This was too much. Al expected to be braver person, but a gun was too much. Mia announced her weapon, a gun. A gun that could kill people, could kill Al instantly.
Al decided that he did not want to die. Not now. The gun in a room is too creepy to him. Candice, Mia, Serena and him in a room? That was fine. That was extremely fine. It's as if they were in the cantina again. The four of them in a room with a gun, though? Keeping the gun? Using the gun? Too much. This was nothing Alessio wanted to be a part of. A staff or a key as a weapon was normal. Even something like a knife was the most normal thing for Al.
A gun always meant death.
He stared into the door. He just wanted to go away. Stay away from the people. Not engage in the scenario that happened in his head. The possibilities as to what could happen with Mia coming into the room with the gun. The scenarios were too many Al could handle, risk. None of them were good scenarios. He did not want to. He stood up, and silently walked out of the room with his staff and bag in his hand. He walked past Mia and Candice. He tried to avoid eye contact with the two girls and to ignore every word they would say.
There was no need to run. Running away would make Mia want to shoot him even more. As if he had anything to hide. But he had nothing to hide. He just calmly walked away. If he was shot, he would be shot. Just like when he woke up.
But he did not want to be shot.
Alessio stared at the floor of the corridor. He had the girls behind his back. They could shoot him. His heart raced. He did not look back.
Serena, Mia, Candice. Words could be ignored. He could just exit this and arrive in a much more comfortable scenario than this.
He really hoped he could exit this without being shot in the back. Ignore them.
Please, let me live.
Just go away.
((Alessio Rigano continued in 4'33"))
Go to a school trip they said, it will be fun they said
Private, apologies
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler RC. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
A gun? Just their luck, first person they meet and she could kill them both in an instant, Serena thought as she stepped away from Al while looking at the door. Sure she didn't sound like she was going to, but she wasn't going to get a chance, better safe than sorry.
Which made it more shocking when Al just walked out the room with his bag and weapon with nary a look or sound. Serena stood there staring at the door, she probably should have stopped him, but she was dumbfounded how Al who was so afraid earlier to the point of lying down and refusing to acknowledge anything would just walk out.
There was no sound of a gunshot and a thud, just the sound of Al's footsteps down the hall growing fainter and fainter. Serena grabbed her bag and ran out the room after him. The concern about the two girls out there was shunted to the side after Al left, he's going to get himself killed she thought as she ran down the hall where she hoped he'd gone.
"Al, wait!"
((Serena Waters continued in Thursday's Child))
Which made it more shocking when Al just walked out the room with his bag and weapon with nary a look or sound. Serena stood there staring at the door, she probably should have stopped him, but she was dumbfounded how Al who was so afraid earlier to the point of lying down and refusing to acknowledge anything would just walk out.
There was no sound of a gunshot and a thud, just the sound of Al's footsteps down the hall growing fainter and fainter. Serena grabbed her bag and ran out the room after him. The concern about the two girls out there was shunted to the side after Al left, he's going to get himself killed she thought as she ran down the hall where she hoped he'd gone.
"Al, wait!"
((Serena Waters continued in Thursday's Child))
(Adopted from Dannyrulx)
Mia waited patiently, huddled next to the door. Surely they had done enough for the people inside the room to accept them inside, right? They'd done everything they'd been asked, had stated their names and what they were carrying. Sure, maybe the gun might give them a bit more of a pause for thought, but c'mon. She was friends with Al, and she was sure that was enough for him to break through whatever was given him so much concern in there.
After a few more moments, she heard footsteps from inside the room, and her heart leapt. She stood up straight and turned to flash a grin at Candice, before waiting for the person to come out of the room. Hopefully it was Al and not the unknown girl; no disrespect to her at all, but Mia just wanted to see a friendly face right now. She bounced slightly on the balls of her feet as she waited.
And there he was. Al, walking towards them, a pole almost twice his height in one of his hands, such a bizarre sight that it only increased Mia's joyous grin. He looked slightly worse for wear; like something had shaken him drastically, which she couldn't blame him for in the slightest, considering their environment. She stepped forwards, prepared to pull her friend into a tight hug.
"Oh, man, Al, it is you! I've been worrying about you, y'know, and-"
Al walked straight past her, and both her voice and her grin faltered. She turned to look at him as he strode onwards down the hallway. Words began to form in her mouth and got stuck there, somehow unable to be forced out. Had Al simply not heard her? Maybe. Maybe he was concentrating on something else, completely zoned out from the world at large. Maybe something on the island had happened to damage his hearing.
That didn't explain why he'd walked straight past them like they weren't even there.
"Al? Hey, Al?"
A couple words managed to squeak out of Mia's mouth. If Al had heard them, he made no sign of having done so. He just kept on walking. Eventually he rounded the corner and disappeared from view. Part of Mia's brain urged her to start walking, put those years of running to good use, and to follow him. Her feet stayed rooted to the spot. Another set of footsteps thudded past, the other girl from the room running after Al, calling for him to wait. After a second, she too was gone.
The hand holding the gun hung limply by her side. For some reason it was shaking.
Slowly, her legs working independently from the rest of her body, she turned and walked into the room they'd been denied entry from until now. Maybe there was something in there that had spooked Al. Maybe he'd done something, something terrible, something that meant he didn't want to interact with anyone ever again.
There was a pungent, acrid smell in the air that was all too recognisable as vomit. There was an abandoned chess set next to one wall, pieces scattered everywhere, the aftermath of some violent battle. Aside from that, there was nothing. Nothing to show that anything had happened in here. Nothing to suggest there was any reason for Al to just... ignore her.
Mia stood in the centre of the room, staring at nothing in particular. For some reason, tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes.
After a few more moments, she heard footsteps from inside the room, and her heart leapt. She stood up straight and turned to flash a grin at Candice, before waiting for the person to come out of the room. Hopefully it was Al and not the unknown girl; no disrespect to her at all, but Mia just wanted to see a friendly face right now. She bounced slightly on the balls of her feet as she waited.
And there he was. Al, walking towards them, a pole almost twice his height in one of his hands, such a bizarre sight that it only increased Mia's joyous grin. He looked slightly worse for wear; like something had shaken him drastically, which she couldn't blame him for in the slightest, considering their environment. She stepped forwards, prepared to pull her friend into a tight hug.
"Oh, man, Al, it is you! I've been worrying about you, y'know, and-"
Al walked straight past her, and both her voice and her grin faltered. She turned to look at him as he strode onwards down the hallway. Words began to form in her mouth and got stuck there, somehow unable to be forced out. Had Al simply not heard her? Maybe. Maybe he was concentrating on something else, completely zoned out from the world at large. Maybe something on the island had happened to damage his hearing.
That didn't explain why he'd walked straight past them like they weren't even there.
"Al? Hey, Al?"
A couple words managed to squeak out of Mia's mouth. If Al had heard them, he made no sign of having done so. He just kept on walking. Eventually he rounded the corner and disappeared from view. Part of Mia's brain urged her to start walking, put those years of running to good use, and to follow him. Her feet stayed rooted to the spot. Another set of footsteps thudded past, the other girl from the room running after Al, calling for him to wait. After a second, she too was gone.
The hand holding the gun hung limply by her side. For some reason it was shaking.
Slowly, her legs working independently from the rest of her body, she turned and walked into the room they'd been denied entry from until now. Maybe there was something in there that had spooked Al. Maybe he'd done something, something terrible, something that meant he didn't want to interact with anyone ever again.
There was a pungent, acrid smell in the air that was all too recognisable as vomit. There was an abandoned chess set next to one wall, pieces scattered everywhere, the aftermath of some violent battle. Aside from that, there was nothing. Nothing to show that anything had happened in here. Nothing to suggest there was any reason for Al to just... ignore her.
Mia stood in the centre of the room, staring at nothing in particular. For some reason, tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"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
In the end, it seemed that the entire exercise had been, well...
Pointless. That was the word that Candice had been trying to avoid. They'd found somebody who could have been a potential ally, and that somebody had run right past them without so much as an acknowledgement.
It was just like it had been with that other girl earlier.
Mia had entered the now-empty room and was... looking around, maybe? Whatever she might be searching for, she didn't really seem to be that interested in finding it. Candice didn't really feel like going to the effort of checking out the room, herself.
"Do you want to go..."
...someplace else, Candice had been about to say, but she found herself trailing off. Go someplace else? To what end? Find another shitpile of a building on this island, find another classmate who runs off because they don't feel like being around you, lather-rinse-repeat until you've either run out of island to check out or somebody decides to say 'no' with a bullet to your head?
Candice wasn't one of those people who constantly worry about whether or not they're being productive with their time, not by a long stretch. She was of the opinion that wasting time could be pretty fun, even. But even so, she just couldn't see why they should bother reaching out to people.
Some fresh start this had turned out to be. Pointless, indeed.
Pointless. That was the word that Candice had been trying to avoid. They'd found somebody who could have been a potential ally, and that somebody had run right past them without so much as an acknowledgement.
It was just like it had been with that other girl earlier.
Mia had entered the now-empty room and was... looking around, maybe? Whatever she might be searching for, she didn't really seem to be that interested in finding it. Candice didn't really feel like going to the effort of checking out the room, herself.
"Do you want to go..."
...someplace else, Candice had been about to say, but she found herself trailing off. Go someplace else? To what end? Find another shitpile of a building on this island, find another classmate who runs off because they don't feel like being around you, lather-rinse-repeat until you've either run out of island to check out or somebody decides to say 'no' with a bullet to your head?
Candice wasn't one of those people who constantly worry about whether or not they're being productive with their time, not by a long stretch. She was of the opinion that wasting time could be pretty fun, even. But even so, she just couldn't see why they should bother reaching out to people.
Some fresh start this had turned out to be. Pointless, indeed.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Muninn. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Mia barely noticed Candice walking into the room behind her. For a moment, she had almost forgotten the other girl even existed, so fixated had she been on finding Al again and then... dealing with his reaction. Candice wasn't the most talkative person, but she'd still put her trust in Mia and followed her here, believing they'd find something or someone helpful. Someone, a total stranger, had put their trust in Mia, and she'd fucked it up. She'd spun Candice a lie that she herself didn't believe in, and promised her an ally that didn't exist.
She turned towards Candice, not quite looking at her. Occasionally her eyes flitted up to glance at the other girl, before they resumed their position of staring at the floor. She wanted to say something. She needed to say something. Some sort of an apology, an agreement maybe, just some sort of statement to let the other girl know she was still alive in here.
But nothing came out. There wasn't even anything in her head that she wanted to say. Her throat felt dry and her eyes felt wet. She looked up again and sniffled, hoping Candice didn't see the sparkles of tears on her face. Then she headed back out of the door again, walking the opposite direction to where Al and the other girl had gone. Momentarily, it crossed her mind that she was doing the same thing Al had done, walking away from her ally for whatever reason, but she couldn't bring herself to care right now.
She needed a little bit of time. She needed a little bit of space. She hoped that Candice would follow her, but if she didn't, then that was that. Maybe it was the best if she went her separate way. It wasn't as though anything good had come of their alliance so far.
Mia wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and trudged onwards, no knowing or caring where she was headed. So long as she could be safe to be alone with her thoughts for a while.
((Mia Rose continued in I've Swallowed Half An Hourglass))
She turned towards Candice, not quite looking at her. Occasionally her eyes flitted up to glance at the other girl, before they resumed their position of staring at the floor. She wanted to say something. She needed to say something. Some sort of an apology, an agreement maybe, just some sort of statement to let the other girl know she was still alive in here.
But nothing came out. There wasn't even anything in her head that she wanted to say. Her throat felt dry and her eyes felt wet. She looked up again and sniffled, hoping Candice didn't see the sparkles of tears on her face. Then she headed back out of the door again, walking the opposite direction to where Al and the other girl had gone. Momentarily, it crossed her mind that she was doing the same thing Al had done, walking away from her ally for whatever reason, but she couldn't bring herself to care right now.
She needed a little bit of time. She needed a little bit of space. She hoped that Candice would follow her, but if she didn't, then that was that. Maybe it was the best if she went her separate way. It wasn't as though anything good had come of their alliance so far.
Mia wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and trudged onwards, no knowing or caring where she was headed. So long as she could be safe to be alone with her thoughts for a while.
((Mia Rose continued in I've Swallowed Half An Hourglass))
"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
Just like that, Mia had walked away.
Try as she might, Candice just couldn't figure out what Mia's intentions were. Was she thinking "Let's try someplace else, follow me," or "Hurry up, maybe we can catch up with them if we go this way", or "There might be a good place to hide out in here, let's look around"...
"You're nothing but a waste of space, Al would have been more trusting if there weren't a stranger following along with me, don't let me ever catch you trying to tag along like you think you're actually useful..."
Then again, that was how it had been for pretty much the entire morning, wasn't it? It was all well and good for them to have carried on like there was some kind of bond forming between them back in the dorms, but that'd quickly ended. Sure, Mia had said a few things during their trek across the island that resembled an attempt at getting closer to each other, but then either Mia would stop talking or Candice would stop talking and the silence would come back in full force. She honestly doubted that there'd been enough conversation between the two of them to fill a passing period.
Really, is it any wonder that Mia wouldn't feel it necessary to come out and explicitely say that they were splitting up? Had they communicated even about practical matters like that, or had they just been awkwardly travelling in the same direction?
"I know Al. He's a sweet guy and absolutely wouldn't harm a fly. It'll be fine. You can trust me. Honest."
"Might as well just head this way and... see what's going on, right?"
...well, it wasn't much, but it was there. Really, once she thought about it Candice realized it was herself that had been the barrier here.
She was the one who just followed along without contributing in any way.
She was the one who let all the attempts at conversation die out.
Mia might not've been big on communicating her plans, but she was way ahead of Candice. Let's see, what else was there...
"It'll be all right."
...
It wasn't going to be possible to return to that sense of optimism they'd had while leaving the dormitories. Running into an acquantance, only for him to utterly reject even the possibility of an alliance... that was going to be a blow to morale that couldn't just be wiped away like that. It was a scene that should've been completely stacked in their favor, someone who should've been a shoe-in for an ally, and they'd blown it. But even so...
Even following that...
Candice was determined that she was not going to screw up with the ally that she already had.
((Candice Banks continued in "I've Swallowed Half an Hourglass"))
Try as she might, Candice just couldn't figure out what Mia's intentions were. Was she thinking "Let's try someplace else, follow me," or "Hurry up, maybe we can catch up with them if we go this way", or "There might be a good place to hide out in here, let's look around"...
"You're nothing but a waste of space, Al would have been more trusting if there weren't a stranger following along with me, don't let me ever catch you trying to tag along like you think you're actually useful..."
Then again, that was how it had been for pretty much the entire morning, wasn't it? It was all well and good for them to have carried on like there was some kind of bond forming between them back in the dorms, but that'd quickly ended. Sure, Mia had said a few things during their trek across the island that resembled an attempt at getting closer to each other, but then either Mia would stop talking or Candice would stop talking and the silence would come back in full force. She honestly doubted that there'd been enough conversation between the two of them to fill a passing period.
Really, is it any wonder that Mia wouldn't feel it necessary to come out and explicitely say that they were splitting up? Had they communicated even about practical matters like that, or had they just been awkwardly travelling in the same direction?
"I know Al. He's a sweet guy and absolutely wouldn't harm a fly. It'll be fine. You can trust me. Honest."
"Might as well just head this way and... see what's going on, right?"
...well, it wasn't much, but it was there. Really, once she thought about it Candice realized it was herself that had been the barrier here.
She was the one who just followed along without contributing in any way.
She was the one who let all the attempts at conversation die out.
Mia might not've been big on communicating her plans, but she was way ahead of Candice. Let's see, what else was there...
"It'll be all right."
...
It wasn't going to be possible to return to that sense of optimism they'd had while leaving the dormitories. Running into an acquantance, only for him to utterly reject even the possibility of an alliance... that was going to be a blow to morale that couldn't just be wiped away like that. It was a scene that should've been completely stacked in their favor, someone who should've been a shoe-in for an ally, and they'd blown it. But even so...
Even following that...
Candice was determined that she was not going to screw up with the ally that she already had.
((Candice Banks continued in "I've Swallowed Half an Hourglass"))
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Muninn. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.