((Forrest Quin continued from Skin Feels Off))
So there it was. After three days, they had found her bag. It was a great feeling. Euphoric really. Forrest had assumed they'd never find it, or if they did it would have been raided or scavenged, by one of her classmates or an animal. But nope, it was there completely intact. There was one, slight issue though. It was hanging off a branch! Really high up! The morning sun silhouetted it against the sky. A solid blob of color, just hanging there.
"Dicks." She muttered as she gazed up at it. A hand shielding her eyes from the worst of the harsh light.
Now, that would have been a problem normally, but considering she was armed with one cast of a fetching yellow-green color it was an even bigger problem. There was no way she was going to be able to get it. Luckily, she had a squad with her, a crew of people who had her back so when she decided to ask Katie to climb up the tree and get it they would back her up. She had a broken arm after all. It had been surgically repaired and everything. The other good thing was that finding her bag was probably going to help the morale of the group big time.
Forrest wasn't completely inept after all. She could feel and sense that frustration and doubt were starting to seep in. There were mutterings and dark looks. She could ignore them, but that didn't stop them being there. It was noticeable, there was an aura and atmosphere that hung around them. Finally completing the search successfully would be the thing to kick everyone's spirits back up a notch. Nothing could stop them now, that sort of thing. It was needed and it wouldn't last because of well...island.
But for the time being the distraction was a welcome one. Once they retrieved the bag they could work on finding their friends. That was number two on her checklist. Andy, Abe, Mikki, Charelle. She had people she needed to get to. Sadly, not Beryl. That was a loss of something. She didn't know or understand what really. She had hoped for another chance. Another opportunity to see her, but that wasn't to be. Destiny, fate and the weavers of it had other plans. So she had pushed on, because she was thirsty and starving and anything was better than dwelling on that.
But soon, that would all be over. She had triumphed over her own stupidity. A grand victory worthy of a Greek epic, get the poetry slabs out Hermes, she had a soliloquy that needed writing. All she needed to do was leap into action.
"Hey, uh, Katie...do you mind getting that?"
She waved her arm.
"Since, well y'know."
ieatnothing
Day Three - Morning - Pre-Announcement - Open
ieatnothing
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
((Dane Lennox continued from Skin Feels Off.))
Well, what do you know? It turns out, if you want to look for something you dropped, best place to look for it would be in general vicinity of where you dropped it.
Though, Dane supposed he had to be fair (yeah, if he had to), that it wasn't like they could just follow after the thing, considering the drop wasn't exactly something you could recover from with some lemon tea and a foot massage. So sure, Dane supposed a bit of slack could be cut here. Fine. Great.
So, they'd found the bag. They weren't exactly done here, though, as they still needed to get the bag. Forrest asked Katie to do it, and she supposed it was well enough, then. He wasn't going to do it, not with the gun in his hand, and no way was he putting the gun down in easier reach of someone else, so he was glad it was decided that someone else would do it.
Dane looked around. It could have been easy to forget that they were still in a situation where some freak would turn right up and try to get the drop on them, so there had to be at least one person on the look out for that kind of thing.
As his scanned the horizon, it caught details of the landscape, of the various trees that littered his view. He looked around for a while, when-
Something caught his eye and a small shiver went up his spine.
It was hard to make out. He couldn't blame anyone in the group for not noticing it. But it was one of those things where, once you saw it, you couldn't unsee it. Like a detail that barely registers at first, but stands out more and more the longer you look. One of those 'the more you look at it, the worse it gets' kind of details that Dane couldn't tear his eyes away from anymore.
He was reminded, vaguely, morbidly, about the game his mother used to play with him when he was young, like really young.
'I spy, with my little eye, something that is red.'
Well, what do you know? It turns out, if you want to look for something you dropped, best place to look for it would be in general vicinity of where you dropped it.
Though, Dane supposed he had to be fair (yeah, if he had to), that it wasn't like they could just follow after the thing, considering the drop wasn't exactly something you could recover from with some lemon tea and a foot massage. So sure, Dane supposed a bit of slack could be cut here. Fine. Great.
So, they'd found the bag. They weren't exactly done here, though, as they still needed to get the bag. Forrest asked Katie to do it, and she supposed it was well enough, then. He wasn't going to do it, not with the gun in his hand, and no way was he putting the gun down in easier reach of someone else, so he was glad it was decided that someone else would do it.
Dane looked around. It could have been easy to forget that they were still in a situation where some freak would turn right up and try to get the drop on them, so there had to be at least one person on the look out for that kind of thing.
As his scanned the horizon, it caught details of the landscape, of the various trees that littered his view. He looked around for a while, when-
Something caught his eye and a small shiver went up his spine.
It was hard to make out. He couldn't blame anyone in the group for not noticing it. But it was one of those things where, once you saw it, you couldn't unsee it. Like a detail that barely registers at first, but stands out more and more the longer you look. One of those 'the more you look at it, the worse it gets' kind of details that Dane couldn't tear his eyes away from anymore.
He was reminded, vaguely, morbidly, about the game his mother used to play with him when he was young, like really young.
'I spy, with my little eye, something that is red.'
Fucking finally.
((Katie Agustien continued from Skin Feels Off))
Yeah, she was still in a shitty mood, perhaps even worse than the previous day. Like, come on, Forrest’s bag had fallen at the very start of day 1, and now it was the early morning of day 3, and they’d only just found it again. All they’d needed to do was get from Point A to Point B, and somehow Forrest’s drug-addled leadership had gotten them to Point fucking Z instead.
She couldn’t even celebrate for a second now that they’d found the fucking bag, could she? Not when it was tangled up in the branches of the tree they were now standing underneath, and a good ways up to boot. And now Forrest wanted her to go up and get it. It made the most logical sense, what with Forrest’s busted arm, Dane being an asshole, and Meilin… well, Meilin had wandered off to fuck know’s where, which pretty much summed up her entire geographical knowledge.
But the announcements hadn’t even played yet. It was pretty much first thing in the morning after waking up from a literal bed of leaves, and Katie had been allowed just enough time to stretch and pop her back before being asked to climb a fucking tree, like that was something she was a goddamn expert in, something all boxers knew how to do.
“Sure. Whatever. Gimme a sec, alright?”
Well, the sooner she got this done, the sooner she could split, she guessed. It was getting harder with each passing minute to keep her temper and keep herself from snapping at her allies, and she liked Forrest and Meilin, she truly did, but the sheer waste of time, the fact she hadn’t even gotten started on looking for Saffron, and now this…
Maybe the workout from clambering up the tree would be enough to let her blow off some steam.
She glanced at her knife for a moment, then tutted and shoved it into her bag, lying on the ground at the base of the tree. She wasn’t a fan of letting it out of her sight or her grip, but she also didn’t wanna have it in her pocket as she climbed; misjudging a step and having the blade sink into her thigh could be absolutely crippling.
Katie cracked her knuckles and took a deep breath, before taking a step back and running at the tree. There was a knot at a reachable height, and she scrabbled up the trunk, hands scraping against the bark until her feet found purchase. She could see a branch on her right-hand side, and after a couple of seconds of flailing, her hand wrapped around it, sliding along it to give space for her other. A few more moments of scrambling, and she was able to pull herself up and place her feet on the branch, trying to ignore the sound of it creaking ominously underneath.
((Katie Agustien continued from Skin Feels Off))
Yeah, she was still in a shitty mood, perhaps even worse than the previous day. Like, come on, Forrest’s bag had fallen at the very start of day 1, and now it was the early morning of day 3, and they’d only just found it again. All they’d needed to do was get from Point A to Point B, and somehow Forrest’s drug-addled leadership had gotten them to Point fucking Z instead.
She couldn’t even celebrate for a second now that they’d found the fucking bag, could she? Not when it was tangled up in the branches of the tree they were now standing underneath, and a good ways up to boot. And now Forrest wanted her to go up and get it. It made the most logical sense, what with Forrest’s busted arm, Dane being an asshole, and Meilin… well, Meilin had wandered off to fuck know’s where, which pretty much summed up her entire geographical knowledge.
But the announcements hadn’t even played yet. It was pretty much first thing in the morning after waking up from a literal bed of leaves, and Katie had been allowed just enough time to stretch and pop her back before being asked to climb a fucking tree, like that was something she was a goddamn expert in, something all boxers knew how to do.
“Sure. Whatever. Gimme a sec, alright?”
Well, the sooner she got this done, the sooner she could split, she guessed. It was getting harder with each passing minute to keep her temper and keep herself from snapping at her allies, and she liked Forrest and Meilin, she truly did, but the sheer waste of time, the fact she hadn’t even gotten started on looking for Saffron, and now this…
Maybe the workout from clambering up the tree would be enough to let her blow off some steam.
She glanced at her knife for a moment, then tutted and shoved it into her bag, lying on the ground at the base of the tree. She wasn’t a fan of letting it out of her sight or her grip, but she also didn’t wanna have it in her pocket as she climbed; misjudging a step and having the blade sink into her thigh could be absolutely crippling.
Katie cracked her knuckles and took a deep breath, before taking a step back and running at the tree. There was a knot at a reachable height, and she scrabbled up the trunk, hands scraping against the bark until her feet found purchase. She could see a branch on her right-hand side, and after a couple of seconds of flailing, her hand wrapped around it, sliding along it to give space for her other. A few more moments of scrambling, and she was able to pull herself up and place her feet on the branch, trying to ignore the sound of it creaking ominously underneath.
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
"Thanks fam," Forrest said giving Katie a thumbs up. "Knew I could rely on you."
And she could. Katie made climbing up the tree look easy. Forrest was sure she wouldn't have even been able to manage what Katie was even if she had two arms. But there she went being all physically competent and shit. It was a good thing she was on Forrest's side, otherwise, if they met and Katie meant her harm, well, Forrest guessed she would have just received a double helping of harm.
The question now was with her bag found what came next? Forrest hadn't actually planned past or even up to the retrieval of her bag. She hadn't been expecting to find it at all. She was glad she had! But it was still an unexpected result. It also made her nervous. The only one of the group that seemed close to competent if there was any sign of danger was Katie but Katie was also the one who had been explicit in her desire to split as soon as the bag was found and the bag was now found. That meant that as soon as the bag was in Forrests hands Katie would be going off alone, it also meant there was a good chance the entire group would crumble as no one had any real reason to stick together. If Katie left would that start a chain reaction of everyone going their separate ways?
Adding to that pressure was that Forrest still wanted to find Andy, Abe, Mikki, and Charelle. So far none of them had made an appearance on the morning update but how long could that last? At the rate people were appeared to be falling at, it seemed like sooner or later she was going to hear a name she cared about. What was she going to do then? She needed to find them. She had to.
Off to one side, Dane seemed distracted by something. He was staring up at the treeline.
"What's up Dane?" Forrest asked, head-turning to follow his gaze. When she saw it her eyes went wide and when she spoke her voice sounded quiet and distant.
"oh..."
And she could. Katie made climbing up the tree look easy. Forrest was sure she wouldn't have even been able to manage what Katie was even if she had two arms. But there she went being all physically competent and shit. It was a good thing she was on Forrest's side, otherwise, if they met and Katie meant her harm, well, Forrest guessed she would have just received a double helping of harm.
The question now was with her bag found what came next? Forrest hadn't actually planned past or even up to the retrieval of her bag. She hadn't been expecting to find it at all. She was glad she had! But it was still an unexpected result. It also made her nervous. The only one of the group that seemed close to competent if there was any sign of danger was Katie but Katie was also the one who had been explicit in her desire to split as soon as the bag was found and the bag was now found. That meant that as soon as the bag was in Forrests hands Katie would be going off alone, it also meant there was a good chance the entire group would crumble as no one had any real reason to stick together. If Katie left would that start a chain reaction of everyone going their separate ways?
Adding to that pressure was that Forrest still wanted to find Andy, Abe, Mikki, and Charelle. So far none of them had made an appearance on the morning update but how long could that last? At the rate people were appeared to be falling at, it seemed like sooner or later she was going to hear a name she cared about. What was she going to do then? She needed to find them. She had to.
Off to one side, Dane seemed distracted by something. He was staring up at the treeline.
"What's up Dane?" Forrest asked, head-turning to follow his gaze. When she saw it her eyes went wide and when she spoke her voice sounded quiet and distant.
"oh..."
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BlizzardeyeWonder
- Posts: 682
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm
- Location: The Zone™
At last, her feet began to feel the impact of all the walking she'd done. It was a shame it happened so early this morning, because there'd almost certainly be more walking to do.
[Meilin Zhou continued from Like the Sky is Blue and the Sea is Salty
Just as she began to wonder when she'd find he group again, she found them. Lucky! And what was even luckier was a rather distinct bag on a tree that Katie was climbing. It didn't take much to guess who that bag belonged to. Things seemed to brighten, just a bit.
Plus, it signaled the end of their journey together. The group was together for one purpose, and they had fulfilled it.
...she really shouldn't be so relieved at that.
Honestly, once she thought about it, she realized even if the others left, she would stick with Forrest- maybe the others would too, since it would be cruel to leave her to her own devices.
But then it wouldn't be the end of their time together would it?
Really, this shouldn't be such a difficult issue for Meilin. She loved being around people! Supposedly. If she didn't surround herself with people, was she even the same person? What was a Meilin that was really all alone anyway?
Even as her curiosity towards that subject grew, she pushed it aside with a smile. She waved at the others as she walked closer.
"Hey! I'm back!"
Hey, what were they looking at?
[Meilin Zhou continued from Like the Sky is Blue and the Sea is Salty
Just as she began to wonder when she'd find he group again, she found them. Lucky! And what was even luckier was a rather distinct bag on a tree that Katie was climbing. It didn't take much to guess who that bag belonged to. Things seemed to brighten, just a bit.
Plus, it signaled the end of their journey together. The group was together for one purpose, and they had fulfilled it.
...she really shouldn't be so relieved at that.
Honestly, once she thought about it, she realized even if the others left, she would stick with Forrest- maybe the others would too, since it would be cruel to leave her to her own devices.
But then it wouldn't be the end of their time together would it?
Really, this shouldn't be such a difficult issue for Meilin. She loved being around people! Supposedly. If she didn't surround herself with people, was she even the same person? What was a Meilin that was really all alone anyway?
Even as her curiosity towards that subject grew, she pushed it aside with a smile. She waved at the others as she walked closer.
"Hey! I'm back!"
Hey, what were they looking at?
"No sun to rise would be okay with me... Everyday, every day is okay"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
Dane simply continued to stare, or at least he did until he snapped back to reality when he heard Forrest calling his name.
It wasn't long, then, before it seemed like Forrest realized what, exactly, he'd been looking at.
He shook his head, before turning away. It was about then that Meilin appeared, shouting something about being back. Dane had hardly noticed she was even gone.
"...We found the bag," he stated.
As well as something else. But Dane didn't say that. The girl in front of him had reacted with disbelief simply when she heard the names on the announcements. How would she react if she were to see something like that?
It wasn't long, then, before it seemed like Forrest realized what, exactly, he'd been looking at.
He shook his head, before turning away. It was about then that Meilin appeared, shouting something about being back. Dane had hardly noticed she was even gone.
"...We found the bag," he stated.
As well as something else. But Dane didn't say that. The girl in front of him had reacted with disbelief simply when she heard the names on the announcements. How would she react if she were to see something like that?
There was talking from down below, low murmurings that Katie could only just hear and that she didn’t wish to divert her attention from the task at hand to focus on - currently, that task happened to be resting her foot on the shattered remnant of a branch to test its sturdiness. But another voice cropped up, louder than the others, and Katie stole a glance down to see that Meilin had made her arrival known. Finally. What the hell had taken her so long?
Katie briefly considered asking the other girl that very question, once she was back on terra firma, before she shook her head and continued her climb. She didn’t truly care that much, nor did it have any bearing at all on either her actions nor those of the rest of the group. Pointless questions would just waste further time, and all Katie planned on doing was dropping the bag, grabbing her own, and leaving.
She was so close to checking that first one off of the checklist. Just a little higher, and she felt as though she’d be able to grab it. She wrapped her left hand around a thin branch, other hand pressed flat against the trunk, preparing herself for the next step.
She pulled on the branch to lever herself up, and with a sickening snap, it broke away entirely.
Her breath caught in her throat as her foot swung in thin air, shattered branch plummeting past her and bouncing off of others on its way to the ground. She threw her body to the side, using the momentum to carry her, face and left hand smacking into the tree, and she could feel the scraping bark drawing blood. But it was enough for her foot to re-find purchase, and gingerly, she pushed herself back until she was secure again.
“Fucking hell…”
There was another branch for her hands to grab onto, a little more of a stretch, but much sturdier, and this time when she tried to pull herself up, there was no creaking or cracking, and she scrambled her feet up onto the bough just below it, finally standing face to face with Forrest’s bag.
Well. That was more than enough excitement for today.
Wouldn’t it be fucking nice if that were true?
“Watch your heads, bag’s coming down!”
She gave the others a moment to move out of the way, before grabbing the bag with one hand and slinging it out of the tree, a shower of leaves following it on its rapid journey back to earth. Katie wasn’t quite prepared to join it in leaping from her current height, but a couple branches down seemed manageable. She slid her feet off of their perch, hands moving into their previous position, before dropping down onto a branch below. She took a breath, making sure there would be nothing else obstructing her descent, before jumping off, air rushing through her hair and billowing out her hoody before her feet hit the ground.
“All right. There’s your...”
Everybody was looking at something, the opposite direction to the tree she’d just been climbing. Katie followed their gaze, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary, anything different to the sea of green and brown. It took a moment for her to find it. As soon as she did, her face went pale. Her narrowed eyes widened. Her arms fell limply to her sides, like they’d just run out of power.
“That’s…”
She started moving forwards, body acting on its own, rushing towards the red blot.
Katie briefly considered asking the other girl that very question, once she was back on terra firma, before she shook her head and continued her climb. She didn’t truly care that much, nor did it have any bearing at all on either her actions nor those of the rest of the group. Pointless questions would just waste further time, and all Katie planned on doing was dropping the bag, grabbing her own, and leaving.
She was so close to checking that first one off of the checklist. Just a little higher, and she felt as though she’d be able to grab it. She wrapped her left hand around a thin branch, other hand pressed flat against the trunk, preparing herself for the next step.
She pulled on the branch to lever herself up, and with a sickening snap, it broke away entirely.
Her breath caught in her throat as her foot swung in thin air, shattered branch plummeting past her and bouncing off of others on its way to the ground. She threw her body to the side, using the momentum to carry her, face and left hand smacking into the tree, and she could feel the scraping bark drawing blood. But it was enough for her foot to re-find purchase, and gingerly, she pushed herself back until she was secure again.
“Fucking hell…”
There was another branch for her hands to grab onto, a little more of a stretch, but much sturdier, and this time when she tried to pull herself up, there was no creaking or cracking, and she scrambled her feet up onto the bough just below it, finally standing face to face with Forrest’s bag.
Well. That was more than enough excitement for today.
Wouldn’t it be fucking nice if that were true?
“Watch your heads, bag’s coming down!”
She gave the others a moment to move out of the way, before grabbing the bag with one hand and slinging it out of the tree, a shower of leaves following it on its rapid journey back to earth. Katie wasn’t quite prepared to join it in leaping from her current height, but a couple branches down seemed manageable. She slid her feet off of their perch, hands moving into their previous position, before dropping down onto a branch below. She took a breath, making sure there would be nothing else obstructing her descent, before jumping off, air rushing through her hair and billowing out her hoody before her feet hit the ground.
“All right. There’s your...”
Everybody was looking at something, the opposite direction to the tree she’d just been climbing. Katie followed their gaze, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary, anything different to the sea of green and brown. It took a moment for her to find it. As soon as she did, her face went pale. Her narrowed eyes widened. Her arms fell limply to her sides, like they’d just run out of power.
“That’s…”
She started moving forwards, body acting on its own, rushing towards the red blot.
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
The bag landed by her side with a dull thump. Forrest couldn't tell if it was dull because of the bag or because of her focus on the trees and the shape within it. Katie dropped down next—in a deliberate fashion—and started to speak but she noticed what they all had and barged past Forrest to take a closer look. For her part, Forrest didn't object. Her body took the impact and reset back to the position it had been in. Vision still focused on what was in the trees, until it started to swim and get blurry. Then she stumbled back.
Her footsteps were unsteady and luckily for her the tree caught her before her legs gave out completely. She shut her eyes but the image flashed in her mind.
Camellia or what had been Camellia had been in the trees. Her limbs twisted and bent, body fractured, blood seeping out.
Crouching down against the side of the tree and not really considering the very real irony all around her. Forrest coughed and dry-heaved, her breathing devolving into panting. Her hands scrambled for her pack, tearing it open and grabbing a bottle of water. Greedily she gulped it down, hoping for anything to take effect.
Maybe, if it had been any other time in the day, they could have taken stock and worked through what they were looking out. But unfortunately, it was the morning and while Forrest hadn't even been thinking about it, the announcement had arrived.
As usual, it bore no good news. But this time one particular name stood out.
Mikki.
It was at that point Forrest found herself unable to breathe. Her arms moved and gripped her newly recovered pack with white knuckles and lifted it up to cover her face as her panting breaths became wracking harsh sobs.
She had succeeded.
Her footsteps were unsteady and luckily for her the tree caught her before her legs gave out completely. She shut her eyes but the image flashed in her mind.
Camellia or what had been Camellia had been in the trees. Her limbs twisted and bent, body fractured, blood seeping out.
Crouching down against the side of the tree and not really considering the very real irony all around her. Forrest coughed and dry-heaved, her breathing devolving into panting. Her hands scrambled for her pack, tearing it open and grabbing a bottle of water. Greedily she gulped it down, hoping for anything to take effect.
Maybe, if it had been any other time in the day, they could have taken stock and worked through what they were looking out. But unfortunately, it was the morning and while Forrest hadn't even been thinking about it, the announcement had arrived.
As usual, it bore no good news. But this time one particular name stood out.
Mikki.
It was at that point Forrest found herself unable to breathe. Her arms moved and gripped her newly recovered pack with white knuckles and lifted it up to cover her face as her panting breaths became wracking harsh sobs.
She had succeeded.
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BlizzardeyeWonder
- Posts: 682
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm
- Location: The Zone™
Meilin walked towards the others, still wondering what was going on.
"What are you-"
Her eyes moved to match theirs, and then she realized. There was much she could have said, even a simple oh, but all she could manage was a sharp breath in.
The fractures and cuts were such that Meilin placed her hands on her arms, just to make sure they were still in the right place, not twisted and bleeding- not like that. She couldn't make out the person's face, but the way Katie ran over told her what she needed to know about what most people here thought.
Almost on cue, the announcements flooded into her ears. Mikki's name, hers with too many others, it got to Forrest. Meilin turned, and saw her shaking, sobbing, and felt a tear come to her eye. Then she heard Desiree's name- didn't know her for long, and was pretty sure Desiree didn't like her anyway, but combined with the mangled body in the trees, everything was beginning to feel all too real.
That was something, wasn't it? She heard her ex-boyfriend murdered someone and only now was she accepting it was real. Astonishment gave way to tears streaming down her face, which she at first wiped away as they came, then not bothering to do so, as her choked breaths either took her energy to do so, or took her will to do it.
The announcements stopped. Ace wasn't named, either among the dead or among the killers- weird that she'd immediately thought of that as a possibility, Ace killing someone. Even if she was rapidly losing her faith in her other classmates, she couldn't just lose faith in him. What an awful thing to do to your boyfriend of a few weeks, huh?
"What are you-"
Her eyes moved to match theirs, and then she realized. There was much she could have said, even a simple oh, but all she could manage was a sharp breath in.
The fractures and cuts were such that Meilin placed her hands on her arms, just to make sure they were still in the right place, not twisted and bleeding- not like that. She couldn't make out the person's face, but the way Katie ran over told her what she needed to know about what most people here thought.
Almost on cue, the announcements flooded into her ears. Mikki's name, hers with too many others, it got to Forrest. Meilin turned, and saw her shaking, sobbing, and felt a tear come to her eye. Then she heard Desiree's name- didn't know her for long, and was pretty sure Desiree didn't like her anyway, but combined with the mangled body in the trees, everything was beginning to feel all too real.
That was something, wasn't it? She heard her ex-boyfriend murdered someone and only now was she accepting it was real. Astonishment gave way to tears streaming down her face, which she at first wiped away as they came, then not bothering to do so, as her choked breaths either took her energy to do so, or took her will to do it.
The announcements stopped. Ace wasn't named, either among the dead or among the killers- weird that she'd immediately thought of that as a possibility, Ace killing someone. Even if she was rapidly losing her faith in her other classmates, she couldn't just lose faith in him. What an awful thing to do to your boyfriend of a few weeks, huh?
"No sun to rise would be okay with me... Everyday, every day is okay"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
The group was falling apart around him. He looked around, taking stock of the situation. Katie was rushing forward, moving to the body without a care in the world. Forrest was breaking down, sobbing and hyperventilating. Meilin wasn't looking much better. This was not the time to be falling apart, though. The names on the announcements reminded him that, yeah, people were killing. What were they going to do if someone came barreling down at them?
"Let's all-" he started.
Calm down? Was that the right thing to say? Since when had Dane cared about tact about his peers? But he had to remind himself of where they were. A lack of tact could be deadly.
So then...
Should he just leave? They'd gotten what they'd came for, after all, and part of him didn't want to continue being someone's keeper. But at the same time, it was a group he'd managed to integrate himself into with no... with very few problems. There was no guarantee that the next people he'd come across would be as civil.
But then again, were the others thinking otherwise? Katie had planned to leave the group anyway, right? There was a chance that the group wouldn't be a group for long anyway. Who knows, they might all end up going their separate ways. Dane was ambivalent about that.
But right here, right now, when he was the only calm one in the group?
Dane scanned the horizon, then. Keeping a careful eye out for any sign of trouble. If they took too long crying to decide what they were doing after this, he'd knock some sense into them then. But now, hearing the announcements and seeing a mangled body at the same time was, he had to admit, a hard thing to keep calm at.
So Dane stayed vigilant, keeping his gun arm ready for any sign of trouble, and for once in his life, just shut the fuck up.
"Let's all-" he started.
Calm down? Was that the right thing to say? Since when had Dane cared about tact about his peers? But he had to remind himself of where they were. A lack of tact could be deadly.
So then...
Should he just leave? They'd gotten what they'd came for, after all, and part of him didn't want to continue being someone's keeper. But at the same time, it was a group he'd managed to integrate himself into with no... with very few problems. There was no guarantee that the next people he'd come across would be as civil.
But then again, were the others thinking otherwise? Katie had planned to leave the group anyway, right? There was a chance that the group wouldn't be a group for long anyway. Who knows, they might all end up going their separate ways. Dane was ambivalent about that.
But right here, right now, when he was the only calm one in the group?
Dane scanned the horizon, then. Keeping a careful eye out for any sign of trouble. If they took too long crying to decide what they were doing after this, he'd knock some sense into them then. But now, hearing the announcements and seeing a mangled body at the same time was, he had to admit, a hard thing to keep calm at.
So Dane stayed vigilant, keeping his gun arm ready for any sign of trouble, and for once in his life, just shut the fuck up.
Cammy.
It had been a while since Katie had thought this much about her. Not since her first meeting with Saffron on the foot bridge.
They’d dated, herself and Cammy. A while back, but for a good long while. Katie had always said she was the perfect counterweight; a calming, soothing influence to her own hair-trigger temper. They’d gone to parties together, hung out together, smoked together, both tobacco and weed. Whenever Katie felt like screaming or throwing something, Cammy was always there, and all of her anger softly and slowly filtered away. Dating had just felt natural at some point.
The break-up, when it had happened, had been amicable, as far as Katie could tell. It definitely had been on her end. She couldn’t quite remember the reason why. Possibly issues with scheduling, possibly lack of desire for a relationship at the time, possiblies which meant very little anymore. There’d been hugging, talks of ‘maybe again in the future’, long, lingering kisses. Then just like that, everything serious was over. They’d still kept in touch after that. Still talked, still smoked, still made out at parties. But nothing more.
Katie still loved her, but in a different way, a different kind of love to Saffron, both as strong as each other. Cammy kept her grounded, kept her from flying off the handle, made everything feel like it would turn out all right. Saffron made her feel elevated and excited, made her feel stronger and better and more special, made her feel like she could power through all the bullshit the world tried to heap on her.
And now one of them was dead, body twisted and buckled, a bleeding, fractured husk of her previous self.
And if Katie didn’t get moving, the same thing could happen to Saffron. Her feet weren’t moving, though. Her body refused to turn away. Her fists were clenched and shaking; hell, her whole body was shaking like it was about to fall apart. She realised how heavily she was breathing, how clouded her mind was getting.
“Who did this?”
Her first words were almost silent, hushed whispers muttered more to herself than anything. When she opened her mouth again, the words rushed out, raging, loud and clear.
“I’m gonna find whoever the fuck did this, and I’m gonna punch their teeth in, and break their goddamn jaw!”
Oh, she would do more than that, she was certain, and she was so close to letting the rest of the group know how she’d beat them into a bloody pulp, how she’d do to them what they’d done to Cammy, when the sound of the announcements whirring to life cut her off. She stood and listened, still bar for the trembling fury pulsing through her, eager to hear the name attached to Cammy’s.
There was none. There was no murderer, no killer accidental or otherwise. Nobody acting in self-defense, not even anybody putting Cammy out of her misery. A stupid accident, according to Danya, with no one person to blame, but an accident that led to a girl, a loved one, a lover, mangled and terrified and bleeding to death.
Katie spun around, glaring daggers at the other three. Images of each of them rushed into her mind. She saw herself kicking Forrest in the head and shoving her off the platform. Meilin, flung into the trunk of the closest tree. Dane’s face with broken, shattered glasses and a bleeding, crooked nose.
The thoughts elated her for a second, then frightened her for the rest of them. She had to leave. For so many reasons, she needed to go, now.
She shoved roughly past the others, running to her belongings. Without a word, without a parting farewell or a ‘good luck’, she gathered up her bag and her knife, and vanished into the trees.
((Katie Agustien continued in I've been waiting for that kind of lie, satisfaction guaranteed))
It had been a while since Katie had thought this much about her. Not since her first meeting with Saffron on the foot bridge.
They’d dated, herself and Cammy. A while back, but for a good long while. Katie had always said she was the perfect counterweight; a calming, soothing influence to her own hair-trigger temper. They’d gone to parties together, hung out together, smoked together, both tobacco and weed. Whenever Katie felt like screaming or throwing something, Cammy was always there, and all of her anger softly and slowly filtered away. Dating had just felt natural at some point.
The break-up, when it had happened, had been amicable, as far as Katie could tell. It definitely had been on her end. She couldn’t quite remember the reason why. Possibly issues with scheduling, possibly lack of desire for a relationship at the time, possiblies which meant very little anymore. There’d been hugging, talks of ‘maybe again in the future’, long, lingering kisses. Then just like that, everything serious was over. They’d still kept in touch after that. Still talked, still smoked, still made out at parties. But nothing more.
Katie still loved her, but in a different way, a different kind of love to Saffron, both as strong as each other. Cammy kept her grounded, kept her from flying off the handle, made everything feel like it would turn out all right. Saffron made her feel elevated and excited, made her feel stronger and better and more special, made her feel like she could power through all the bullshit the world tried to heap on her.
And now one of them was dead, body twisted and buckled, a bleeding, fractured husk of her previous self.
And if Katie didn’t get moving, the same thing could happen to Saffron. Her feet weren’t moving, though. Her body refused to turn away. Her fists were clenched and shaking; hell, her whole body was shaking like it was about to fall apart. She realised how heavily she was breathing, how clouded her mind was getting.
“Who did this?”
Her first words were almost silent, hushed whispers muttered more to herself than anything. When she opened her mouth again, the words rushed out, raging, loud and clear.
“I’m gonna find whoever the fuck did this, and I’m gonna punch their teeth in, and break their goddamn jaw!”
Oh, she would do more than that, she was certain, and she was so close to letting the rest of the group know how she’d beat them into a bloody pulp, how she’d do to them what they’d done to Cammy, when the sound of the announcements whirring to life cut her off. She stood and listened, still bar for the trembling fury pulsing through her, eager to hear the name attached to Cammy’s.
There was none. There was no murderer, no killer accidental or otherwise. Nobody acting in self-defense, not even anybody putting Cammy out of her misery. A stupid accident, according to Danya, with no one person to blame, but an accident that led to a girl, a loved one, a lover, mangled and terrified and bleeding to death.
Katie spun around, glaring daggers at the other three. Images of each of them rushed into her mind. She saw herself kicking Forrest in the head and shoving her off the platform. Meilin, flung into the trunk of the closest tree. Dane’s face with broken, shattered glasses and a bleeding, crooked nose.
The thoughts elated her for a second, then frightened her for the rest of them. She had to leave. For so many reasons, she needed to go, now.
She shoved roughly past the others, running to her belongings. Without a word, without a parting farewell or a ‘good luck’, she gathered up her bag and her knife, and vanished into the trees.
((Katie Agustien continued in I've been waiting for that kind of lie, satisfaction guaranteed))
"bryony and alba would definitely join the terrorists quote me on this put this quote in signatures put it in history books" - Cicada Days, 2017
And now what? Or then what? And how did she proceed? What was the purpose of anything? The end result was already going to be the same as how her life had been predetermined. And to a degree y'know she had accepted that. Her life was pretty fuck and it would have only taken a moron to not realize and she was dumb right but she wasn't a moron. Not to that extent. So as she sat there letting her body and brain freak the fuck out she kinda maybe thought that to a degree she should really have prepared for what was going on. It was hardly an out of left field occurrence. It was in actual fact a recurrence and not even the last one if history held up and continued its unending ouroboros. People eating people eating people eating people until eventually the world burnt up. And she could maybe take solace in that. In knowing that exactly what she was feeling had been experienced by others, was being experienced by others and would be experienced by others. But if you looked at it that way your life was of no real value, it was just a part of the cycle. And she knew that. She was aware of it. Hard to not be. She didn't contribute anything in any meaningful way apart from allowing people at a party the chance to go 'Well at least I'm not that fucked up.' and at that exact moment in time she was serving that role again but in a slightly different coat. 'Man she's really fallen to piece glad I'm keeping it together.' Glad to help citizens. Forrest really felt like she needed something at that moment. She had always kinda needed something. But there were only a few people she knew could give her what she wanted. It wasn't a harsh truth, it was just the truth. And her group wasn't really providing her with that anyway. She needed Andy or Abe or Andy or Abe or Andy or Abe or maybe Charelle or Anbe. She didn't know.
Katie was angry about stuff because, y'know obviously, that was what she did and it didn't take a genius to figure out that what she did was going to do her in. It would happen eventually there was no way it wouldn't Katie couldn't stay as angry as a sun was hot and not end up on the end of something. People just didn't work that way when the option to kill whoever was stood in front was on the table as a valid decision. It was straight-up video game shit man. Dane was Dane and that would get him dead because Dane was an asshole. Meilin had a normal natural person reaction so she couldn't be faulted there really but she would die because she was too good a person. She'd try to help someone or intervene in a situation and that would be the end of her because the world ate nice people because helping people really didn't get you anything. Unlike Meilin she wasn't a good person, she was medium at best. Shit, they'd all helped her and what had it gotten them? Wasted time and Forrest her bag back was what. How fucking good was that trade? She could tell you. It was shit. It was shit. It was shit because that's what she did to people. And it made sense when she thought about it like that and it didn't really change anything because deep down she had always kind of been aware of it.
But hey, no one else seemed to ever notice so who the fuck really cared right? Not her, that was for sure. But she still wanted to find Abe or Andy. One of the two. Maybe both. That would have been nice. So that was settled. As for the others? Well, Katie was already working on stomping away. Her work done and her neverending angry leading her to pastures new where surely nothing terrible would happen. The other two were still around but as her brain had been ticking over and slowly settling down and body stopping heaving so hard it hurt her chest she had come to realize they were just there. So using Katie as a distraction, Forrest to made her exit. Silently dissolving into her namesake.
((Forrest Quin continued in there are bullets in your paintings, if you want them))
Katie was angry about stuff because, y'know obviously, that was what she did and it didn't take a genius to figure out that what she did was going to do her in. It would happen eventually there was no way it wouldn't Katie couldn't stay as angry as a sun was hot and not end up on the end of something. People just didn't work that way when the option to kill whoever was stood in front was on the table as a valid decision. It was straight-up video game shit man. Dane was Dane and that would get him dead because Dane was an asshole. Meilin had a normal natural person reaction so she couldn't be faulted there really but she would die because she was too good a person. She'd try to help someone or intervene in a situation and that would be the end of her because the world ate nice people because helping people really didn't get you anything. Unlike Meilin she wasn't a good person, she was medium at best. Shit, they'd all helped her and what had it gotten them? Wasted time and Forrest her bag back was what. How fucking good was that trade? She could tell you. It was shit. It was shit. It was shit because that's what she did to people. And it made sense when she thought about it like that and it didn't really change anything because deep down she had always kind of been aware of it.
But hey, no one else seemed to ever notice so who the fuck really cared right? Not her, that was for sure. But she still wanted to find Abe or Andy. One of the two. Maybe both. That would have been nice. So that was settled. As for the others? Well, Katie was already working on stomping away. Her work done and her neverending angry leading her to pastures new where surely nothing terrible would happen. The other two were still around but as her brain had been ticking over and slowly settling down and body stopping heaving so hard it hurt her chest she had come to realize they were just there. So using Katie as a distraction, Forrest to made her exit. Silently dissolving into her namesake.
((Forrest Quin continued in there are bullets in your paintings, if you want them))
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BlizzardeyeWonder
- Posts: 682
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm
- Location: The Zone™
Meilin was taken aback, seeing Katie's glare, enough that she stepped back a bit. It wasn't far enough for her to not get shoved further when Katie ran off. What did she do? Exist?
She was gone now.
Meilin blinked rapidly. It didn't make her tear-stained vision much better, but she still did it. Her shaky breathing began to stabilize, into deep breaths. Now was the time to focus. Focus, focus...
Wait, where was Forrest?
"Forrest?"
She looked around the trees, and saw a flash of rainbow hair between them. Seeing the Forrest for the trees? Good to know her brain could still come up with really dumb jokes even in a time like this. It was like a joke she'd tell Chen, which he'd call lame while trying to stifle a giggle.
But Forrest had gone off on her own, much like Katie did, except quieter- so it seemed. Why, though? Meilin didn't want to leave Forrest alone, not when she had her broken arm- well, maybe Forrest wouldn't appreciate the help but still, it wasn't good to go off on her own. Not like this. Even though Meilin realized she only actually liked maybe one third of the school, Forrest might have been in that one third. She couldn't really tell yet.
So she decided to run after her.
"Forrest, wait!" she called as she ran where she last saw Forrest, she thought.
Maybe she didn't want to be alone after all.
[Meilin Zhou continued Tonight's Star]
She was gone now.
Meilin blinked rapidly. It didn't make her tear-stained vision much better, but she still did it. Her shaky breathing began to stabilize, into deep breaths. Now was the time to focus. Focus, focus...
Wait, where was Forrest?
"Forrest?"
She looked around the trees, and saw a flash of rainbow hair between them. Seeing the Forrest for the trees? Good to know her brain could still come up with really dumb jokes even in a time like this. It was like a joke she'd tell Chen, which he'd call lame while trying to stifle a giggle.
But Forrest had gone off on her own, much like Katie did, except quieter- so it seemed. Why, though? Meilin didn't want to leave Forrest alone, not when she had her broken arm- well, maybe Forrest wouldn't appreciate the help but still, it wasn't good to go off on her own. Not like this. Even though Meilin realized she only actually liked maybe one third of the school, Forrest might have been in that one third. She couldn't really tell yet.
So she decided to run after her.
"Forrest, wait!" she called as she ran where she last saw Forrest, she thought.
Maybe she didn't want to be alone after all.
[Meilin Zhou continued Tonight's Star]
"No sun to rise would be okay with me... Everyday, every day is okay"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
"A voice in her head, a voice in her head, screaming all the words that were left unsaid"
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:17 am
When Katie pushed past him and left, Dane didn't say anything. He presumed that her emotions were getting the better of her, and so she wanted out.
That was fair. She did say she wasn't going to stick around for too long.
But Dane looked around afterwards and noticed that Forrest... also wasn't there.
That wasn't as fair. She hadn't even say anything as she left. He wouldn't have minded so much if she'd said anything like, "Okay, got my bag, I think we should see other people, bye!"
Well, he would have still minded, but a lot less.
Meilin wasn't going to be much better, it seemed, as she ran off as well, ostensibly to catch up to Forrest.
And so Dane found himself alone again.
Well... that wasn't great, but whatever. He supposed he shouldn't be too beat up about it, anyway. It wasn't going to last forever, in any case, and at least he got out of the break up relatively unscathed.
...He didn't enjoy being mercy to the whims of other people, though, that was for certain.
Dane sneered, before leaving as well.
((Dane Lennox continued in RICKETY_CARNIVAL.))
That was fair. She did say she wasn't going to stick around for too long.
But Dane looked around afterwards and noticed that Forrest... also wasn't there.
That wasn't as fair. She hadn't even say anything as she left. He wouldn't have minded so much if she'd said anything like, "Okay, got my bag, I think we should see other people, bye!"
Well, he would have still minded, but a lot less.
Meilin wasn't going to be much better, it seemed, as she ran off as well, ostensibly to catch up to Forrest.
And so Dane found himself alone again.
Well... that wasn't great, but whatever. He supposed he shouldn't be too beat up about it, anyway. It wasn't going to last forever, in any case, and at least he got out of the break up relatively unscathed.
...He didn't enjoy being mercy to the whims of other people, though, that was for certain.
Dane sneered, before leaving as well.
((Dane Lennox continued in RICKETY_CARNIVAL.))