the window until she was sitting in a semi-criss cross state. Tilting her head back against the wall, Alkali eyed Max curiously.

Flexing her fists as she pushed back the wave of nausea, she set her jaw and focused on the sound of his rambling.

"How did you know?" She asked lightly, carefully. Considering how sharp he had been with her since the moment they met. She kept her expression neutral yet attentive.

“Oh s-sure, n-not knowing wh-who some random l-lady on my damn b-boat is and f-freaking out makes m-me ignorant. I’m n-not exactly s-safe, l-living on the surface y-you know.” He said shaking his head. 

“B-besides, you r-realize people d-don’t just have s-stutters.” He added, scowling. “O-of course, s-some one with ptsd sh-should never b-be panicky a-at all. E-especially wh-when s-someone h-he’s never m-met before- in a t-town wh-where there’s never n-new people- sh-shows up knowing m-my name a-and everything a-about me.” 

He crossed his arms. “I c-cannot wait u-until you decide t-to leave.” He said. 

[libraryof-muses]

"That doesn't mean I was going to hurt you! Look at you, jumping to conclusions." She waved her hand dismissively in his direction. "You're no different than the rest of humanity." She shook her head, turning her back to him and nearing the window.

The ocean waves sloshed against the boat, quivering underneath the afternoon sun and Alkali felt a distinct twist of her gut. Bracing herself against the window, Alkali bowed her head in a manner she hoped came across as pensive rather than sickly. "I don't blame you for being on guard, anyone would have been when approached by a stranger." She murmured, electricity flickered across her body, small strings of light curving over her shoulders and around the back of her knees.

Her shoulders bunched as if in preparation to say something else, but nothing came. She remained silent, leaned up against the glass as her stomach rolled uncomfortably.

“Oh s-sure, n-not knowing wh-who some random l-lady on my damn b-boat is and f-freaking out makes m-me ignorant. I’m n-not exactly s-safe, l-living on the surface y-you know.” He said shaking his head. 

“B-besides, you r-realize people d-don’t just have s-stutters.” He added, scowling. “O-of course, s-some one with ptsd sh-should never b-be panicky a-at all. E-especially wh-when s-someone h-he’s never m-met before- in a t-town wh-where there’s never n-new people- sh-shows up knowing m-my name a-and everything a-about me.” 

He crossed his arms. “I c-cannot wait u-until you decide t-to leave.” He said. 

[libraryof-muses]

Alkali bit into the roll of rice and tofu, listening quietly to Max's ramblings. Feeling to boat rock back and forth, rocked by the waves that lapped at the sides.

Stuffing the last of the mock sushi in her mouth, Alkali stood and moved into the makeshift kitchen, slipping her empty plate onto the counter then moseying back over to where she had sat on the floor.

"It's not just humans," she murmured, glancing at Max sideways. "Need I remind you that you pulled a gun on me, when I posed no threat? Threatened me when I made no intentions of wanting to fight you?" She scoffed, "humans are not the only ignorant ones."

“Sh-shame humans s-seem so insistent o-on never learning f-from the past.” He said, shaking his head again. “C-could be intelligent c-creatures, i-if they all c-collectively pulled th-their heads out o-of their asses.” He said.

He started to wash the dishes he had used to cook and setting them in a rack to dry. He tucked the wasabi and soy sauce back into the fridge and sat back down, looking out at the sea again. 

“B-besides ignorance, I th-think humans a-are violent b-by nature. E-every one of th-them is certain the w-world revolves around th-them and their o-own problems. I-in their heads, th-they are each th-the one who matters. Th-that kind of th-thinking traps them. It’s p-pitiful.” He said, again shaking his head. 

[libraryof-muses]

Alkali took a bit longer to eat, after swallowing the first roll she took her time with the second. It had been a few days since she's had a decent meal, living off insects and nuts and berries since her rations had run out had left her with a pitifully empty stomach.

"Ignorance makes people reckless," she said, thoughtfully, nibbling on the edge of her second mock sushi roll.

Max rolled his eyes and continued to eat, looking out at the sea with a slight melancholy in his eyes. He sighed when he was finished and took the paper plate to a hidden trash can beneath a sink. He began cleaning up and looked over at her. 

“P-poison would be m-much less blood for me to h-have to clean u-up. Blood stains white wood. Would probably stain my carpet, too.” He said, rubbing a socked foot on the floor. “B-besides, the first n-night I only h-had blanks in the g-gun. D-didn’t put real b-bullets in till th-the next mornin’.” 

“Makes m-me anxious t-to walk a-around with a h-human m-monster c-contraption i-in my pocket. N-not safe.” He added, shaking his head. “H-humans will always m-make sh-shiny new w-ways to k-kill each other. C-can’t seem to l-live in peace. A-angry, spiteful, p-petty creatures, by n-nature.” He tutted as if it were sad.

[libraryof-muses]

"Only towards humans," she grinned, her smile more like a grimace.

She stood by as he cooked, looking on a bit boredly. Removing her sunglasses from where they perched on her nose to the collar of her shirt, moving out of the way when necessary.

After accepting her plate, Alkali followed Max to the control panel but slid to the floor instead of sitting in a chair. Taking one of the rolled up bits of tofu and rice, Alkali popped the full thing into her mouth and peered up at him curiously. "I watched you make it," she said around the bit of food, rice falling from her lips back onto the plate, "besides, you didn't shoot me so I doubt you would've poisoned me."

“Huh,” He continued cooking. “Y-you sure d-don’t seem n-nonviolent, b-but whatever.” He said, shrugging. He continued to cook, pulling vegetables out of the fridge and cutting them and starting a pot of rice.

When the rice was cooked through he assembled the various vegetables- squash, cucumber, carrots- and tofu along with the rice together with seaweed, putting some on two paper plates and the rest in a plastic tupperware and putting it back into the fridge. He poured some soy sauce and a spot of wasabi onto his plate.

He sat back down at the controls with the plate and put one of the small rolls into his mouth. “M-mock sushi.” He said around a cheek full of it. “F-feel free to e-eat it or d-don’t, I get t-to left overs e-eventually. A-and no,” He swallowed. “I-it’s not poisoned, as m-much as I’d have l-loved to p-poison you, I’m f-fresh out of c-cyanide.”

[libraryof-muses]

Alkali reclined, propping her legs up on the panel and dozing until she heard the thud of footsteps atop the boat. Lifting a lazy hand to the bridge of her glasses and hooking a finger over the rim, she tugged them down just slightly enough to peer over the tops of them.

"Afraid not, seeing as I can't swim," she shrugged. A lie, but of course he didn't know that. As she watched him turn his back on her and disappear into what she had gathered to be a bedroom, Alkali felt uninvited thoughts prod to the surface of her mind. Cool water lapping at ger shoulders, the burning beneath her skin that made her feel as if at any moment she would catch fire, the distinct feeling of her heart stopping.

She blinked, present swimming back into focus. Standing quickly, Alkali clasped her hands behind her back and sauntered over to where Max stood, tipping her head to the side. "I actually am a vegetarian, actually. Have been since I was eight."

Max stayed out of sight, lounging beneath the water comfortably, thanking gods for the silence away from her. He ran his hands over his tail and thought that he should return to the boat. She may have said she’d not touch the panels, but he didn’t entirely trust her. 

He managed to tear himself from the water after an hour, returning to the boat and wrapping a stray towel around himself, picking his underwear back up as well. He held the towel in place over himself as he walked down the steps and tossed the underwear into a hamper next to the stairs.

“St-still here, I see.” He noted, groaning. “I s-suppose it was t-too much to hope y-you’d have s-swam away.” He added, running a hand through his wet hair. It was slightly curly when wet. 

He walked to a door, one of two, and entered what was revealed to be a bedroom. He got dressed and came back out, opening a fridge in the same room as the control panel was, on the far side. He dropped a pack of tofu onto a counter and pulled a pan from a hook. 

“Y-you don’t look t-to be the v-vegetarian type, b-but I’ll feed you s-so I d-don’t have a body th-that might shock m-me when I dump i-it into the ocean.” He said, cutting some of the tofu up on a pull out cutting board.

[libraryof-muses]

Alkali's heterochromia eyes made a quick observation of Max as he undressed swiftly, her eyes making the slope of his shoulders and bend of his back before he grumpled his retort.

Blinking, electricity popped and curled beneath her hair, she surprised herself by the amused twist of her lips and quiet chuckle. "Glorified battery pack," she murmured as he ascended the stairs and disappeared from view, "I like that."

A few moments later, after she had made herself comfortable in the chair he had sat in before leaving for his swim, she peered at him through the window. Schooling her expression into disinterest as he teased her from the other side, she took in all the differences in his appearance since he had jumped into the water. Shaking her head at him as he splashed the window before diving deeper and out of sight.

“Fish boy, ugh” He muttered under breath as he pulled off his shirt, not giving it a second thought as he undressed in front of her. “At least I’m not a glorified battery pack.” He retorted as he walked up to the deck. 

He ditched his underwear above deck, so she’d not see him entirely naked. He entered the water with a sigh of relief the second he was under. He swam up to the window to make a face at her, even if he did believe she shouldn’t see his right form.

His skin was slightly florescent, and he stuck his longer tongue out at her through sharp, long teeth. He attempted to cross his eyes, but it’d probably be to no avail, as they were all one filled electric shade of blue now. After he’d made the face he ducked back under the water, flicking some onto the window with his shimmery yellow tail.

[libraryof-muses]

Alkali pursed her lips at his snark. It wasn't common for mutants to have jobs let alone acquire enough income to make such a public deal as purchasing a boat. But of course, how ignorant of her to assume he'd know of such difficulties. Seeing as he happened to only care about his self and his own well being, but could she really blame him? Hadn't she been in his shoes too, once?

Alkali snorted, "what purpose do I have to steal a boat?" She turned back to Max, lips pursed indignantly. "Go, take a little dip, fish boy. I assure you I'll be right here when you come back and your boat will be perfectly unharmed."

Max reclined back in the chair and let out a huff of air. “How d-does one g-generally a-acquire a boat?” He snarked back at her, already sick of, but learning to adjust to her presence. “Money, o-obviously.” He stated, clearly. 

“I m-might n-not be a h-human, b-but I’m n-no pirate.” He said, rolling his eyes. “I’d b-bet you’d h-have loved to h-hear I was, t-to go tattle t-to your little o-organization.” He said, tucking his hands behind his head, tutting.

“A-anyways, I-I’d l-like to b-be able to t-take a dip, s-since you s-so rudely interrupted l-last night.” He said, eyes looking over at her accusatorily. “M-my skin is s-so dry, I’ll b-be parchment b-by nightfall.” He groaned, scratching at his skin more. 

“B-but, you’re here, l-lucky me.” He said, giving her another sidelong glance. “A-and I d-don’t entirely t-trust you n-not to try and high-j-jack my fucking b-boat.” He said. He turned to the panel of controls, which could as well have been for an aeroplane, how complicated they were. “N-not that you could g-get far.”

[libraryof-muses]

Alkali watched him in silent observation, casually reaching over to where her sunglasses had been knocked to the ground and slipping them onto her shirt. As he settled himself inside the cabin, Alkali bravely climbed in a little while after they had set off.

"Oh, I don't know..." she shrugged, poking and prodding around the cabin after making her careful descent. "Long enough, I suppose..." she said, but didn't bother elaborating.

"How did you acquire this thing, anyway?" She asked conversationally as moseyed forward to peer through the glass separating them from the outside.

“G-good for you,” He called back up. “N-not my scene. Like I said, h-human a-affairs aren’t m-my thing.”

He came back up onto the deck, went down to the pier and untied a rope, and climbed back aboard quickly. He went back down under and into a place where he could steer the ship, bullproof glass making a windshield in place of part of the normal boat walls. He set himself on a safe course and came back onto the deck. 

“G-great to kn-know you’ll b-be here f-for the entire boat ride.” He muttered, sitting in one of the chairs and looking out on the horizon. The sea seemed to be empty the further they got out. 

“H-how l-long do y-you intend on st-staying here?” He asked, turning to her and taking his yellow coat off to scratch at his dry skin.

[libraryof-muses]

"What a ray of sunshine you are," Alkali muttered, sitting up once the gun had safely been tucked away.

Never very good at listening to directions, Alkali slid from the chair and perched by the entrance to the lower deck. "They're not only looking for recruits, you know," she called down, cocking her head like a curious little parakeet. "They're also looking for doctors, nurses, teachers, handymen," she waved her hand and rolled her eyes boredly. "Et cetera," she didn't dare step into the cabin, but leaned forward enough that she could peer inside. "They also merely offer safety, protection for younger mutants with no place to go."

“I’m s-sure y-you have s-some cute l-little m-mutant p-puppies, sure.” He said, waving a hand like he didn’t care, as if to disperse the thought. “D-don’t care.” He said. He sighed and holstered his gun. “A-and excuse l-little ‘ole me, f-for being r-rude to a f-freak who decided t-to show up and t-trespass w-with a c-cute little diary a-all about me.”

“I-if y-you’re looking for mutants, I d-don’t know what to tell you.” He said. “L-like I said, I d-don’t care about your silly little f-fights. I j-just want to live m-my simple l-little life and l-leave wh-when I get b-bored. I’m n-not indenturing m-myself to some ‘c-cause’ or wh-whatever.” He said. 

“S-so stay on th-the boat, who g-gives a fuck.” He said, tossing his hands in the air. “I-I’ve g-got work t-to do.” He said, unlocking the hatch that lead inside. “S-stay put, o-or get off.” He instructed as he disappeared below the deck. 

[libraryof-muses]

"We're not all humans, not all mutants look like me," she gestured to herself, waving her arm up and down herself. "We don't all come in fleshy packaging," she sighed. Her head still throbbed, both from the unfortunate knocking of heads and from her growing irritation. "Honestly, the councilmen didn't clarify how temperamental you'd turn out to be or else I mightve fought a little harder to get off this case."

Alkali sighed, long and drawn out and peering up at Max lazily. "I'm not going to keep arguing with you, but I'm also not going to get off this boat. So, tie me up, shoot me, do whatever you need to to make yourself feel better," she shrugged, nudging her foot against the grown and twisting the chair to and fro. "I'm not moving."

He scowled at her and looked her up and down. “Y-you really think y-you’re the g-genius here? Th-that I’m th-the ignorant one? T-typical human b-behaviour.” He sighed and shook his head. “F-fucking humans.” He said, as if the display was pitiful. “I-I’m tempted to shoot your arm j-just for being so f-fucking ignorant.” He said, scowling.

“H-humans a-as they are, w-well it leaves m-more t-to be d-desired, b-but whatever you are, m-monsters from radiation and wh-whatever? Gods, wh-what a wr-wreck h-humans are.” He scowled and looked her dead in the eyes. 

“I d-don’t kn-know how many times i-it’s gonna t-take to get it th-through your h-head. Max. N-not. H-human.” He said, speaking slowly and condescendingly. “L-little fish p-people! D-deep u-underwater!! T-too deep for s-silly l-little humans!” He said, continuing his rude way of speech. “M-mermaids!” He said in a high, silly tone, as if it should be obvious but he were speaking to a child.

“Y-you fucking h-humans, th-thinking you’re s-so smart.” He said, shaking his head and sneering. “I’m n-not a mutant. A-actually, I’m fairly t-typical of my species, m-minus the f-fact I st-still live on l-land and interact w-with your kind. Th-this bull shit h-has me rethinking m-my lifestyle choices.” 

“A-and anyways, I c-couldn’t care less about humans a-and the fights they ch-choose to p-pick.” He said, shrugging. “I’ll st-still be alive wh-when stories o-of this w-war are b-being told to ch-children in schools and n-no human alive will h-have been a-alive to ex-experience it th-themselves.” He said, resolutely.

[libraryof-muses]

Alkali's jaw clenched, "you really are ignorant," she shook her head, gaze turning back up to meet his in full force. "Not all of us are made in a lab, and those of us that are didn't choose for it to be this way. Not all of us has a choice, or were old enough to understand the gravity of it." Her muscles tensed with the need to move, but she didn't know how idiotic this boy was. Why had the councilmen sent her here? Why had they sent her to retieve him? Jobs like these required patient, mellow minded members. Not mutants like her, angry, impatient, irritable.

"And we didn't start this, they were killing us. God forbid we fight back and defend ourselves, amirite?" She scoffed, electricity responding to her mood and racing up and down her arms. "Jesus how sheltered are you that you don't know your own kind's History?" She challenged, raising her chin. "You know I could easily disarm you, paralyze the muscles and snap up your gun before you could even blink, why do you think I haven't yet?"

She flopped her head back against the chair, "I don't want to hurt you," she smirked, eyes peering at his leg, jeans singed where ger electricity had made contact. "Well, not intentionally."

“Watch i-it.” He growled, guestering with the gun. “I was born l-like this, not like the r-rest of you lab f-freaks.” He said. 

“I’m n-not even a f-fucking human in the f-first place, you’re just a ch-chemical accident that somebody should have c-cleaned up. Get it r-right, you d-damn humans a-always th-thinking you kn-know everything. Y-you a-aren’t the most intelligent species on the pl-planet, and I’d v-venture to s-say even s-sea sponges are smarter th-than you. Sm-smart enough to k-keep to themselves and n-not start wars, and th-they don’t even have b-brains.” 

“What f-fucking camp?” He asked, cocking the gun. All it would take was a pull of the trigger and she’d be dead or quite wounded. He’d rather get it over with and not have to chase her, what with the searing electrical pain in his leg. His skin was going to be so dry before he got a chance to swim again, he thought bitterly. 

[libraryof-muses]

Alkali gave herself a minute to adjust, even as she heard the easy snick and click of a gun being drawn she still sat sprawled in the seat which she had just been so rudely awoken from.

"I'm Alkali, a mercenary or I guess messenger pigeon? I'm sent to retrieve you and bring you back to camp," she she squinted at him through her lashes, feeling along her head for a lump that she was sure would form the more she sat there prodding at it. "And don't act so high and mighty, fish boy." She spat, eyes falling to the gun he had poised towards her.

Max fell back onto his ass, gripping his head and pulling his leg closely to his body. “What the f-fuck?” He asked, angrily, glaring up at her from his place on the ground. He unholstered his gun as he stood and pointed it at her, no longer playing around.

“Wh-who are you and why a-are you here?” He demanded, holding his gun in perfect form. At point blank, along with his clear expertise, there was no chance he’d miss if he so chose to shoot. “M-my patience is g-gone. B-better hurry, law e-enforcement around h-here know m-me and th-they don’t t-trust outside f-folk, especially ones th-that are mutants.” He spit the word out like it was sinful, a dirty taste in his mouth. 

He checked his aim, making sure he was locked onto her perfectly. He was aimed to hit her arm, but if she moved and he decided to shoot, she’d be shot dead in the heart.