Through the Distance

“There’s a whole world out there, just beyond that fence. They just choose to forget.”

They say that long, long ago, our people ruled this world. We controlled its whims and were spread across it in great numbers. Our cities and dwellings reached far, far into the sky. But they say we reached too far and the gods cast us back into the ground and marched destruction across the land. Time passed. Ages gone. We rebuilt to what we are now: A shell of what was supposedly our former glory. We’re mistrustful, shut off from the outside world, shut off from each other. We live in enclosed communities, all the housing, the farming, the herds, locked up within the confines of the fence. The fence protects us from the outside. From the horrors of the world. The only thing that connects us are the trains. The trains bring needed goods and supplies between all the settlements. The trains bring the lifeblood that keeps our society thriving. Well, as thriving as you can call it. Closer to surviving if you were to ask the right people. Yet, we view those who run the trains, the workers, the guards, all of them--with even more suspicion and hostility. They are the outcasts of the outcasts, and not to be trusted.

Yet, for those who have no where left to go, the trains offer salvation. They don’t care who you were, they take anyone in. No matter your reason for going to them. Whether you have nothing left, or you’re running, or just want something more. The trains hold the key to true freedom. You just have to be strong enough to reach out and take it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Rules:
This is a mature RP, we welcome you to explore. However, if sexual scenes become too explicit, please hide them in a spoiler tag, so that people who are sensitive to those things won’t have to read them.
Everyone is from this settlement (with one exception, due to the plot, however, that role is already taken)
Yes, you’ll all be new recruits to the train’s crew. Your reason for this can be anything.
There is no electricity, the trains run off coal.
You are not special. Your character is a run of the mill person.
No magic.
Guns are very rare. If you want one, there had better be a very good reason for it.
This is not earth
If you have questions, ask. I don’t bite and am happy to help.
Two characters max for now. This rule may be lifted at a later date.
No one has left the settlement. Your character may know someone who travels, but they themselves have not.
This settlement isn't so small that you’ll know everyone. You’ll know faces at most, unless you actively interact with them. If you want your character to know another--work with that person. Make the histories together!
I’m not going to spoon feed you a plot and interactions. If you want this rp to succeed, you have to work together.


Character Sheet:
Name:
Age:
Appearance:
Weapons:
Profession:

Characters:

Hogaki's

Name: Hadwin(goes by Win) Zinos
Age: 22
Appearance: Laron is a green eyed youth that stands 5'5 and weighs roughly 127 pounds, with long black hair, often pulled back into a pony tail. He's fairly lean, if a bit scrawny looking. Has a long nasty scar down the right side of his otherwise fairly handsome face. Wears an old brown leather coat, peppered with holes and frayed edges. The rest of his clothing (consisting of one black shirt, one pair of jeans, and one wide brimmed leather hat) are in equal states of repair, save for the hat.
Weapons: Medium crossbow- Fairly fast reload and good power. Its his preferred weapon
Tomahawk– Sometimes, people just get to close.
Profession: Carpenter(Main)/petty thief(minor).

Icipher's

Name: Shen lai-Xiaen
Age: Uncertain (roughly mid-late twenties)
Appearance: Stature is a strong build, with a height of approximately six-foot and weight of around one-hundred-seventy. Oriental skin tone. Straight, wavy black hair worn to just above his shoulders. Short, disheveled goatee an accompanying mustache. Weather pin-stripe matte-black trousers under batwing chaps. Simple black button-down shirt under a faded black long-coat (hip length). Tattered wide-brimmed hat, leather gloves.
Weapons: Ox-tail Dao, heavy crossbow, revolver
Profession: Train-hand

Casey Jewel's

Name: Halyn
Age: 19
Appearance: Halyn is a little short for her age, though only by a handful of inches (5'4"), and her weight is average. She has little fat, instead possessing muscles from years of farming. Her eyes are a warm brown, and freckles sprinkle her cheeks and nose. Her hair can’t quite make up its mind between brown and red, and it falls down to her waist, some of it loose, and some of it banded together. Over each ear, from her mother, she has clipped a bundle of feathers, which are green, blue, and a splash of yellow in color. She loves the color white, and was more often than not seen running around in dresses of that color when younger. The dresses have been replaced by long short-sleeve shirt, which fall halfway down her thighs and billow out from her waist down; beneath this she wears dark blue pants. She owns a pair of worn boots, but she doesn't wear them often, instead opting to be barefoot or to wear tan sandals. She carries an over-the-shoulder knapsack, brown in color, in which she carries herbs/medicines, as well as a few medical supplies, such as a lancet knife and a mortar and pestle.
Weapons: No real weapons, but her herbs can be used for such purposes.
Profession: Apothecary/farmer (not an expert in either field, but is knowledgeable in both areas)

Shadow's

Name: Sade Laaksonen
Age: 23
Appearance: Sade stands taller than average at 5’7”. Where most women are curvy and buxom, she stands out at being almost scrawny. Her thick hair is dark brown and just brushes the middle of her back and is often secured in a braid. Her eyes are a cool grey. Her shirt is a simple cream colored button down which is obviously several sizes too large. Her trousers are dark brown and also several sizes too large. They hug tight to her hips with the help of a leather belt. Too-large boots round out her outfit.
Weapons: Kukri
Profession: (former) Prostitute at the brothel

Artisticmage's

Name: Gytha
Age: 17
Appearance: She has short, messy light brown hair that goes in all directions, no matter if she tries to make it look good or not. Her eyes are dark blue. She is quite tall ( 5'8 ) and boyish, strong enough to beat most people of her age in an one-to-one fight. Mostly wears light clothing that doesn't restrict her movement and makes it easier for her to work on high temperatures.
Weapons: Uses mostly fists and any items she finds that can be used as a weapon
Profession: A blacksmith's apprentice

Magus1108's

Name: Madeline
Age: 18
Appearance: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=mami#/d3jaepz
Weapons: Large kitchen-knife
Profession: Barmaid

Though firearms are gone, would you have any objection to a crossbow or other projectile weaponry?

Nope, those are good

Name: Hadwin(goes by Win) Zinos
Age: 22
Appearance: Hadwin is a green eyed youth that stands 5'5 and weighs roughly 127 pounds, with long black hair, often pulled back into a pony tail. He's fairly lean, if a bit scrawny looking. Has a long nasty scar down the right side of his otherwise fairly handsome face. Wears an old brown leather coat, peppered with holes and frayed edges. The rest of his clothing (consisting of one black shirt, one pair of jeans, and one wide brimmed leather hat) are in equal states of repair, save for the hat.
Weapons: Medium crossbow- Fairly fast reload and good power. Its his preferred weapon
Tomahawk– Sometimes, people just get to close.
Profession: Carpenter(Main)/petty thief(minor).

Accepted!

Name: Shen lai-Xiaen
Age: Uncertain (roughly mid-late twenties)
Appearance: Stature is a strong build, with a height of approximately six-foot and weight of around one-hundred-seventy. Oriental skin tone. Straight, wavy black hair worn to just above his shoulders. Short, disheveled goatee an accompanying mustache. Weather pin-stripe matte-black trousers under batwing chaps. Simple black button-down shirt under a faded black long-coat (hip length). Tattered wide-brimmed hat, leather gloves.
Weapons: Ox-tail Dao, heavy crossbow, revolver
Profession: Train-hand

Accepted. Duh.

Name: Halyn “unique and special, unlike another”

Age: 19

Appearance: Halyn is a little short for her age, though only by a handful of inches (5'4"), and her weight is average. She has little fat, instead possessing muscles from years of farming. Her eyes are a warm brown, and freckles sprinkle her cheeks and nose. Her hair can’t quite make up its mind between brown and red, and it falls down to her waist, some of it loose, and some of it banded together. Over each ear, from her mother, she has clipped a bundle of feathers, which are green, blue, and a splash of yellow in color.

She loves the color white, and was more often than not seen running around in dresses of that color when younger. The dresses have been replaced by long short-sleeve shirt, which fall halfway down her thighs and billow out from her waist down; beneath this she wears dark blue pants. She owns a pair of worn boots, but she doesn’t wear them often, instead opting to be barefoot or to wear tan sandals. She carries an over-the-shoulder knapsack, brown in color, in which she carries herbs/medicines, as well as a few medical supplies, such as a lancet knife and a mortar and pestle.

Weapons: No real weapons, but her herbs can be used for such purposes.

Profession: Apothecary/farmer (not an expert in either field, but is knowledgeable in both areas)

Inspired by: http://nuriko-kun.deviantart.com/art/Junctions-324517674

Accepted of course

Name: Gytha
Age: 17
Appearance: She has short, messy light brown hair that goes in all directions, no matter if she tries to make it look good or not. Her eyes are dark blue. She is quite tall ( 5'8 ) and boyish, strong enough to beat most people of her age in an one-to-one fight. Mostly wears light clothing that doesn't restrict her movement and makes it easier for her to work on high temperatures.
Weapons: Uses mostly fists and any items she finds that can be used as a weapon
Profession: A blacksmith's apprentice

Accepted! I'll look at starting tonight, tomorrow at latest.

I'd like to reserve a character or two! Don't have time to make 'em now, though, but will try to do so tomorrow!

Noted. I plan to start this tonight, so my deadline for characters is three days from now. That'll be Monday the 8th.

(Well, here we are. Feel free to interact with each other, but remember that this isn't the first time everyone has met. We should all know names by now, but anything else is up to you guys. The train-hands work in shifts, so figure out what sort of niche your character has filled on the train. Other than that, keep OOC to a minimum. There's PMs and a Chatbox, so lets us em. Have fun and have at it!)

Rustling fabric whispered goodbye to her backside as she closed the door behind her. She drew a slender wrist across her lips, a grimace etched into her features. A few steps away another train hand sauntered down the hall towards her, a bottle raised to his lips. Sade crossed to him quickly and plucked the bottle from his hand before he could protest. She downed several swallows, the liquid burning the whole way down. It killed the vile taste coating her mouth and tongue.

“You trainmen taste horrid.” She held the bottle back out to Shen.

“Erh, you, uh… you keep that,” he insisted.

“So you’ll kiss me after we’re through, but you won’t share a bottle?” She smirked casually. “We both know that booze is strong enough to kill anything, hon.”

He offered her a shrug accompanied by a shit-eating grin. “I can stomach a little of myself, another man is out of the question though darlin’.”

She slithered closer, fitting herself tightly to him. Her free hand trailed down his chest and stomach before caressing the crotch of his trousers and finishing with a light squeeze. “Ever the charming man.” She breathed, before smirking and pushing herself away and starting down the hall. “Enjoy your free time, train-man.”

In the last four days, Sade’s life had changed very little, despite leaving behind everything she knew. Finding her place aboard the train had been an easy matter. The train hands had welcomed her with opened arms. There was a distinct lack of attractive women on it and with the long spans between towns, things had fallen into place naturally. Of course, being able to set her own prices and not have a mistress lording over her finances was a major plus. A handful of people from the settlement had joined the train along with her--something that happened at times--people got tired of their slice of life. Or they had no other choice left to them. It was a fresh start for all of them. She planned to make the best of it.

"Better watch that teasing there Sade." Hadwin said, the younger boy entering the train car just in time to see the show of 'affection' between the two. He smack his hat against the wall gently, a small cloud of saw dust falling off. He's probably just gotten done with his daily duties. "You ain't careful, some group of train hands who ain't got the scratch going to opt instead just to rape you. Probably not to smart to go around 'advertising' like that, much less to a chink. " he says, tipping his hat to Sheng.

((Just throwing this out there before there is any backlash. Chink was said in character and doesn't reflect my personal beliefs.))

Shen shrugged, leaned near and spat out a small window. “They pay us for shit,” he mouthed, slipping a thin cigar between his teeth. A strike of a match, he cuffed his hands over his mouth and lit the tip. Smoke rifted into the brim of his hat, met the barrier and navigated round. Gently it drifted for the open window, then quickly wisped into the vacant afternoon. Shen puffed, more smoke billowed for the window. He turned, faced them and grinned.

“Ain’t a damn thing to spend it on out here. We’re stacked on booze, hunt if food gets low enough. Left with the option to waste our money gambling’ or by purchasing a supple ass for a few minutes. I think she’ll do just fine, boy.”

Win just shrugs dismissively. "Whatever," he grunts as the faint musky stench of cigar smoke began to filter throughout the room "Aint my ass that'd get raped. Just saying that a little caution aint a bad thing to exercise, even here. " He leans gently on the window frame, half staring out at the passing landscape. He adjusts his pony tail slightly, tightening it. "Just cause we got all of our frivolities in a row doesn't mean people don't stop acting stupid. "

“Its real cute of you to worry, doll.” Sade sent a sultry smile Win’s way, leaning against the wall in such a way as to display her assets. “But I’ve been in this business long enough and if there’s one thing I know, its men. I can handle m’self just fine. Any o’ you step out a line with me and I ain’t afraid to put you back in your place.” Despite her suggestive posture, her eyes hardened in a way that made the languid words into a true threat. “And don’t you worry a hair on your pretty head about Shen here, he’s one of my regulars. Man knows how to treat a lady right. Don’tcha?”

She winked and blew the train-man a kiss before raising the pilfered bottle to her lips and taking a sip. The stuff was strong, but she liked it that way. It was yet another thing that had set her apart from the other girls back at the whorehouse. After another swallow she let the bottle hang at her side and snaked her tongue out to lick her lips clean.

"Like I said, aint my ass on the line, was just my two cents." Win said, his lips turning down into a frown. "Ugh, don't know how you can stomach that grog. We use it to peel paint off the side of the train cars and you're drinking it." He grunted, spitting out the window. He had had a poor run in with the bottle on his second night on the train, a battle he did not win and certainly had no interest in repeating. "Any fucking clue when we hit the next town anyway? I want to see if I can pick something up that wont taste like it could burn hotter than the coal."

Name: Madeline
Age: 18
Appearance: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=mami#/d3jaepz
Weapons: Large kitchen-knife
Profession: Barmaid

A wry, half-mouthed smile and a nod was all the response Sade recieved. He had lowered the window until it was fully open. Slunched over, he allowed an arm to drape out into the open air. Another puff from the cigar, more smoke blown into the breeze left in their wake.

"Least a week, week an' a half 'til the next outpost. Assumin' we don't get bogged down." He watched the scenery roll by, idly. "Not much there other than train grog, an' past that you've got another month or two before we hit a town proper. Smooth railin' anyway. We'll pass through the edge of a delta though." His lips curled into a smirk, he chewed lightly on the cigar, twirled it half a turn. "You've never seen her, the marshland. Neither of you." There was something sadistic in that smile. Something ugly. Something excited.

"No, I've not seen em. And lets hope we keep it like that." Win grunts, pulling his hat down frimly over his head. While he would be the first to admit that leaving his home town had been the best not decision he ever made (like there was much choice in the matter), the idea of being stuck on this tub for a few months with no booze and no women (that he could afford at any rate) irked him slightly. "Last thing any of us want to do is get stuck in one though, I imagine. Hand me the grog please, if I must endure this poor company, best not to do it sober"

(Accepted, Magus. A NOTE: If anyone else wishes to make another character/join this rp, the character MUST be a male. There are too many females to make sense for the setting.)

Halyn bounced into the compartment then. Bounced was the only word that could really describe the movement, with both feet leaving the ground in unison before gravity brought her crashing back down. Her brown knapsack clunked into her side. As she caught a sense of the serious mood, her smile faded to the whispers of the sun on a cloudy day.

“If you spend the whole ride between drinking and drunk, you’ll miss out,” she said. Not that there weren’t times the train felt old to her, even as new to it as she was; the outside world was beckoning to her, taunting her through the open window.

With effort she tore herself away, and then spotted Shen. She moved to him and planted her feet firmly beside him, offering him a smile as she did so. “Each moment takes us to a whole new world.”