[size32 Story] [pic https://s1.1zoom.me/big0/31/France_Houses_Bridges_480664.jpg ] Europe - A place once renowned for its refinement, class, civility. What had happened? In the four months beginning 2019, the seams holding this supposed "society on a pedestal" started bursting open. In what began as a series of seemingly random freak accidents, a number of the continent's most influential political figures and their families met with violent ends. They began without much suspicion — a singular run-in with a yacht motor while swimming, a devastating fire swallowing up a family on their country estate. As the deaths became more frequent and, frankly, their victims more high-profile, panic arose at the idea that such orchestrations could be the work of an underground terrorist coalition. Four months ago, a car bomb in Spain killed the Spanish president, his wife, and his two young children. Two weeks later, the bodies of the prince of Monaco and his longtime paramour were found dismembered on the balcony of their seaside condo. Even heightened private security for a notoriously controversial member of English parliament couldn’t help the man from succumbing to an untraceable poison just six days ago. There had been fifty-seven victims spread across Western Europe in just over thirty-four weeks. Some bold-minded individuals saw the new pattern as an emerging class-war and themselves felt safe, even encouraged, by the slayings of the rich and influential. Some university dropouts -- hand-rolled cigarettes hanging from their mouths -- praised the potential rise of anarchy, come at last with a vengeance. But for the level-minded layperson, the concerned citizen, and most definitely to those of affluence, the world seemed to be on fire. [size32 She] Like a bad dream of running away from a monster, but never quickly enough. Like burning a hand on a hot stove but being helpless to move it. Like a scratched record jumping back and back again over the same dissonant track. Like the world was in shambles. That’s how everything felt to [Muse] on the day following the attempt on her life. As the daughter of the president of one of Europe’s most prominent nations, life before then had been peachy. Boarding schools, tea parties, public appearances in custom Chanel, all summed up a life seen through rose-colored glasses. She was designated as number fifty-nine. The fifty-ninth victim of the Spring of Terror. [Muse] was the only daughter of the President of one of the most populous democratic nations on the continent. The President, a conservative figurehead, became notoriously vocal and unwavering in his previous addresses about the situation of the continent and the deplorable terrorists behind it. While many terrified citizens leaned into his stance with comfort, the family's security regarded the President's fearlessness with mounting weariness. They voiced to him time and time again how his challenge against terrorism put a target not only on his back, but on the backs of his loved ones. While security actively tried to convince the President to cancel the nation's upcoming Independence Day celebration, or at the very least his family's appearances there, he stalwartly refused. "We will not back down in the face of fear. We will not live in the shadows of a Midnight City, hiding in the cracks and shrinking from sunlight." Still, he insisted that security manage checking the parade vehicles daily for any abnormalities or potential threats. He also instructed the erecting of barricades into the parade grounds, ensuring everyone coming to celebrate and watch the procession to first go through a screening. It genuinely seemed like enough. Until that day, none of the attackers had used guns. The President and his wife were sitting in the open backseat of a Rolls-Royce Dawn. Following them in an open carriage, adorned with the national flower of the country, were [Muse] and her amicable brother. Their pearl smiles and waves to the people represented an earnestness and a starry-eyed innocence that almost wholly made up for the unbending will of their father. Like Princess Diana had once been across the Channel, the two children of this nation were the jewel of the people. It made them the perfect target. Despite his strong challenges to the terrorist plots across Europe, the President himself was not even in the line of fire. He'd angered whoever it was behind these attacks, with such a deep-seeded rage that concluded that assassinating the President in cold blood wouldn't be enough. There were deeper elicitations of horror. First, it was her brother. A brief glimpse of a red dot on his forehead shone on the bright spring morning, before a burst of red. He slumped lifeless into her lap, his light blue blazer soaked dark. The world slowed, the bright day became too bright and blurred everything around her. Thanks to the fast acting of a security detail walking beside the carriage, she was shoved to the carriage's floor as a second shot rang out and downed the guard on top of her. She was supposed to be number fifty-nine. [size32 He] In light of the recent events in Europe, Interpol organized a Paris-based syndicate of security agents to protect potential targets of these attacks. They pulled the top candidates from their organization for the assignment. In exchange for a sizable salary, these agents were trained and indoctrinated with a creed to keep those in their charge safe. No matter the cost, no matter if it meant laying down their own lives in exchange. One of those chosen for the assignment was a jaded young agent. Exceptional among his peers in sharpshooting and close-range combat, he seemed an obvious nomination for the job. And because of the continuous threats on the life of a certain President's daughter following an initial assassination attempt, he seemed an ideal candidate for keeping her safe. Despite reservations about babysitting a silver-spoon young lady, and despite returning to the task force following a traumatic injury, he reluctantly agrees to the position. Increasingly alarming attempts on the young woman's life reflect a ruthless organization based on fear-mongering and an inability to bend to unforeseen circumstances. So far, she was the only one of the targets who had survived the first time around. What initially seemed to him as a straightforward security detail -- driving her around in tinted cars, accompanying her on her daily ventures -- quickly turned into a violent and spontaneous mission to keep her alive. Their story takes them together across the continent, through countless cars and trains, hotel rooms and safe houses. Traveling only during the nighttime, growing abhorrently accustomed to the dark, they truly become members of the so-called "Midnight City." His assignment dictates that he must keep her close to him at all times, which often in such close quarters breeds nothing but cabin fever. To make matters worse, it seems they don't have much to like about one another. Will they find a way to put aside their resentments and reservations in the name of survival? Or will this long-winded mission to keep her safe end in disaster? [pic https://www.iamexpat.de/sites/default/files/styles/ogimage_thumb/public/night-train.jpg ] [size32 Rules, etc.] 1. I'm looking for someone to fill either the spot of the male or female. I can easily do either. 2. Pleaaaase use a real photo for your character! 3. The specifics of your character are all your own! Where he/she comes from, what he/she looks like, how he/she lives, how he/she acts. Any part of the background written in the plot synopsis can be changed easily according to how you want to play the character you create. For the sake of potential future romance between characters, please ensure your character is 18+, ideally 20s-30s. 4. I am planning to pick a partner that feels like the character fits the role the best, not just picking first come, first served. While I definitely won't interfere with your character creation, I will say that I'm going to pick someone with the most unique character and his/her nuances. I'm hoping to find a character whose own flaws can fuel the initial animosity between the two characters; a character who's super chill and unproblematic and kind will not likely help the plot expand too much in this situation :) 5. If you're interested, please send me a sample post of your character for this RP! It doesn't have to be perfect; I just want a good idea of how you write and who you're creating 6. I'm hoping for actual posts to be long, detailed, and to give a lot for the other person to go off of. It doesn't have to be a huge post every single time, especially when dialogue between two characters can make for shorter posts, but make sure that you include a lot of good content! I definitely appreciate good grammar and spelling, but occasional typos are understandable. 7. I'm down to OOC chat and plan and fangirl outside of the actual RP posts :) PM or Discord me any time! 8. I have a real job and won't post every single day. It'll probably take me a few days up to a week to get a good response in. 9. Let's go ahead and say COVID won't exist in this universe :) I'm so sick of pandemic-life.