The year was 2100, and the human race has almost been wiped clean off of the face of the Earth. A meteor hit Earth in 2020, and has brought the population down to a staggering 700 thousand. Those who survived have made it to the once grand city of Chicago, and now live in what seems like a pre-enlightened state. Those who have money rule over those who don't in a Kingship-like rule. Modern religion has also been completely destroyed. The last of the Christian,Muslim, and Jewish people have either died or created their own community somewhere far and unknown to the people in Chicago.

The people living in Chicago, are getting ready for their winter festival to pay tribute to the Winter Goddess to make sure that this years winter isn't going to be a really cold and really brutal one. Her name is En'sul and she controls the winter snows and winds durning the months of November through February. A young man by the name of Irwin Osenberg is helping getting the statue's base decorated with winter plants, and foliage. En'sul stands proudly in the middle of the haphazard city in the middle of the chaos. Irwin sighed with accomplish as he placed the last bouquet of Gerberas on the base. "Perfect." He stated smiling as he took a step back to look at his beautiful decorating skills.

A laugh echoed through the square in which the statue stood, a few birds taking flight in surprise. A young man stood some five meters away from Irwin, hands in his pockets, head cocked slightly to the side, looking upon the foliage that surrounded the beautiful statue. "I don't know why you bother, the birds just pick it apart and take the flowers." His shaggy reddish-brown hair wavered slightly in the breeze, a joking smile play on his lips, his bright green eyes sparkling. Winchester Shaw twirled a flower between his fingers, one that had blown away while Irwin was working, he had been watching the young man for nearly half an hour now.

[[Ugh, this is aweful, but... my head hurts >.>]]

Irwin gave Winchester a half-hearted glare. "Very funny." He said rolling his eyes. "I was put in charge of making the flower arrangements. As for the birds, we can't do much about them except shoo them away when they start picking at them." As if on cue a pigeon landed on the one of the bouquets and started picking at the white flower. Irwin waved his hand at the animal, startling it and making it fly into the air. The brunette sighed, and leaned against the statue. "So what's up? I doubt you came around just to irritate me." Irwin stated snickering at Winchester. Since Irwin gets really into his work at times, he had no idea that Winchester was watching him.

((I liked it. And I hope you feel better))

Winchester laughed, kicking his foot absent-mindedly, "You don't know me very well then, Irwin. What else could I do but irritate you?" He took a few steps closer to Irwin, a sly smirk plastered across his face. Really, he was just bored, and had little better to do today. He smoothed out a few wrinkles in his button-up shirt, the white fabric clinging to his decently toned body. "Why don't you give up on this and have some fun with me?" He shook his head, looking around the square for a moment, the statue was rather amazing, he had to admit, and Irwin did seem to know what he was doing with the flowers.

"Come on, they have some fresh pastries at the shop, and maybe they need some help with the other decorations." The festival was always a time of great joy, flowers and decorations everywhere, pastries, and many families having feasts. Of course, his 'family' at this point, consisted of Irwin. And his two cats. Kind of sad, no?

Irwin didn't want to get yelled at but his friend's offer of food was much greater than the fear of the King getting mad at him. "Alright. A quick bite, but then I have to get back to my job." Irwin stated pushing himself off of the statue, and heading towards the city.

Chicago looked much like it did before the meteor hit, but dust still covered everything, and some areas were still unlivable due to the radiation that still lingers there. Most of the people live in the area closest to the water since water is one of the only means of contact these days.

"So where do you wanna eat?"Irwin asked as he walked a few paces in front of his friend. Many of the stores sold their food at cheap prices since money is starting to be printed from an old computer that was missing keys, and the screen could barely work, but it was better than nothing.

((I have no idea if the layout of Chicago. I just looked up a map on Google, so if you have any info on this city please tell me >>; ))

[[ I have no idea either... -sigh- ^^]]

Winchester moved beside Irwin, shrugging casually. "Your turn to pick, I chose last time. Of course, I'll pay." He smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets. That was one thing, Winchester was surely one of the wealthy of the time, not that he flaunted it, but people still knew it. He also was one of the few doctors available, and was damn good at his job. He kicked at a pebble on the ground, watching it fly and bounce a couple meters before coming to a stop at a broken, crumbling and unfixed. Many things had fallen apart, and either they didn't have the technology to fix it, or really, it was trivial these days.

Winchester cringed as he thought about things, about past lives, the stories of what things were like. He didn't wish for it, like many around them did. "Hurry up and choose, I'm starving." His laugh was bright, and carefree, which he always seemed to be.

Irwin looked around, and found a small bakery on the corner. "Let's go to that one." He stated quickening his pace. The bakery they were going to was called "Bakery". The original name of the Bakery was broken off, so the store only had half the sign. Never the less, the store still had some of the best baked goods in the whole city. "And the best part is this place is really cheap, especially during the Winter Festival." Irwin said as he waited until Winchester was next to him.

There were only two festivals that the Chicago people celebrated. The Winter Festival, and the special festival that is only was celebrated one other time in Irwin's life. That festival is called the Cosmic Festival. It's to pray to all the Gods that the "Great Rain" doesn't happen again, which means they don't want to have another meteor rain down on them killing them.

[I had to give the meteor hitting the Earth some kind of name, don't laugh please >>;]

Winchester looked at the bakery, a broad smile across his face, "You always choose this one." He joked as he stepped ahead, opening the door to allow Irwin in first. Once Irwin had stepped in, he followed behind him, closing the door, hearing the little bell jingle to signal their entrance. A woman was at work behind a corner, and he could smell baked goods being made fresh. "Hmm, so what would you like?" Hands shoved in his pockets, he strolled along the front counter, looking at what they had out to offer, which was a decent selection, and so many things looked good.

His reddish-brown hair hung loosely around his face, a few strands falling in front of his eyes. It went to just below his ears. Looking back at Irwin he cock his head to the side, his green eyes sparkling, "Decided yet?" He laughed, always finding it amusing to poke fun at Irwin. Of course it was all simple fun, and he was pretty sure Irwin didn't take it to heart.

"I like this place, and I don't have enough money to go anywhere else." Irwin said pouting slightly as he entered the store. He took a few minutes looking around, before Winchester asked him if he decided if he wanted anything. "Hm....I dunno. I would like..." He paused as he looked at the cookie selection they had. "That one." It was a chocolate chip cookie shaped like the statue outside. The clerk nodded her head,and pulled it out. She then started wrapping it. As she went over to the register she looked at Winchester. "Would you like anything?" She asked placing Irwin's cookie in a paper bag.

"Now have you decided anything?"Irwin stated laughing as he threw back his friend's question.He knew Winchester for as long as he can remember. He doesn't remember when he came to Chicago, but he does remember that Winchester the first person he met, and that they've been friends ever since.

Winchester laughed and looked at Irwin, "I'll have the same as him, but also one of those." He pointed to a large oatmeal cookie. "Clotho and Lachesis will like that." He said as he looked over at Irwin. Of course he would know that these were his cats, there was another, completing the fates, but that one had sadly run away, and yet to be seen... in three months. As the woman wrapped and bagged the cookies, Winchester moved down to the end of the counter where she stood, waiting to take their money.

Winchester stuck his hand in his pocket, pulling out a few bills and passing them to the woman, taking care of both his and Irwin's order, and leaving a bit extra for the woman. He grabbed the cookies and looked to Irwin, "Want to go sit by the bay?" He made for the door, opening and holding it for Irwin.

Irwin walked out of the bakery, and nodded his head. "Sure. It's one of my favorite places here actually." He stated smiling. It's one of his favorites only because it's where he was found, and where one of his first memories were. "I still can't believe that your cats eat cookies." Irwin suddenly stated as he took the bag from Winchester and took his cookie out. He handed the bag back to his friend, before he started to unwrap his cookie. "These are the best cookies. Every week I get one." Irwin said as he placed a piece of the cookie into his mouth. He chewed it, then placed another piece he had broken off into his mouth.

They arrived back into the center of the city, and people started to hang up banners, made up of colorful patterns. The one that was in front of the statue wore the name "Winter Festival" in beautiful letters. Irwin smiled,and he looked up at the statue. He still loved his flower arrangement, it was the first time he had done anything like it, and h was very proud of himself.

A smile played on Winchesters lips as he walked for a moment, not really saying anything. He pulled his cookie out, breaking off a piece and enjoying it. As they got closer to the bay, he sighed and looked upon the water, watching as the breeze created small waves, the sound of the water hitting the sides. Passing the benches, and rocks, he went to the wall, carefully sitting on the edge of it, his feet dangling over as he looked down to the water below. The water actually was a beautiful blue green, some leaves floated through it, the last remaining of the fall. It was getting rather close to winter, and it was already decently chilly out, soon he'd have to wear his coat, and they'd all be kept inside.

Goddess willing, this winter wouldn't be too terrible. A couple years back, he remembered when the snow was so bad, up to his knees, and people were stuck inside, and supplies were not able to be brought into the city.

Irwin took a place next to Winchester, and looked out into the water. "You wanna know what I can't understand..."Irwin stated as he finished the last of his cookie. "I can't understand why I was found where I was found. I mean if I wanted to come here, why didn't I take a boat, or drive here, why was I found on the bay shore?" He looked over at his friend a little confused by this. He was one of the few people that he saw running over to him, before he blacked out, and woke up at the hospital. "But maybe I was in a boat, and it crashed...hm....well whatever..."Irwin stated shrugging off the thought as he looked back out at the bay, soaking up the wonderful view.

Winchester took a bite of his cookie, thinking about what Irwin said. It was a few moments before he said anything, instead he just stared at the water. "You don't remember anything, do you?" He asked, serious in his tone. He adjusted himself slightly to look at him, curious in his eyes. "All I remember is seeing someone wash up on shore, it was so long ago... I treated you in the hospital, none of us thought you were going to make it, and we all wondered where you could of come from, no ships had been in recently, no word of any new comers." He sighed and took another bite of his cookie, shrugging.

Irwin looked at his friend and shook his head. "No. Not really. All I can remember is the feeling of water hitting me in the face, and frantic voices. Then I blacked out. The next thing I knew was that I was sitting in a hospital bed, and hearing the sound of music coming from outside." He stated scratching the back of his neck. "I still never figured out what Festival I found myself in the middle of. All I know was that it wasn't the Winter Festival, since the music and decorations were different. But that was a long time ago, and we should be thinking about the future. I might figure out where I came from sooner or later." Irwin stated smiling at his friend. "Besides, where I came from might have been worse than this place, that's why I decided to leave, am I right?" He then added chuckling.

A laugh escaped Winchester as he finished his cookie, brushing the crumbs off into the water below. He kicked his feet absent mindedly, hoping he wouldn't lose a shoe this time. "It was the cosmic festival. An important time for us." He closed his eyes, laying back now, crossing his arms behind his head. "We give honour to the gods, and pray that another meteor does not come again." It had been awhile since that festival, they didn't have it every year, honestly, Winchester wasn't sure how often it was held, but someone always seemed to know. There were even more decorations and preparations, and many ceremonies, both city wide, and personal.

"Have I ever taken you to forest?" He couldn't honestly remember, it had been so long since he himself had been there. Of course there were trees in the cities, but the forest was so nice, so peaceful...

"You have more than one god?"Irwin asked as if it was an outlandish idea. He frowned slightly as he chewed over the thought of the people here having more than one god. Then again he was only there for a few years, so he didn't know much about the city or it's people. "No I don't think you have. I didn't think there were forests left since there aren't very many trees here." Irwin stated. Again, he acts as if he knows another place where forest or at least trees are abundant. "But I wouldn't mind going into the forest. Who knows what we might find." Irwin stated standing, and smiling at his friend. "You can lead the way since you definitely know them better than I do." The young man stated laughing.

"Is it not possible for there to be more than on deity?" Winchester looked to Irwin, his head cocked slightly to the side. He didn't question things, how could there be only one? Instead of waiting for an answer, he stood up with Irwin, and smoothed out his shirt. It was a bit chilly, and he wished he had his coat, but that would take time, to go all the way to his house, and he was feeling rather lazy. He shivered slightly, but ignored it, looking out to the bay for one more moment. He tucked the cookie, wrapping it tightly in the bag, into his pocket, hoping he didn't destroy it too much during their trip to the forest. Of course, the cats wouldn't mind it, anyways.

"You want my coat?I don't get bothered by the cold."Irwin stated taking it off and handing it to Winchester. "If we spend an hour or so in the forest, I don't want you to get a cold or something while we're up there." He stated sticking his own hands in his pocket. "What do you think we'll find when we get up there?" The young man asked. He loved exploring, when he first left the hospital that was what he did, for two reasons. One was that he's never seen anything this big, before, and two he needed to find a place to live. Irwin found one, it was near the center of the city, and it was an old apartment building. It was a bit lonely at times since he was the only one who lived there, but it was better than nothing.

Winchester smiled and put the coat on, putting his hand sin the pocket of it. He felt far warmer now, and stood, looking around before pointed off towards a part of town where many people didn't go. "We have to cut though north point." That was the name given to the bad side of town, crooks and beggars lived there. Many of them didn't venture outside, so he wasn't worried, since it was still light out. Plus, he didn't exactly look like it, but he could hold his own in a fight. Without another word, he started off, watching carefully as he did, checking building openings, alleys, and the likes.

He hummed softly as he walked, knowing it was best act like he wasn't worried, like nothing could go wrong. He really didn't want Irwin to be worried. or freak out and not come with him. Really, it was worth it to see the forest. It was the last place he spent time with his parents, the last place he saw them. They had gone there, together when he was young, and he had wandered off. When he realized he was lost, he had called for them, searched for them, but never found them. Eventually he had found his way back into the city, three days later, to their home, but no one was there. They had sent out a search team, and they found that his parents had been attacked by what they believed to be a bear. They never told him, not until he was older, did he know. When he had turned twelve, he had left the care of the woman who claimed to be his aunt, and lived on his own, working and trying to do things, and eventually, he became the doctor he is.

Irwin looked at the buildings and found that they were in worse conduction than the one he lived in. "So who lives here?" Irwin asked getting a little spooked at the sight of the buildings. He moved closer to Winchester, trying to make himself feel safe, while not invading his friend's personal space or knocking him over.

Not wanting his thoughts to wander into scary topics, Irwin looked at Winchester, and asked. "Have you always had a King as a ruler?" It was the twenty-second century surly people these days thought up of something more than a King. "Not that our King is a mean guy or anything...." He quickly added. Irwin liked the King, he gave him a job and a real home when all that the King knew about him was his name.

Winchester noticed Irwins's movements out of the corner of his eyes, and laughed lightly. "Scared, are we?" He laughed and looked around. "Want me to hold your hand?" He joked, laughing more and looking at Irwin, smiling. He really wasn't trying to pick on the boy, he just wanted to lighten the mood. A sigh escaped him as he thought about the king, shrugging. "As far as I've known, there has been a king. It sometimes just makes sense, he really doesn't make many decisions on his own, the council helps if it comes to that." What Irwin didn't know, was that Winchester was part of the council, and was more powerful then he let off. Thus far, Irwin didn't seem to notice the kind of looks Winchester got, or the way people treated him with such respect.

Irwin gave him a look. "You should be a comedian." He stated moving out from behind Winchester. Now standing at his side Irwin felt open to a random attack. He stuffed his hands into his pocket, and started fiddling with the thread he kept in his pocket. It kept his mind off of what might come and kill him in this part of town. "They should do something to fix up this area. Instead of spending all of the funds that go to the Festivals...."Irwin stated sighing. It would be helpful since it would add some much needed space, since more and more people are moving into the small city.

The two men were about to pass an alley way when an old woman came jumping out of the shadows. She looked at Winchester then at Irwin. Her eyes widen, and she pounced on Irwin sending him to the ground. "Ny'os!Oh how I waited for you to come back!" Irwin shoved the woman off of him. "What?" He asked frowning deeply. "Ny'os....you don't remember me?" She asked hurt. "I don't know you, and stop calling me that. The name's Irwin." Irwin stated getting angry at the woman now.

Irwin was the name that was found on his clothing. He has no actual idea what his real name is or who 'Irwin' is. It was the name the people found, thus it stuck to him. He then looked at Winchester. "Do you know who this lady is!?" He asked moving around the woman, and hiding behind his friend. "Keep her away from me, she's out of her fucking mind!" He exclaimed looking up at him utterly afraid.

Winchester has been about to say something, but he was distracted when he saw the woman, then she came and attacked Irwin. He quickly jumped to take action, but before he could do anything, Irwin was standing behind him, scared out of his mind. Winchester worried for the poor boy, and looked to the old hag, shaking his head, "I do believe you are wrong, there is no way you know this man, nor does he seem to know you. Please, leave us be." He sounded rather dignified, and held his calmness the entire time. The woman at first didn't seem to be phased, and so he grabbed Irwin by the hand, urging him to move onward, and ignore the woman. She didn't seem dangerous to him, just crazy. "Let's continue, don't let this spoil your mood."

Irwin was more than happy to move on. He moved in front of his equally disturbed friend, and pulled him along the rode. He wanted to get out of there, and out fast. The old woman watched as the two men raced out of the town, and she started yelling obscene words at them, and shaking her hands in the air. "Is there another way back? I really don't want to run into that woman again." Irwin stated sighing as he stopped at the edge of the forest.

He looked back and saw that the woman was gone. It spooked him for a moment, but then he thought that she could have just walked away. "Who do you think that Ny'os guy she was talking about was?" Irwin asked pronouncing the name wrong. It was weird how she automatically assumed that Irwin was the guy she was looking for, but he shook off the thought seeing as they most likely will never run into her again.