hunger of the pine — open .

[EDMUND.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 1.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]As the warmth of summer became little more than a memory, the oh-so-familiar chill of the wintertime was swiftly coming back into full force. Eddie could only anticipate the year’s first big snowfall at around this time of the year, which came with its own cluster of benefits and drawbacks. One con was the fact that the winter was perilous — Eddie would have to come to deal with many cold-related injuries and deaths during the darkest season of the year, and any mistake out on the peaks of a bitterly numbing mountain would undoubtedly be his last. On the other hand, the sea of white upon looking out across the land narrowed his line of vision so that he could pinpoint movement far easier, save for the blustering blizzards which left him with nothing but a dark and hazy surroundings. They were well equipped for the winters, perhaps more prepared than the summertimes.

When winter would eventually arrive, Eddie would welcome it openly.

With Charlotte asleep with her head on his shoulder, Eddie held his daughter close to his chest as he stared out the window at the way the strong winds brought down a thick cloud of snow. The land was so serene and crisp, the purity of the first big snowfall almost fooling him into a sense of tranquility. He worked his jaw gently, soon turning his head to press his lips against his sleeping daughter’s cheek. It wouldn’t be long until the white snow would turn red.

[spoiler=tags ― updated 10/28.][size=6pt]◜BASICS ┊ SO THIS IS WHERE WE ARE◞
&. ❝ edmund theodore stirling ❞ | ed, eddie | male [he/him] .
&. 25 years old . | seventh august ; leo .
&. currently the captain and official loyalist of flintlock lodge .
&. currently the boss of the stirling's notorious irish crime family .

◜PERSONALITY ┊ IT'S NOT WHERE WE HAD WANTED TO BE◞
&.  ambitious . brave . calm . disciplined . honorable . intelligent . leading . logical . patient . reliable . skillful . trustworthy . wise . aloof . cynical . detached . flirtatious . harsh . jealous . lustful . pessimistic . quiet . ruthless . secretive . stubborn .

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ IF HALF THE WORLD'S GONE MAD ◞
&.  five foot eight & one hundred and seventy one pounds ; reference .
↳ dirty blond hair kept very short and neat .
↳ stocky and well-built frame , lightly freckled skin .
↳ muted blue vacant eyes , unreadable , somewhat frowning expression .

◜ FAMILY ┊ THE OTHER HALF JUST DON'T CARE , YOU SEE◞
&. alfred stirling x leonora moray | both deceased .
&. four older siblings and two younger half-siblings .
↳ dominik stirling , dead at 32 , shot and killed by alfred .
↳ thomas stirling , 32 , caretaker in flintlock .
↳ alfonso stirling , 28 , enforcer in flintlock
↳ franklin darrow , 26 , estranged in bluestem .
↳ henry stirling , 12 , resident in flintlock
↳ ida stirling , 10 , resident in flintlock
&. also lives with two cousins , frederick and william .
&. father to thomas , charlotte , kieron and louis .
&. also father to an illegitimate child , charles .

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ YOU DON'T WANNA FUCK WITH US◞
&. bisexual, biromantic ; mongamous | tends to have a wandering eye .
&. ex-husband to blake kegan
↳ marriage fell apart after he cheated on her .
&. ex-lover to mickey serge
↳ he learned about his bisexuality with him .
&. lover to maxine van doren
↳ a rekindled flame where their relationship is kept a secret .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ BRITISH TO THE VERY LAST ◞
&.  [ 9/10 ] physically  |  [ 7/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ very difficult ] | difficulty w/ melees [ difficult ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ difficult ]
&. [member=2919]truce.[/member] | dm for any major plots .
&. friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .[/size][/spoiler]

[freddie]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; borderwidth=0px; bordercolor=; width: 400px; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; color: black"]

— fred didn’t know how he felt about the winter months, anymore. the bitter cold attracted quite a bit of business, people looking for alcohol to feel some warmth inside of them. however, the bitter cold had never been freddie’s favorite weather to endure. he wasn’t a man raised and built for the unforgiving cold. in some ways, though, he found himself much like the cold. he could be as cold and relentless as the winter season itself. he could be absolutely unbearable sometimes, with his constant need for attention and his unnecessary flair. though, fred hated to admit that he had found someone that started to melt away some of those outlandish and brutal qualities. fred hated to admit the soft man he was becoming in the company of another. he couldn’t bring himself to admit that mollie hawthorne could turn such a winter storm like him into slush.

stepping into the room, his eyes landed on eddie and charlotte. christ, how come he kept finding himself walking in on light moments? he wasn’t made for the gentle calm of the situation. eyes watched as eddie pressed his lips to his daughter’s cheek, trying not to recoil at the soft moment. “you look too calm right now, eddie,” he observed coolly, absently finding himself a seat nearby. “it puts me on edge, i’m not used to it.”

who would ever be used to seeing ed look so unbothered? it was a rare sight to see.

[spoiler=tags ― updated 08/31.][size=8pt]◜BASICS ┊ THE CURSES OF DIAMONDS AND RINGS ◞
‣  ❝ frederick flynn stirling ❞ | freddie, fred, freds | male [he/him] .
‣ 24 years old . | june 20th; gemini.
‣  currently the warlord of flintlock lodge

◜PERSONALITY: ESTP ┊ ONLY AT FIRST DID IT HAVE ITS APPEAL ◞
‣  boisterous . adaptable . athletic . articulate . brilliant . captivating . charismatic . charming . clever . confident . precise . youthful . loyal . amusing. aggressive . deceptive . proud . smooth . stubborn . traditional . argumentative . conceited . difficult . greedy . power-hungry . impatient .
↳ lover of beer and attention
↳ considers himself royalty

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ NOW YOU CAN'T TELL THE FALSE FROM THE REAL ◞
‣ five foot ten & one hundred and seventy five pounds ; reference .
↳ blonde hair kept short and neat
↳ muscular, toned build
↳ blue eyes , often alight with mischief , a deceitful smile

◜ FAMILY ┊ EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH TURNS TO GOLD ◞
‣  kelby stirling x lydia clarks | whereabouts unknown
‣ has a brother named william and two sisters named harriet and lucy
‣ large family; multiple cousins and other relatives

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ STATUES AND EMPIRES ARE ALL AT YOUR HANDS ◞
‣  bisexual ; monogamous | never had a serious relationship before
‣ current lover to mollie hawthorne
↳ no strings attached . sees her as a best friend . is terrified he has developed genuine feelings for her.

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ WHO CAN YOU TRUST ? ◞
‣  [ 9/10 ] physically  |  [ 9/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ very difficult ] | difficulty w/ melees [ difficult ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ difficult ]
‣ [member=1512]elysian.[/member] | dm for any major plots .
‣  friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .[/size][/spoiler]

[EDMUND.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 1.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]❝ You look too calm right now, Eddie. ❞ A long, slow exhale. It only took that voice to dampen Eddie’s mood. Twisting his torso to glance over towards his cousin, Eddie watched Fred sit down and make himself comfortable before he chose to respond curtly, ❝ Yes, Frederick...  ❞ Slowly, he nodded his head as he watched his cousin, before he chose to look back out the window. ❝ Where’s your lady friend? ❞ Of course, the question was not one of genuine interest, but more to strike some sort of nerve. Anything to avoid the inevitable conversation about his emotions — Fred would do anything to pry.

❝ You two seem close. ❞ Another observation, Eddie slowly tipping his chin upwards. ❝ Is she worth it? Worth your time when you have a job to do? ❞ Brows knitted together slightly. Even in this moment of calmitude, the cogs in Ed’s head were always turning. With his role as Captain, he had no time to have any breaks, even for a couple of minutes. And, in a time as perilous as this, he had to think carefully about the people he’d chosen to place his trust in. Fred was a good fighter, but was the woman in his life only going to distract him from his duties? Perhaps it wasn’t something Eddie needed to enquire about in this very moment, but Freddie had been the one to begin with these pressing observations. So, Eddie would be the one to end with the most pressing observation of all.

[spoiler=tags ― updated 10/28.][size=6pt]◜BASICS ┊ SO THIS IS WHERE WE ARE◞
&. ❝ edmund theodore stirling ❞ | ed, eddie | male [he/him] .
&. 25 years old . | seventh august ; leo .
&. currently the captain and official loyalist of flintlock lodge .
&. currently the boss of the stirling's notorious irish crime family .

◜PERSONALITY ┊ IT'S NOT WHERE WE HAD WANTED TO BE◞
&.  ambitious . brave . calm . disciplined . honorable . intelligent . leading . logical . patient . reliable . skillful . trustworthy . wise . aloof . cynical . detached . flirtatious . harsh . jealous . lustful . pessimistic . quiet . ruthless . secretive . stubborn .

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ IF HALF THE WORLD'S GONE MAD ◞
&.  five foot eight & one hundred and seventy one pounds ; reference .
↳ dirty blond hair kept very short and neat .
↳ stocky and well-built frame , lightly freckled skin .
↳ muted blue vacant eyes , unreadable , somewhat frowning expression .

◜ FAMILY ┊ THE OTHER HALF JUST DON'T CARE , YOU SEE◞
&. alfred stirling x leonora moray | both deceased .
&. four older siblings and two younger half-siblings .
↳ dominik stirling , dead at 32 , shot and killed by alfred .
↳ thomas stirling , 32 , caretaker in flintlock .
↳ alfonso stirling , 28 , enforcer in flintlock
↳ franklin darrow , 26 , estranged in bluestem .
↳ henry stirling , 12 , resident in flintlock
↳ ida stirling , 10 , resident in flintlock
&. also lives with two cousins , frederick and william .
&. father to thomas , charlotte , kieron and louis .
&. also father to an illegitimate child , charles .

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ YOU DON'T WANNA FUCK WITH US◞
&. bisexual, biromantic ; mongamous | tends to have a wandering eye .
&. ex-husband to blake kegan
↳ marriage fell apart after he cheated on her .
&. ex-lover to mickey serge
↳ he learned about his bisexuality with him .
&. lover to maxine van doren
↳ a rekindled flame where their relationship is kept a secret .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ BRITISH TO THE VERY LAST ◞
&.  [ 9/10 ] physically  |  [ 7/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ very difficult ] | difficulty w/ melees [ difficult ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ difficult ]
&. [member=2919]truce.[/member] | dm for any major plots .
&. friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .[/size][/spoiler]

[JOSEPHINE]

[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-size: 12px; font-family: calibri; letter-spacing: .6px; color: #494949;"]in her twenty-two years of life, joey can’t remember a time where she’d experienced snow like what’s coming for flintlock’s mountains. in honesty, she’s probably nowhere near ready; she’s done better at prepping the lodge than herself.

however, there is a child-like excitement that takes her over when she’s passing through the halls of the lodge and catches eddie and freddie watching out the window, then she sees what they’re focusing on. she sucks in a quick breath of excitement, almost waddling into the room, entirely abandoning returning to rosie. she doesn’t say anything to the men, just staring out the window in awe. it’s almost hard to make out the trees through the wisps of snow. her head tilts back as her eyes wander up to the sky.

the tone of the their voices finally win over her attention. she pretends she still just looking out the window, but is entirely tuned in on what they’re saying. joey’s always been a gossip; she can’t help it, she’s nosey and wants to know everything about everyone.

“ is she worth it? worth your time when you have a job to do? “ joey’s eyes widen at that. isn’t eddie one to talk? a small, smug smile settles onto her face, she could so easily blow up eddie’s spot,

“ spent time with max recently? “ she interjects before looking over to them, trying to seem like she had no idea what they were talking about. the captain of the lodge surely shouldn’t be poking around in anyone’s personal lives. “ [color=#990000]and freddie!! i didn’t know you had a girlfriend! “ joey says, looking to him, “ [color=#990000]that’s so cute, “ if she knew anything about the two stirling brothers, commitment isn’t something they pride themselves in. she’d love to go run and tell will if they were on good terms. but that isn’t an option, so she just likes to stir the pot and be a general pain in the ass.


[spoiler=tags, updated 12/08/2020]◜BASICS ┊ [color=#990000]I HAD A DREAM◞
&. ❝ josephine elena van doren ❞ |  joey, joy, hoey | female [ she/her ] .
&. 22 years old . | november first ; scorpio .
&. reaper of flintlock lodge .

◜PERSONALITY ┊ GOT EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED◞
&. impulsive . outgoing . femme fatale . flirtatious . seemingly emotionless . guarded . self-destructive . obsessive . hot headed . reckless . kleptomania tendencies . selfish . brat .  assertive . loyal to those close to her . intuitive . stubborn . passionate . self-preserving . quick . nosey . reliable . non-committal . determined . secretive . resentful . resourceful . distrusting .

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ NOT WHAT YOU THINK ◞
&.  five foot six & one hundred and seventeen pounds ; reference .
↳ blonde hair just past her collarbone, grows a dirtier blonde, lightening up as soon as any sun touches it .
↳ slim, muscular build. legs on the longer side .
↳ big blue/green doe eyes, light yet well-groomed eyebrows, full lips, dimples .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ AND IF I’M BEING HONEST ◞
&.  [ 8/10 ] physically  |  [ 9/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ medium ] | difficulty w/ melees [ hard ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ hard ]
↳ combat information .
&. attack in bold #990000 | [member=570]scully[/member] | PM for any major plots .
&. friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .

◜INVENTORY ┊ IT MIGHT’VE BEEN A NIGHTMARE◞
&. [ 2 ] weapons | [ 0 ] armor pieces | [ 0 ] consumables | [ 2 ] aid items | [ 1 ] misc .
↳ one combat knife .
↳ a three piece throwing knife set
↳ one german short-haired pointer puppy, demetri
↳ one english setter puppy, robin
↳ a bracelet from her late mother, each one of her sisters has a piece to the same set, their mother having the biggest piece

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT CARE◞
&. elizabeth van doren (npc) x malcolm van doren (npc) | second youngest of nine children .
↳ cassian van doren, eldest, flintlock .
↳ beau van doren, second eldest, unknown .
↳ range rover van doren, unknown & scarlett van doren, dead .
↳ auden van doren, unknown & tara van doren, dead .
↳ maxine van doren, just older than joey, flintlock .
↳ richard van doren, youngest, flintlock .
&. pansexual, panromantic ; mongamous  . | scared of commitment, however enjoys casual fun .
&. lover to william stirling
↳ reoccurring friends with benefits.
↳ parents to rosalie willa van doren, three months old . [/spoiler]

[freddie]

[align=center][div style="background=transparent; borderwidth=0px; bordercolor=; width: 400px; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 125%; text-align: justify; font-family: arial; color: black"]

— freddie picked absently at one his nails, seeming occupied with himself and overall uncaring. this was only part of his usual routine; bothering eddie was a more than welcome part of his schedule nowadays. there was nothing that made such an egotistical man like frederick feel that much better about himself than beating other people down. “where’s your lady friend?” fred visibly paused, gaze lifting from his fingers to gaze at the wall ahead of him. ”you two seem close.” though sometimes, that little shit found a way to turn the tables around. somehow he always managed to.

going back to looking at his nails, he casually sniffed, trying to play off being unbothered. “i don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said plainly, dully. though, it seemed apparent with his lack of grin and playfulness, with his tensed shoulders and clenched jaw, his gaze intense on his fingers -- eddie found a weak spot. the goddamn nerve.

“is she worth it? worth your time when you have a job to do?” at that moment, he thought he was close to losing control. standing up and clocking eddie in the goddamn jaw. the man could stand to be knocked down a peg - but instead, joey cut in at the right time. he took a moment of realization before he started to grin again, looking almost grateful as joey turned the tables back onto eddie. atta girl, joey. stick it to him.

then she decided to bring up fred’s own personal matters. though with joey, it was easier to break into a grin and laugh as he quickly assured, “no, no. i don’t have a girlfriend.” he made room on the couch, as if signaling for josephine to sit down next to him. to keep the barrage on ed coming. throwing his arm across the back of the couch, he continued, “you know me, joey. i’ll be a bachelor ‘til the day i die. can you see it any other way?”

[spoiler=tags ― updated 08/31.][size=8pt]◜BASICS ┊ THE CURSES OF DIAMONDS AND RINGS ◞
‣  ❝ frederick flynn stirling ❞ | freddie, fred, freds | male [he/him] .
‣ 24 years old . | june 20th; gemini.
‣  currently the warlord of flintlock lodge

◜PERSONALITY: ESTP ┊ ONLY AT FIRST DID IT HAVE ITS APPEAL ◞
‣  boisterous . adaptable . athletic . articulate . brilliant . captivating . charismatic . charming . clever . confident . precise . youthful . loyal . amusing. aggressive . deceptive . proud . smooth . stubborn . traditional . argumentative . conceited . difficult . greedy . power-hungry . impatient .
↳ lover of beer and attention
↳ considers himself royalty

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ NOW YOU CAN'T TELL THE FALSE FROM THE REAL ◞
‣ five foot ten & one hundred and seventy five pounds ; reference .
↳ blonde hair kept short and neat
↳ muscular, toned build
↳ blue eyes , often alight with mischief , a deceitful smile

◜ FAMILY ┊ EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH TURNS TO GOLD ◞
‣  kelby stirling x lydia clarks | whereabouts unknown
‣ has a brother named william and two sisters named harriet and lucy
‣ large family; multiple cousins and other relatives

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ STATUES AND EMPIRES ARE ALL AT YOUR HANDS ◞
‣  bisexual ; monogamous | never had a serious relationship before
‣ current lover to mollie hawthorne
↳ no strings attached . sees her as a best friend . is terrified he has developed genuine feelings for her.

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ WHO CAN YOU TRUST ? ◞
‣  [ 9/10 ] physically  |  [ 9/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ very difficult ] | difficulty w/ melees [ difficult ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ difficult ]
‣ [member=1512]elysian.[/member] | dm for any major plots .
‣  friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .[/size][/spoiler]