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such deliberate disguises ; thequietrebel

The bar was noisy and full of people - a bunch of overactive men pumped up with Joy laughed raucously in the corner, and a speaker boomed some modern dance track that he didn't know. A part of Ed wished that he'd gone somewhere else, but the thought of going back out into the cold night to find somewhere else was unappealing.

Sound bombarded him from every angle and he waded through the crowds to get to the bar, and he ducked his head in case someone recognised him from the adverts - he just wanted a quite drink, that's all. As a result, he didn't see them man until he walked right into him, knocking into the glass he was holding in one hand.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" said Ed, looking up in surprise. "Didn't see you there."

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She was certainly not what he'd been expecting, but something inside of him was telling him to be wary. He'd had some Trust in his tea before he came out, though, and he was feeling brave. 

"Well, at least you're not hurt," he said, his tone serious. It was dangerous to be out alone at night, not only for young women. Despite not knowing her at all, Ed felt worried for her safety. The crime was one of the things he disliked about the drugs - though of course their benefits outweighed any drawbacks. "My name's Ed, by the way."

the bliss of solitude ; dainazuzanna

Chuckling at herself, Daina rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a slight pinch of embarrassment. Daina moved out from around the corner, her arms folded loosely across her chest. She could see the stranger relax slightly at the sight of her, “I am very clumsy when I am not looking where I am going." She said with an added shrug, smiling thinly at the man. “I am fine. I apologise for scaring you."

Daina stepped a few paces forward, standing just beside the streetlamp where the stranger met her. The Latvian found herself become very warey of the man, and made sure there was some distance between them - just for safety measures. She didn’t exactly plan on being drugged with Love for a few hours, and didn’t want to think about what would happen if she did get drugged.

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Ed wasn't stupid - he knew the look of someone coming down off the drugs. But he also knew that dependency, on any of the myriad of drugs on offer, was a touchy subject for most. He didn't understand the addicts, but then perhaps it was all to do with circumstances - if they'd been different for him, if he didn't have his boys to think of, perhaps he'd have gone down the same road after his wife's death.

"Not your day, eh? Don't know why I'm enjoying it so much myself - we've had hotter days, after all," he was smiling, the sunshine making him more amiable than usual. Then, with a small shake of the head, he realised he hadn't introduced himself.

"Ed Tarland," he held out his hand to shake, accompanying the gesture with a wry grin.

a moment's hesitation ; martie-iguess

When the man next to her spoke Martie was slow to respond. “I suppose. The sun at least, is nice." She just couldn’t muster up enthusiasm despite the good weather. Today was just…not her day. As was her unhealthy tendency, she’d taken some Forget - even after her ex husband had saved her from an overdose several months before - a few days previous. Her memory had bounced back since but the high that came with most drugs had faded to leave her feeling low. 

That being said, they were selling ice creams with Joy. That would fix her problem quickly. 

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Damn, when had he gotten so jumpy? Ed never used to get frightened by the slightest sound. A young woman had appeared from around the corner, and at the sight of her Ed relaxed - he wasn't being followed by a big scary rebel, at least!

"That's an awful lot of noise you were making there," Ed smiled, waving back, "Gave me quite a fright. You alright?"

He didn't want to move closer, didn't want to give the wrong impression - in the worse-off parts of town, assaults by crazy people wielding hypodermics of some drug or other were common - but at the same time Ed didn't want to seem like he was being rude. Eventually, he compromised and stepped forward a few steps, into the light of the streetlamp.

the bliss of solitude ; dainazuzanna

It was easy to get lost in London, Daina had found. She had thought about buying herself a map, or installing a gps app on her phone - either one of those would prevent her from losing her way. Daina wasn’t fond of the dark; it wasn’t so much she was scared because it was dark, she was scared because she couldn’t see who -or what - else was there.

Turning down random streets here and there, Daina only found herself getting more lost. She had given up by the time she had reached a set of traffic lights, and instead of finding her way home, she decided to just go on a wander and see what she would stumble upon tonight.

Lost in her thoughts, the Latvian didn’t pay attention to where she was walking - and as a result walked straight into a lampost. That didn’t cause much noise, though. What did cause a lot of noise, however, was when Daina almost knocked over a recycling bin, and bits from inside of it toppled out onto the ground.

The sound of a man calling out made Daina follow his voice. Peeping round the cornor, she saw a man looking her way. “Hi…" She shrugged, awkwardly waving her hand. “I am here."

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What drugs do you use? Why?

"For the most part, I use Hope and Trust, often twice or three times daily. I also take a small shot of joy every morning. Sometimes I use Intelligence, but not often. I've also used Forget once or twice, but never in any large dose."

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I may not still have my youth but I'm young

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Want to improve your dialogue skills? This article looks at the mistakes writers commonly make.

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a moment's hesitation ; martie-iguess

"Dad, dad, can we go to the ice cream van?" His oldest son, Darin, was asking, his hand held out for money. Ed smiled and gave him just enough to buy one for himself and his brother, and watched the nine year old running off, trying to look important. 'Ice cream with Joy,' proclaimed the sign on the side of the van. Ed wondered vaguely what else could be served with ice cream.

The park was full of children and adults alike and Ed - perched on a bench by the pond - was enjoying the sunshine. "A lovely day, isn't it?" he remarked to the woman sitting next to him.

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the bliss of solitude ; dainazuzanna

In a city like this, it was hard to be alone with your thoughts. That was why, in recent years, Ed had begun to go for walks at night time - when the streets were quiet, rid of the addicts and pedestrians hyped up on Joy.

He was used to the quiet by now, and reveled in the time he gets to spend away from the bustle of everyday life. Don't get him wrong, he loved spending time with his sons - but they were at a friend's tonight and he'd taken the chance to go out.

And so it was a surprise to hear footsteps behind him, especially here. This part of the city was respectable and usually deserted this time of night, free from the kind of lowlife you usually found downtown. The noise was enough to make him nervous. "Erm... hello?" Ed called, "Is there, um, is there anyone there?"

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Ed was just coming out of the shop having bought a  bar of chocolate - his favourite - when someone bumped into him, and he looked up in surprise. It was a teenager, using rather colourful language for one his age - then again, Ed was not a good judge of age at the best of times. The boy could be fourteen or twenty for all he knew.

At least the young man had apologised, Ed mused. There were far too many teens these days who had no respect for their elders. Ed briefly wondered if there was a drug that could remedy that particular issue - then snapped himself out of it. This was not the time. He smiled at the boy, "That's quite alright. My fault entirely. Wasn't looking, y'see."

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|| { ♣ ———————— Of course he gets hungry, he’s a teenager — and after ten minutes of going through every damn pair of jeans, reaching into the pockets and turning them inside out on a search for spare change, he finally has some. It’s only a bit, 50p and a few coppers, but it’s enough to buy a packet of crisps, at least.

                         He’s on his way out of the corner shop when he bumps into someone — not hard enough to knock them down, this time, but still enough for it to shock him. Unsurprisingly. He tends to be easily surprised. "Shit, er, I mean — um, sorry."

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Edward Tarland || 32 || Government Official || Taken || Ewan McGregor

Backstory:

The only child of the Tarland family, Ed did well at school. His success academically followed him through college and boosted him towards Governmental work. His career at the government began well, and he quickly rose up the ranks. Ed is the kind of person that you instinctively like and trust, which is rather problematic if he has his eye on your job.

While not a heavy drug user, Ed does use drugs such a Trust and Hope. He is by no means against the drugs though, and actively encourages his two children to take them regularly.

A few years ago, Ed was picked to be one of the two faces of the ‘Everything’s Just Wonderful’ ad campaigns; but unlike Carmen, and due to his now well-known presence in the public eye, he was made aware of the Rebels and their motives for his own safety.

Character Traits:

Trustworthy

Materialistic

Ambitious

Creative