Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "Bad News"

[Josée's Note: So, I missed last Resurgence. I know, I know! And it was an important one. There had been talk of attempting to go back in time to rescue Nat before he could die. I was gutted to miss it, but I had woken up at 6:30am the day before to go to London to be in the audience as a TV show was filmed, and hadn't got home until 1am on the day of the game. I was totally unfit to fight safely, and in a combat-heavy LARP, it means it was best for everyone that I didn't turn up. (Plus, Ali would have been gutted to be there and be unable to defend people. She'd have to go all "Kitiara" and make some kind of oath of pacifism for the day to stop her from getting involved! And that would be too boring for dear old Ali! :D) So...I posted in character on the Resurgence LARP Facebook group...and the following post is Ali's reason for not turning up...and response to what she was told! I have no idea how much of the story I have or whether its right, which is AWESOME.]
(Content Warning: Bad Language - more than last time!)

Bad News

Ali's eyes opened, and hastily shut again.

Ouch, ouch, ouch...too bright. Much too bright. And what the fuck is that din?

Opening her eyes as little as she could, she squinted to see around the room. Her head pounded as she tried to make sense of the situation. This...wasn't bed. She twisted her neck and felt the nerves and muscles ping and twang as they were pulled from the position they had settled in for the night. Lifting an arm to massage the aching muscles, she felt a similar feeling in her shoulder and elbow, and as she flexed her wrist, the feeling spread.

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "Alone Again"

[Josée's Note: So, I returned to Resurgence LARP after something of an absence! And...NPCing, I created the very first player kill! Yay! What wasn't so "yay" was that that character was Nat! Cue Ali desperately searching for a way to bring back the man she loved, and growing more and more desolate as each option crumbled. So...here is Ali's personal aftermath.]
[Note: Some Bad Language]

Alone Again

She shouldn't have been walking home alone.

She had offered Nat a place to sleep; a place to stay when needed. She shouldn't have been walking home alone. Her stomach was in tight, twisting knots, her mind replaying the words of her colleague as he broke the news of Nat's death to her. Death was not unknown to Ali, nor did it scare her anymore...but...this was Nat. This was the one man she had felt something stronger than comradeship for in her entire life. This was the one man she had broken her cardinal rule for; "Never get attached".

Felix and Lunetta [Empire LARP] : "Fleeing Anvil"

[Josée's Note: Well, this Empire was certainly not a boring one! Lunetta was hunted by some plot, and decided to give it a nice old poke. This lead to her almost giving up her soul to look after a boy who had become a Herald of Mazen as a Herald of Lashonar. This was only stopped by her Cardinal attempting to murder her, which forced her to give up her course of action to make sure that he didn't end up facing the death penalty. She got in trouble with her Carta (understandably, to some extent) and decided that the only safe place for her was not in the League, her home, but with her Cardinal in Highguard. Cue "Fleeing Anvil" with her adopted children and her husband...but not all together.

This post features Draiton, Felix's player, as a guest writer, telling Felix's part of the tale.

This is likely to be the first in a series of posts about Lunetta and Felix's...unusual...journeys.]

His last embrace of Lunetta before following Galbraith into the rain had been all too brief for the terrified cambion. How many words he had wished to tell her, what little time they had. It’d all been a whirlwind of experiences that Felix was not quite ready for and had plunged into the deep end. But as always, sink or swim, he would survive.

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : 'Past, Present and Future'

(Josée's Note: So...I am home, playing Resurgence once more! And this game, as ever, provided some clear drama for Ali and her favourite Djinn, Nat. It all went a bit wrong, shall we say? Ah, and the slowly blooming romance was going so well!)

(Mood Music: "I am the One / Je Suis L'Élue" from Dragon Age Inquisition)

Past, Present and Future

Ali slowly walked through the long grass, her hands sweeping through the wild flowers that grew all along the river. She had made her way to Whitlingham, keen to put as much distance as possible between her and the rest of the world. On her back was a rucksack, and in her hands was a chain, her fingers running over it, much like a rosary.

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "Musings of a Troubled Mind"

[Josée's Note: This is nothing more than a stream of consciousness following the destruction of Smiling Jack. I found Sansa's Hymn by Karliene fitted the feeling of the emotion within it, in tone and tune at least. It's quite regretful and contemplative.] 

I walked away.

I walked away.

I hope, for my own sake, whoever is meant to be observing what I do was indisposed.

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "Dear Nat..." #4

Dear Nat,

You do not know how relieved I was to receive your letter. I'm glad to hear you are faring well, though I was somewhat sad to hear you have begun to drink again.

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "Welcome Visitors?"

[Josée's Note: Hello! It's been a little while since I wrote anything from Ali's direction, and I thought I should change that. While her journeys last game were relatively uneventful (defending a tree; I simplify a bit but all in all that roughly covers the main goal) she did receive a letter from Nat (yay!!) in downtime. So I thought a piece about how that letter came to her would be quite good fun to write...and would introduce those not familiar with Resurgence to some of the finest NPCs the game has to offer...the hyperactive, hypertrading Imps. Also, yay for Doctor Who coming out at the weekend, as it gave me the the perfect metaphor!]
[Warning: Bad Language!]

Welcome Visitors?

Ali sat at the bar in one of the nightclubs (she was a doorwoman often given work orders for them) down Prince of Wales Road, one of the most notorious streets in Norwich for drunk and disorderly behaviour and scuffles, due to the sheer volume of nightclubs and strip clubs down its length. In recent weeks, due to the students at the University being on their summer holidays, the street had been relatively quiet, with only minor incidents; thankfully nothing tabloidworthy for once. This Saturday night...sorry, early Sunday morning, had been peaceful, for the main part. She'd had to manoeuvre a group of women, out for their mate's Hen night, out of the club in the very early hours due to a brawl over one of them shacking up with another's husband ("Alcohol, heh heh heh..." one of the less intoxicated members of the party had tittered nervously at her as she had escorted them out, "...it's funny the stories that come out...") but aside from that, all had been quiet.

Lunetta Sanguineo [Empire LARP] : "The Road to Holberg"

[Josée's Note: Big, big, big, big, big thanks to Will, Cerwynn's player for sitting with me on Google Docs and Skype to get this written in a single evening. (All the love!!) After 5.5 hours of work, I present to you, part of Lunetta's journey to Holberg.]

The Road to Holberg

The forest was dense, trees behind trees behind trees, each making its strange little noises. There was nowhere in the empire quiet like this place. It seemed like silence after a while, all those sounds merging into a quite  cacophony. Cerwynn stared out over the wooden walls of the Broch’s battlements, rubbing his temple. A hand reached down to the flask at his hip and hesitated there.

No, they need you.

With a sigh, he withdrew his hand and pulled his cloak over the flask, and turned back to the training grounds below him. Lynn was drilling the troop again, pairing them off to spar. She circled the grounds watching them clash. When one would relax his guard she would wordlessly intercede, raising his arm to the correct position and closing his grip more firmly, without so much as making eye contact. They were still a little intimidated by her, as fresh a bunch of soldier as their were, their thorn still red and raw, freshly branded on their cheeks, but Cerwynn knew he had made the right choice, she was the one of the few who were properly trained, and the only one who could keep them in line.

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "Dear Nat..." #3

[Josée's Note: Okay, shipping Ali and Nat is apparently a thing. And has henceforth gained the name "Natalie" (Nat/Ali) which makes me laugh far more than it should!

Also, you should know your character is feeling low when the music you use for your muse are titled "Surely Someday" and "The Hanging Tree"! (Go check them out; Adrisaurus on YouTube!)]

Letter Date: 17/08/2014

Dear Nat,

I retract what I said about the new recruit. She's nothing like you. She seems only to exist to goad me over the choices I made last time we travelled together.

I wasn't going to put in writing the choice I made for the "honour" of joining the Paladins. I didn't feel strong enough to actually write out, in black and white, what I had done.

Lunetta Sanguineo [Empire LARP] : "A Somewhat Expected Journey"

[Josée's Note: I have had so many in-character letters flying around since I came back from Empire. I believe I personally have sent out thirteen or fourteen already, with at least three more to send over the next few weeks as replies come in! Because of Nora's reply, the next chapter of Lunetta's journey can be written: Oh yes, she's off to Holberg.]

A Somewhat Expected Journey

Lunetta stood in her bedroom, a large knapsack sat, half filled, on the bed. Giorgio sat behind her frowning.

"Priestess, you've repacked this bag twelve times in the last three days." He sighed. "Is it really necessary to repack it once more?"

Lunetta Sanguineo [Empire LARP] : "Unintended Admissions"

[Josée's Note: Another Lunetta piece, at long last! Last game (E7), Lunetta found out that Nora (Othneil's love interest and friend of hers) had lost seven members of her group in battle, a year to the day she lost Matthias and Reynard. She had written letters to Nora, and to Felix (who was caring for a Carta member in Tassato who was also grieving the loss of friends in battle) asking Nora to join her in Sarvos, and telling Felix that if Nora did not...she would be heading out to Holberg...where Nora was, and where the battle that fell all these people took place.]

"Unintended Admissions"

Lunetta’s eyes slowly opened, and she stifled a yawn. She smiled softly and rolled over. “Good morni…” her quiet voice trailed off as she saw the duvet still tucked neatly under the mattress. Her smile dropped and she half-heartedly chuckled. She had started to realise how accustomed she had grown to Felix’s presence around the Chapel, and momentary lapses of concentration such as the one she had just experienced made her stomach drop and her heart ache. She had received letters from him while on his journey, and each had lain under her pillow before the next arrived. It was childish, she knew, but it did help somewhat, for some reason. She pulled the duvet off, and sat herself up on the edge of the bed, pulling his most recent letter from beneath the pillow. This one…had been probably the most mature letter she had ever received from him. 

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "A Change of Purpose"

[Josée's Note: Okay...last Resurgence went...interestingly. Ali had to face a lot of suspicion and distrust in the group following her decision to join the Paladins, and also the vitriol of Mia who was with her when she undertook the "Test of Mettle". By the end of the mission, she had walked off, ahead of everyone else and left them to figure out the stuff they couldn't share with her, without her. This scene occurs that evening.

Song List:

Wanderer’s Song – Adriana Figueroa (YT: Adrisaurus) [This is definitely the more positive side of Ali showing through; the focus on proving she’s more than what she seems to be.]

The Hanging Tree – Adriana Figueroa (YT: Adrisaurus) [The not-so-positive side of Ali, where all she can see is the darkness ahead…and those she cares about joining her in “The Hanging Tree”]

I’m Just Your Problem – Adriana Figueroa (YT: Adrisaurus) [May have given me the words to put to Ali’s thoughts towards the end XD]

A Change of Purpose

Ali turned to look at the clock on the bedside table. 3:17am she thought. Wonderful. It’s not as if I wanted to sleep, anyway. She tutted, sourly. Pushing herself up, she leant against the headboard. Sleep had not been as easy as she had hoped. It was almost as if her subconscious was aware that sleep was becoming her escape; her respite, rather than just something necessary for survival. She closed her eyes and sighed. Mere weeks ago she had been certain of the path she had chosen to walk. She had gone searching for the Paladins, with the aim of proving herself, and she had done so. It was not a random course of action. It was something she had sought out and actively tried to achieve.

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "Dear Nat..." #2

Letter Date: 03/08/2014

Dear Nat,

I hope my first letter reached you safely. Are you well?

I write mainly to update you on the last week in Norwich, but...if I'm honest...I'm not quite sure where to begin.

I suppose my biggest news is that I finally took the Paladins' "Test of Mettle". And I've "proven" myself to them. And...I have decided to join them. Before you worry about what this will mean on your return, I did ask about the situation I will be in when you get back. The Paladin who accepted me told me he would "trust my judgement". So celebratory "welcome home" drinks on your return should still be fine!

A new recruit joined me for the trials. She reminded me of you a bit; she let her vices get the best of her too, and the NDF caught her and picked her out of it all. She's more irritating than you, though. She also has a fixation on food - and I am positive she was flirting with one of the Paladins!

There's a lot more to say...but I'm not sure I'm strong brave willing enough at the moment to go through all of that again in writing, yet. Definitely a "pub and enough drinks to black out" story, I think.

Please take care. Things are only getting harder back here in Norwich.

Ali.

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "Dear Nat..." #1

[Josée's Note: This is the first of a series of notes written to Nat, who, if you've read the previous pieces about Ali, you will know accompanied her for a single mission and then sold a year of his life to the imps.]

Letter date: 20/07/2014

Hi Nat,

I hope this message reaches you safely. I have paid the imps for delivery and (only if you wanted to, of course) the safe return of any replies.

So...how is the world of the Djinn? Warmer than home, I imagine? I hope they're treating you well?

I was thinking on some of what you said to me as we went looking for Jack. I...think you're wrong about yourself. You said you fought for the fight, while I fought to defend others. But...you were willing to sacrifice yourself and let me escape. You were incredulous when you thought I was going to leave the two who saved us from Jack to fight him alone. Numerous times you offered to heal me...when you were almost as badly injured as I was. If anything, you fought to defend others more than I did, on that journey. I think you view yourself too cruelly. I wouldn't have survived that journey without you, a fact I am all too aware of. I really wish you hadn't made that deal. [This sentence is so scribbled out it is illegible]. You would have been a great asset to the team.

Stay safe. You're coming back safe, sound and whole - that's an order. ;)

Ali.

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "Innocence Lost"

[Josée's Note: Resurgence this week was full of interesting things for Ali to think about. She got her Imp Mail service begun to Nat, she was able to speak with the Paladins and take their "Test of Mettle"...and things became VERY interesting from then on. While there were many tests, one in particular might just haunt Ali.]

[Josée's Note to those who were at Resurgence: You may recall I said there would be two blog posts regarding this game. I lied. I have merged them into one as the second was going to be VERRRRRRY short! I hope you enjoy - you guys were the ones making it interesting! Also, if anyone knows the name of the character Ali was wandering around with, please let me know. Calling her "Ali's Companion" sounds way too Ali-centric and Doctor Who-esque for my liking!]

Song List:

Roses of May - Kate Covington (Erutan). (Kate wrote about how her lyrics to Roses of May were meant to represent the loss of innocence in a warrior's life due to the lives they've taken and blood they've spilt. I don't think there is any better song to represent how Ali is feeling right now.)

Innocence Lost

Ali stepped off the bus, the still night stuffy and warm. Taking a deep sigh, she readjusted her backpack, her “re-enactment” sword and shield strapped firmly to its front, and strode without pause, back home.

She unlocked the door, snapped it shut smartly, and proceeded to throw her rucksack, almost angrily, at the sofa. She ran a hand through her hair and lumped herself down on the armchair. She leant back, resting her head against the back of the chair, looking up at the ceiling. She sat silent for a minute or two before looking down at her right hand. Almost cautiously, she focused on it; on the image she had seen in that forest, and with her focus, a bright, blinding white light began to emanate from her palm, growing brighter and brighter. She smiled softly for a second, before the smile became a frown, and the light disappeared, as if a switch had been flicked.

Her eyes never moved from her hand, but her mind was not focussed any more on what was in front of her. Instead, her memory kept flicking back to what had led to the bestowal of that particular gift. And not just back to the trials…but to one particular part of it.

The child.

Alixandra "Ali" Greenwood [Resurgence LARP] : "Infuriation and Introspection"

[Josée's Note: Last Resurgence, Ali went on a recce with a new guy called Nat. To cut a long story short, he sold a year of his life to Imps to get information about a murderer. After they had fought tooth and nail together, and almost died together (1HP left at the end of the encounter EACH) Ali received a phone call a few days later, where Nat told her "See you around." Ali is determined to write Nat letters for the Imps to pass between them, and this is how she got on.]

Song List:
Stuck in the Middle with You - Stealers Wheel (made me laugh and seems to fit too well!)
Extra Dry, Extra Olives - Ramin Djawadi (fits her epiphany quite well, and is a lovely piece of music)

Infuriation and Introspection

Ali pushed herself away from the small, plastic desk and sighed, frustrated. She walked across the main living room of her one-bed flat on the edge of Riverside and into its tiny kitchen. Pulling a wine glass roughly from the cupboard, she poured herself a drink.

"Letters should not be this hard to write." She thought, as she took a rather large sip from her glass.

Marie d'Albeau [Hunter: The Vigil] : Concern and Contemplation

[Josée's Note : This was written just...after the second or third Hunter game, where Marie had been brought back to reform the compact. There were few games after the first (I think four was the total?) so this was the only real character development Marie was lucky enough to get.]

Concern and Contemplation
Marie recalls the evening's events, and pours her heart out to her walls.

Marie watched the others disappear up the staircase to bed, still sat on the floor in the entrance hall of their makeshift home. As she saw the last of them disappear from sight, she heaved a sigh, ran a hand down her face and undid her heels. Holding them in one hand with her handbag, she stood up, the dress pooling around her feet now she was a few inches shorter. It was crumpled and creased...but she couldn't have cared less. She gathered some of the material in her free hand, lifting it above her feet, and began to ascend the stairs.

She reached her door and fumbled with her bag to find her key. Her hair was hanging across her face and her face betrayed her tiredness and the stress of the evening she had just had. She eventually unlocked her door, and walked into what was - for all intents and purposes - her only private area for the forseeable future. She threw her bag on to the bed, let her shoes clatter to the floor next to the door, and looked around.

Marie d'Albeau ["Cerberus"] : A Grandmother's Tale

[Josée's Note: The child in Ceinwyn's post "Turn the Page", is Frank. I adored writing Frank's thumb-in-mouth speech, as it was so much fun trying to figure out how to write a small child talking in that way.]

A Grandmother's Tale
Marie tells her grandson a true bedtime story.

"Grandma, Grandma!! Will you tell me one of your stories at bedtime?" Asked her excitable six-year-old grandson, Frank. Marie laughed, her once long, olive black hair now shorter and silver. Her face was lined from years of emotion, and she looked weary, though her eyes still had a youthful sparkle. As they climbed the stairs together; Marie's hand held by the fragile grip of the small boy, Marie chuckled.

"Every time you come over, you ask for the same old stories. Don't you get bored?" She asked him, smiling gently. "Don't you want me to read you a book - you have hundreds of them. What about one about dragons?" She queried.

"Don't like dragons." Her grandson replied, sulkily.

Eleri James ["Cerberus"] : A Letter to Kyle

[Josée's Note: Using her real name, Ceinwyn leaves her old friend a note. An apology. A plea.]

A Letter to Kyle
Eleri writes a letter, for Boyd's eyes only.

Boyd,

I'm sorry for dropping in on you as I did. I didn't know what stories or rumours had been circulated about my disappearance...and I didn't mean to drop in so unexpectedly.

Firstly...I feel I should apologise for leaving you so long without a word. The situation I found myself in was difficult for me to comprehend...let alone explain to anyone else. I never wanted to cause you more pain, and leave you on your own as I have done. That was never in my plans, I promise you. But sometimes life...doesn't always go the way you wish it had.

Ceinwyn Roberts ["Cerberus"] : "Bittersweet Reunions"

[Josée's Note: Following the prequel game, Ceinwyn sought out her ex-boss, and old friend.]

Bittersweet Reunions
Ceinwyn writes in her diary about the evening she was reunited with her former boss.

The past few days began as they meant to continue. I went to feed and apparently, no-one was around. I was forced to prey on a couple of drunk chavs near the pier. Ugh. After I'd had my fill, I decided to help Darwin out a little and place the idiot (now sleeping) close to the sea and see whether or not he ever appeared again. I didn't get quite as far as I liked as I must've passed out. Cain was sitting in an office, and we had a lengthy discussion. Apparently...he's in my head, he's only ever around because I want him to be, and he was the person who gave me all the information about Kray when I was a kine.

He kept asking if I had a plan, and I kept replying that if he was in my head, he knew what my plan was. He did have a point though, when he finally admitted he knew what I was about to do. I was going to go see Boyd...I knew I had to. But he reminded me that I didn't know what I was going to do when I got there. After much talking and little resolution, I walked away. But he wasn't willing to let me leave that easily. He mentioned (purely to aggravate and frustrate me, probably) that I looked a lot like my mother.