Suicide for the Common Man

[Moki Jackson]

He did this once a month for a few reasons. One, he wanted to make sure his fear of heights was still in check. Two, he wanted to make sure his muscles could still take a terminal-velocity impact. Three, he was usually buzzed at this time of night anyway. What was it to him if he remembered the impact or not, so long as he could blame it on blunt-force trauma and not alcohol? He could land directly on his motherfucking head, and walk away with nothing but a crick in the neck. So he jumped off the roof every four saturdays or so. Okay, sometimes more than once a month. He'd done this yesterday, too.

Moki stepped out into the cold night air, long-johned to the nines and all ready to die. The first time he did this, at about eighteen years old, he'd landed on his back and ruined his favorite shirt. Nowadays, he had much more sophisticated survival methods in place - he landed on his feet. Loose trainers flopped on his feet as he trudged through the rooftop snow, rounding a vent pumping hot air out of the building, a design decision that Moki had a few words for. What kind of a place meant to survive in winter pumped the hot air out all year round? Someone, somewhere, must have been saving the murderous summer sun this year and was handing it out like candy somewhere in the building.

He began whistling, glass of mulled wine in hand, enjoying the whole air o' tension thing he had going on, then stopped suddenly when he realised there was someone in view. Enjoying the night air, the view, whatever, they were evidently as stupid as he was. He took a sip of the hot wine, enjoying it and the sight of the moon for a moment, stars and their lunar mother cut death-cold out of the sky, before he stepped up along the bannister of the roof and made his way slowly along the wall. "I never figure I'll meet someone out here this time of night," he began by way of greeting, "because I like to think that nobody's as batshit stupid as me." He hopped off the bannister before her, smiling, and unhooded himself, a decision he immediately regretted but decided to stick with.

"What're you doing up here? Please, tell me. I promise I have a stupider reason." He held out his hand, warmly - both literally and metaphorically. "Jackson, Moki. Have I..." he squinted. "I'm sorry, I probably have seen you around here before. I don't think you're in any of my classes, though."

[Poppy Lockwood]

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The girl was angry. Upset. Furious. That was what she felt the last time and the sixth time around was no different. It was the same feeling. Her heart ached. It ached so much, she just wanted to rip it out and stomp on it for being so fragile. Why. Poppy Lockwood had been sitting on her bed with her mind full of thoughts about it. She replayed the scene over and over again, but it still hurt just like the first time. Time did not heal. After three years, you would think she would have gotten over it. Boy was she wrong.

Sliding into her hoodie and sneakers, she snuck out of her dorm and made her way to the roof. It was waaaaay past curfew, but that did not bother her. To her, it was just another night after curfew. She had done it many times successfully. She went to the edge that overlooks the courtyard below and the forest far beyond ahead. It was quiet, just like it should be in the middle of the night at the academy.

Poppy looked at the night sky. The moon. Stars. Darkness. She then thought of the events that had led to that particular moment. Wrong move because her heart ached again. In some masochist way, she welcomed the pain. It reminded her that she was not completely heartless. Out of nowhere, a boy had appeared before her. It stunned her for a bit but then quickly paid attention to what he was saying.

It's not stupid to be out here, even though if it was cold, she thought to say but realized she had no energy to argue -- all of it was already spent. She shook his hand smiling. "Hi, Moki. That's right. Pretty sure we haven't met, you seem older." Poppy let out a sigh before continue. "I'm here because I just finished a book where my favorite character died, because he committed suicide and so I thought why not come out to the roof because that was how his story started. He planned to jump off the roof of his school...but he didn't jump." Oh Finch. Jennifer Niven you break my heart! "So lets hear yours." She laughed as she crossed her arms and looked at him.

[Moki Jackson]

Ah, yes. The moon. Stars. Darkness. What a dramatic backdrop to angst about your favorite characters with. Moki knew he'd done that a few times, back when he actually read anything instead of taking up his time with mildly more gainful pursuits. Expand your mind all you like, but he was a fucking superhero in his spare time. What need had he of paper and ink, pray tell? He'd make much better use of a pair of muffs right now. Fuck. Why did he take off his hood again? It was warm in there, like, sixty seconds ago.

Oh, well.

He had no qualms about being here. Being here for years in a community as tight-knit as the Literal Superhero School had gotten him a few ins with the guards, and since he didn't even live on campus, the staff had no power here. Har de har. "Well, pleased to meet you. I did infer that I wanted to know your name, though." He smiled, not unkindly. "I used to read when I was a bit younger. Got other stuff to fill my time now, though. Like this," and he gestured over the vastness of the view. Hopping back up to the railing again, he paced a little further away so the heel of his boot wouldn't be in the poor girl's face.

"But, I mean, I told you I have a stupider reason, didn't I?" A few paces away, he spun, and grinned. "I'm here tonight because I'm gonna jump off the roof of my school." Dropping himself, he came down with a thump on his ass on the other side of the concrete barrier. "It's about three stories, I think? I never got into the technicalities of it. Suicide for the common man, or at least femur plates for life." He looked over his shoulder. "Slightly buzzed, of course, but nobody's gonna be sober when they actually step off, or they're throwing themselves from high places for the wrong reason." There was a moment of silence, while he looked at the paving below, and then, "I guess that'd be kinda traumatic to watch for you, huh? I can put it off for a bit."

He sat sideways on the outside of the concrete barrier, crosslegged, and looked at her. "Tell me about him, anyway. Why'd he do it?"

[Poppy Lockwood]

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The girl let out a laugh. Yes, she knew it was the norm to introduce yourself after the other had. "Poppy," she said. The view at night was beautiful. As always. That was why she liked sneaking out after curfew. It was quiet. At least around the campus.

Poppy watched the boy with curiosity as he walked on the railing. He did not even flinched or stumbled. It was quite entertaining. Her eyebrows raised as if asking if he was serious. Jump? Stupid alright. The girl kept quiet as Moki talked. Her mind tried to process what he was saying.

The boy was planning to jump and he did not look like he was joking around. She saw the alcohol in his hand and wondered if he was just a drunk and this would be a drunken move. Leaning forward, she assessed the height of the building. Damn. It was tall and high alright. Perhaps Moki was high as well. Poppy wondered if he had some physics related power like someone she knew. He could figure the best possible move to avoid serious injury.

Or maybe Moki really did want to die. It took her a while to realize he asked her about Finch. "He ummm just didn't see the point in living anymore really." Her mind was distracted with what Moki planned to do. "The book is about a boy who wants to die teaching a girl how to live. Stuff happened with the girl. He gave himself time...to wait. She was angry and came a lil too late." A halfhearted laugh pipped out, she still felt the hurt.

In that moment, everything felt a little overwhelming. She could not help that she felt strongly for fictional characters and here now, a boy wanted to jump from a three storey building. Similar to the starting of the book. So before she could think further, she hauled herself onto the railing. "You jump, I jump." Poppy grinned. What am I thinking? Precisely that, she was not thinking.

Instead of looking down, she stared ahead. The wind blew her way and her heart thumped faster. Moki now stood on the railing as well. She looked at him as she counted. "1...2...3." With a last breath, she leaped off with Moki. But instead of falling, her power kicked in. So there Poppy floated in the air.

[Moki Jackson]

Yes, yes, alcohol. The great bane of common sense and reason. Fortunately, in the situation, Moki needed neither sense nor reason; in fact, all he needed was basic muscle memory. Well, that and to overcome his fear of heights, which was why he was here. He smiled wistfully, watching the moon and the girl equally, just enjoying the poetic moment for the time being. What a depressing story. God knew he wouldn't be reading any crap like that in the future. But if that was what got this girl going, somehow, who was he to judge? He stood up on the balcony's edge.

"I always find it weird when people talk about needing a reason to live. I've got no reason to live, but I'm not gonna kill myself over it. Existential terror is overrated, if I'm honest. But whatever." When she climbed onto the balcony, he watched the moon, and kicked off the balcony. Moki knew better than anyone the concept of the ground rushing up to meet you, because he'd done this more often than most people in the world. But that didn't mean he liked it. When he fell to earth, Moki felt more like an insect under a boot than a human coming towards a surface. But when he hit the ground, that didn't matter. There was that sensation of squeezing all over his body, and then he was fine, muscles unstiffened, legs unbent, with nothing more than the sound of feet hitting snow. He looked up. "You comin' down or what?" he called, smilingly.

[Poppy Lockwood]

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As Poppy Lockwood stood on the railing in the cool winter night with the wind blowing in every direction, she had definitely not been thinking. Jump? It was not only a poor thought out plan but a plainly stupid one as well especially with the risk of her power backfiring at the last minute. At least that was what the guidance counselors would tell her. Stupid, childish and reckless. However, that never stopped the brunette from acting on her impulses.

Act first, think later.

So before she could let her conscience kick in, she counted down before jumping off. Not specifically considering what would happen to Moki, the corners of her lips turned up in amusement as she saw the boy leaping off out of the corner of her eyes. She was not even halfway down when her power acted up so she did not pummel to her death. A chuckled escaped her lips before she turned to watch Moki falling due to the gravity.

The first few minutes seconds when she was pulled by gravity, a rush of excitement went through her. But moments later, she no longer felt the gravitational pull. She smiled to herself. There was something fun about tempting fate. As she watched the boy hit the ground, Poppy winced and wondered if he had broken his legs or something. But then he was up, fine and smiling. "Oh my god," she said impressively.

With a little manipulation for gravitational forces, the nineteen year old guided herself down to the ground. She looked at the boy with a curious but at the same time impressed look. "You seem perfectly fine. No wonder you'd do this often. Care to tell me how you managed to pull that one of?"

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| OOC Note: This thread has been discontinued. |