((I have found a reliable way around traffic filtering at work, so let there be posts!))
The aspirin was finally starting to take effect. The pain in Jackie- Li's leg was finally beginning to numb. It was sore to stand on, and she hoped that the hissing noise that managed to make it's way from her mouth, through clenched teeth wouldn't be loud enough to give away her presence; at least not until she was ready to make her grand entrance. Thankfully something a lot louder decided to act like the moron it is, that Milo kid stared screaming and hemming and hawing, calling her "Jac-tard", as if that was some modicum of clever. Li rolled her eyes.That was just beyond ridiculous; and it was a pretty safe assumption that he actually had some kind of mental deficiency. That was one thing that both Jackie and Li would agree on, if the pair were to ever actually have a civil discussion. Stupidity was in-excusable. If a kid had an actual mental issue that prevented him from comprehending the world, then it was more of a pity. Jackie hated Aaron for his attitude and and incredible lack of adaptability. Well, she used to. Lie did. But Milo? Milo had to know by day 7 that yelling out for an assumed killer to "bring it on" was a bad idea... if he could comprehend that at all.
And as such, a mental tic-mark to leave poor Milo alone.
There were only a few trees between her and her mark, so she bore the pain that radiated through her body with each and every step that she took.
Owowowow...
Taking a deep breath, and doing her absolute best to imitate Jackie's normal voice, she began to speak.
"Hey. I have a question for you Aaron. How the hell did you end up being leader of this group?"
In fact, it was close to a perfect imitation. There was a slight variation in stress on certain parts of the word, but it was something that almost no one that wasn't close to her would notice. In fact, the only person who really even had a shot in the dark of noticing beyond Jackie's parents was Aaron. He had heard Jackie at her loudest and most argumentative a number of times. And that was exactly where Li was heading.
"You are the leader here, right? I mean, I can't imagine why anyone would follow you. Unless of course you were promising these poor people something."
Her eyes flashed back and forth from face to face. Aileen, Milo, and Claire. Each and every one of them was probably at the bes apprehensive of her presence. She had even heard Aaron label her as a killer.
"Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt anyone." Her hand slid down to the hacksaw which still dangled at her side, still glistening in the reflection of the sun that filtered through the dense forest canopy above them. The saw fell to the forest floor, bouncing off of a rock with a dull clang, as the hand went back to her side. "Not yet at least." She motioned to Aaron with her head. "You're way too fun to kill." Menacing and threatening. But at the same time, it should allay their fears that her only weapon lie on the ground. Perfect., keep control of the situation.
"The only reason I can gather that anyone would let you even lead them to the grocery store is because you're promising them something. I know you have a gun, but still, let's face it. You're Aaron. There's no way I'd follow you for a promise of safety. So, that leave me one logical thought. You're deluding these poor souls into thinking you can get them off the island. So is that it Aaron? Are you surrounding yourself with meatsheilds with promises of freedom?"
She cocked her brow. Even if he did have an escape plan, this would still make him absolutely tweak. Just like chess. Think two moves ahead, and Hughes lose his shit. She smiled.
"C'mon Aaron... Don't keep us waiting. What's the big idea?
He was just so much fun to fuck with.
Could Have Been Worse
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler T-Fox. 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.
Something stirred, something twitched, something snapped, and all of a sudden the sweet scared quiet girl on the edge of the group was mad.
What happens when Charlie DuClare gets mad? Well okay we know about this, we've seen this all before. Pictures flash by- shouting and kicking and pointing fingers with just a whole big helping of fury- and words pop up- they are mostly swear words- and it all goes according to some semblance of a plan. And maybe Charlie asks herself, after the fact, if she's really that predictable. But the question doesn't hold her attention long enough for her to hear the answer- yes just a bit- a few seconds later.
Charlie is not shouting right now. Talking a little quietly, if anything. Loud enough to be heard (she hopes, she hopes), but it looks like she's maybe trying something new. Good for her, so good for her.
"Hey, um, I don't know what your name is," this is Jackie, you see, who has not yet been named while Charlie was in earshot, "but I think I got a pretty good guess about why people are following Aaron. Um, if you don't mind hearing."
Charlie didn't particularly give her much time to object.
"So I come up here and... even though he's obviously in the middle of a situation right now, Aaron offers to help me out. Yeah? That's... not the usual on this island. Makes me think he's maybe, uh, good people."
"And then I see the kind of useless poisonous bitch that he has to deal with," okay sorry maybe a little bit of swear words, sorry, sorry, that part was not planned, "and I think maybe he's had a hard time on this island so far. And if he's dealing with whatever pathetic vendetta you have and he's still keepin' on, then... I dunno, guess that says good things about him too."
"And, uh, I know I'm probably sounding really... stupid, right now. Umm. Like I'm sucking up real bad or something. But it's okay. I don't think, even if I tried nonstop for a week, I could sound half as stupid as you did when you asked that question."
This is the part that felt a little scary, felt all of a sudden a little trembly. Words felt heavy, felt so damn heavy, so she lifted them up- put your back into it, up and at 'em!- and got them out. Because she was scared she was so scared and Lord knew if there was another way to make it go away.
"If you think people stick around each other just because they're promised a way off the island, you're a dumb piece of shit. Take it from someone who's already walked out on two escape plans."
And she swallowed.
And she sniffed.
And she spoke again.
"Yeah, that's... yeah. Aaron, look, I- well, first off, hi. I'm Charlie. Second off, well... I mean, I wasn't really the brains behind either plan, and I'm not even sure how well they worked, so I don't know how useful I can be. But... however I can help out, I will."
And she turned back to Jackie.
And she grinned.
"Except useless poisonous bitches don't get to hear. So if you wanna, uh, remove yourself. That'd be fantastic."
Okay. Okay. She'll admit it. That part was planned.
What happens when Charlie DuClare gets mad? Well okay we know about this, we've seen this all before. Pictures flash by- shouting and kicking and pointing fingers with just a whole big helping of fury- and words pop up- they are mostly swear words- and it all goes according to some semblance of a plan. And maybe Charlie asks herself, after the fact, if she's really that predictable. But the question doesn't hold her attention long enough for her to hear the answer- yes just a bit- a few seconds later.
Charlie is not shouting right now. Talking a little quietly, if anything. Loud enough to be heard (she hopes, she hopes), but it looks like she's maybe trying something new. Good for her, so good for her.
"Hey, um, I don't know what your name is," this is Jackie, you see, who has not yet been named while Charlie was in earshot, "but I think I got a pretty good guess about why people are following Aaron. Um, if you don't mind hearing."
Charlie didn't particularly give her much time to object.
"So I come up here and... even though he's obviously in the middle of a situation right now, Aaron offers to help me out. Yeah? That's... not the usual on this island. Makes me think he's maybe, uh, good people."
"And then I see the kind of useless poisonous bitch that he has to deal with," okay sorry maybe a little bit of swear words, sorry, sorry, that part was not planned, "and I think maybe he's had a hard time on this island so far. And if he's dealing with whatever pathetic vendetta you have and he's still keepin' on, then... I dunno, guess that says good things about him too."
"And, uh, I know I'm probably sounding really... stupid, right now. Umm. Like I'm sucking up real bad or something. But it's okay. I don't think, even if I tried nonstop for a week, I could sound half as stupid as you did when you asked that question."
This is the part that felt a little scary, felt all of a sudden a little trembly. Words felt heavy, felt so damn heavy, so she lifted them up- put your back into it, up and at 'em!- and got them out. Because she was scared she was so scared and Lord knew if there was another way to make it go away.
"If you think people stick around each other just because they're promised a way off the island, you're a dumb piece of shit. Take it from someone who's already walked out on two escape plans."
And she swallowed.
And she sniffed.
And she spoke again.
"Yeah, that's... yeah. Aaron, look, I- well, first off, hi. I'm Charlie. Second off, well... I mean, I wasn't really the brains behind either plan, and I'm not even sure how well they worked, so I don't know how useful I can be. But... however I can help out, I will."
And she turned back to Jackie.
And she grinned.
"Except useless poisonous bitches don't get to hear. So if you wanna, uh, remove yourself. That'd be fantastic."
Okay. Okay. She'll admit it. That part was planned.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Jonny. 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.
((Inactivity warding time again!))
((EDIT: Also, Jonny is a speedy ninja. D: ))
As Aileen continued burying her face in her hand, she could hear Aaron saying not to look for the other people at the gazebo, since they had the choice to come with and didn't. Well, true. Then again, Aaron was the one running ahead of the group in a way that could easily get people lost. Heck, she was fortunate she was able to catch up with him for this long. But yes, find Bounce.
But before she could raise this point to him, Aaron called out in that tone of voice again. She knew the one; someone is nearby, they're not threatening looking, maybe they could help us. She understood that tone of voice by now. At least she could figure out some of what Aaron had going on in his mind.
But, the problem was, who knew what Milo had attracted? He couid have invited all sorts of people over for tea. Reika's sister, Lombardi, Hartmann, Jacquard herself, Rob...
And then Aileen finally looked up. DuClare.
.... Okay, so that wasn't as bad as some of the other options, admittedly. But. DuClare was... well, she was DuClare, and lord knows what she was up to. Sure, Aileen doubted that she would start playing and she didn't hear her name on the Announcements that she could remember. But Aileen had a basic idea of what she was like in the past.
Aaron had said that things were "a little" stressful right now. "A little"? Try "a lot". Seriously, Mil-ron had just hollered out to one of the killers about how he was going to molest them with a rake, and had already let on person on to their presence? What if he had invited one of the major killers out there, or worse, an entire group of them working together? Obviously, that wasn't good. Heck, they already had enough of a problem with a potential wildcard like DuClare. They didn't need five psychos bursting in on them.
And then Aaron asked for her help calming things down. But before Aileen could add her own thoughts, some else did.
And as she turned her head to see who it came from, her fears were confirmed. And right at that moment, she knew that they were pretty much fucked.
Yup, Jacquard had heard that and was now trying to talk to them. Oh joy.
Heck, the girl even flat-out admitted that she found it fun to kill them! Sure, she said that she wasn't going to kill them just yet had made it a point to add a "yet" in that sentence. Okay? Aileen whipped her head towards Milo, glaring at him, and turned back to Jacquard. She... was clearly trying to get on Aaron's nerves, saying that it's a wonder that anyone would trust him to help them escape.
So that was the tactic she was trying then? Get Aaron annoyed enough to do something irrational, and then pick off the group one by one? Damn.
Aileen looked back at DuClare. Did she know Jacquard was there? Was she working with her? Was she...
And then the filter she had been trying to maintain completely broke after too many hits to it in the past few minutes.
"Hey jackass..." she started in a quiet voice, looking at Jacquard. "I have a question for you. How the hell did you end up a psycho killer? I bet you yourself would have to hack off five different heads before you even made it to the grocery store."
Aileen's face contorted into something that looked unpleasant and frustrated, to say the least. And to be honest, she was kind of scared. But most importantly of all, she was pretty much angry again. God damn, and they had gone this long without seeing any confirmed killers beyond Aaron and Tom running into Reid.
"Guys..." she whispered to the other two members of her groups. "If she does anything stupid... run. Just run."
And turning back, she asked Jacquard "Okay? What is it you want, then?"
And all this time, her hand was reaching for the hammer, her fingers touching the handle.
But DuClare... DuClare had started to ramble a little bit. Right, then. Wait, she was better at this whole "yell at the killers" thing than she was. Damn. And wait....
DuClare... knew about other escape plans....?
Aileen tried to listen in. Seriously, she knew other people who were planning to escape? This was big news, right here. Heck, she could even know Polanski. This... this was big. Heck, she could turn out to be useful after all. Holy crap, fuck yes. She could lead them right over and... and...
Holy man, this was big. So basically, good and bad news. Jacquard and most likely others had heard them. But they knew for certain people were also planning things.
Now they just needed Jacquard to get out and then....? Business.
((EDIT: Also, Jonny is a speedy ninja. D: ))
As Aileen continued burying her face in her hand, she could hear Aaron saying not to look for the other people at the gazebo, since they had the choice to come with and didn't. Well, true. Then again, Aaron was the one running ahead of the group in a way that could easily get people lost. Heck, she was fortunate she was able to catch up with him for this long. But yes, find Bounce.
But before she could raise this point to him, Aaron called out in that tone of voice again. She knew the one; someone is nearby, they're not threatening looking, maybe they could help us. She understood that tone of voice by now. At least she could figure out some of what Aaron had going on in his mind.
But, the problem was, who knew what Milo had attracted? He couid have invited all sorts of people over for tea. Reika's sister, Lombardi, Hartmann, Jacquard herself, Rob...
And then Aileen finally looked up. DuClare.
.... Okay, so that wasn't as bad as some of the other options, admittedly. But. DuClare was... well, she was DuClare, and lord knows what she was up to. Sure, Aileen doubted that she would start playing and she didn't hear her name on the Announcements that she could remember. But Aileen had a basic idea of what she was like in the past.
Aaron had said that things were "a little" stressful right now. "A little"? Try "a lot". Seriously, Mil-ron had just hollered out to one of the killers about how he was going to molest them with a rake, and had already let on person on to their presence? What if he had invited one of the major killers out there, or worse, an entire group of them working together? Obviously, that wasn't good. Heck, they already had enough of a problem with a potential wildcard like DuClare. They didn't need five psychos bursting in on them.
And then Aaron asked for her help calming things down. But before Aileen could add her own thoughts, some else did.
And as she turned her head to see who it came from, her fears were confirmed. And right at that moment, she knew that they were pretty much fucked.
Yup, Jacquard had heard that and was now trying to talk to them. Oh joy.
Heck, the girl even flat-out admitted that she found it fun to kill them! Sure, she said that she wasn't going to kill them just yet had made it a point to add a "yet" in that sentence. Okay? Aileen whipped her head towards Milo, glaring at him, and turned back to Jacquard. She... was clearly trying to get on Aaron's nerves, saying that it's a wonder that anyone would trust him to help them escape.
So that was the tactic she was trying then? Get Aaron annoyed enough to do something irrational, and then pick off the group one by one? Damn.
Aileen looked back at DuClare. Did she know Jacquard was there? Was she working with her? Was she...
And then the filter she had been trying to maintain completely broke after too many hits to it in the past few minutes.
"Hey jackass..." she started in a quiet voice, looking at Jacquard. "I have a question for you. How the hell did you end up a psycho killer? I bet you yourself would have to hack off five different heads before you even made it to the grocery store."
Aileen's face contorted into something that looked unpleasant and frustrated, to say the least. And to be honest, she was kind of scared. But most importantly of all, she was pretty much angry again. God damn, and they had gone this long without seeing any confirmed killers beyond Aaron and Tom running into Reid.
"Guys..." she whispered to the other two members of her groups. "If she does anything stupid... run. Just run."
And turning back, she asked Jacquard "Okay? What is it you want, then?"
And all this time, her hand was reaching for the hammer, her fingers touching the handle.
But DuClare... DuClare had started to ramble a little bit. Right, then. Wait, she was better at this whole "yell at the killers" thing than she was. Damn. And wait....
DuClare... knew about other escape plans....?
Aileen tried to listen in. Seriously, she knew other people who were planning to escape? This was big news, right here. Heck, she could even know Polanski. This... this was big. Heck, she could turn out to be useful after all. Holy crap, fuck yes. She could lead them right over and... and...
Holy man, this was big. So basically, good and bad news. Jacquard and most likely others had heard them. But they knew for certain people were also planning things.
Now they just needed Jacquard to get out and then....? Business.
((Oh shit!))
Apparently Milo's tactic had worked. He had attracted Jac-tard and thus, proven himself to not be a Ron.
The problem with this was, Jac-tard was paying absolutely no attention to him. Instead, Wilhelmina was asking something about why Jac-tard became a psycho killer or whatnot, which Milo paid no mind.
What Milo decided to focus on instead was the leader of the group. He'd said something about the gazebo being a good place to look, which resonated in Milo's mind as a good idea. He turned to Aaron.
"So, are we gonna head to that gazebo place or whatever? We need to go look for other people there or some clownshoes shit like that, don't we?" he asked his fearless leader.
Milo got a distinct feeling in the back of his mind that very soon he was going to be thrown out on his ass by his new teammates. He couldn't exactly say why, like usual, but it was there.
Apparently Milo's tactic had worked. He had attracted Jac-tard and thus, proven himself to not be a Ron.
The problem with this was, Jac-tard was paying absolutely no attention to him. Instead, Wilhelmina was asking something about why Jac-tard became a psycho killer or whatnot, which Milo paid no mind.
What Milo decided to focus on instead was the leader of the group. He'd said something about the gazebo being a good place to look, which resonated in Milo's mind as a good idea. He turned to Aaron.
"So, are we gonna head to that gazebo place or whatever? We need to go look for other people there or some clownshoes shit like that, don't we?" he asked his fearless leader.
Milo got a distinct feeling in the back of his mind that very soon he was going to be thrown out on his ass by his new teammates. He couldn't exactly say why, like usual, but it was there.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Sean. 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.
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
Under any other circumstances, Aaron would have completely lost it to Jacquard's barbs. He was smart and self-aware enough to realize he was being goaded, but armed and angry enough not to care. Normally, he'd have screamed her down, threatened her, made her eat her words. Maybe even popped her. If he was going to be announced a killer, it might as well be for taking out two second-rate murderers instead of just one. Or, better than that... oh yes. Yes, that would be perfect. But he spent a half second too long planning, and someone else stepped up to the plate, and for once, Aaron didn't mind a bit.
Aileen laid into Jacquard. Just let her have it. Milo said something, but it didn't matter, so Aaron ignored it. Then, icing on the cake, the new girl started in on Jacquard too. It was everything he'd hoped for back at school, everything that had been building for so long, all the poetic justice the crippled girl so richly deserved. Under any other circumstances, Aaron would have melted down. Now, though, he felt energized, felt like he had a bit of a buzz going. He wasn't going to shout. He wasn't going to be goaded again. He was going to win.
"Stalemate, Jaquard. Maybe next time one of us will prove something."
Words from school. Words from the past. A silly saying, a witty comeback to a string of biting remarks. Now, in retrospect, prophetic.
And so, he spoke. He spoke evenly, confident that no one would interrupt him, ready to blow them off completely if they did. No one else had a gun. No one else was close enough to do anything to him before he could react. The stage was all his.
"Yeah, Jacquard, sounds like you've got my number alright. I'm the leader. And yeah, I've offered to get them out of here. Will we succeed? I don't know. I think we will. I think we'll come out of this one ahead, pull one over on Danya.
"But hey, what if you're right? What if I'm just deluding these people? Say I'm just keeping them around me for kicks or something, keeping them safe to feed my own ego. I mean, clearly I couldn't possibly be doing this because it's the right thing, could I? Clearly I couldn't have good intentions. Clearly I couldn't be trying my damnedest to keep everyone alive and safe from psychopaths and killers like you. Yeah, keeping a group alive since day one, keeping them safe even as people abandon us and die like dogs, keeping them safe even as we're ambushed, even as one of our own sacrifices himself to allow us to escape, to allow us to take a shot at the guy who put us here, that's all clearly immoral and wrong. Better to look to you for an example. Better to go butcher some girl, right? Surely there's nothing wrong with that.
"Let's talk about that girl you killed, Jacquard. Let's talk about how you got her. You can't run too fast, so it had to be a sneak attack. You have no ranged weapon, so you must've got in close. Did you lie to her, Jacquard? Did you maybe try to cash in on what smarts you have, offer her a way out like you say I'm doing? Is that where this theory comes from? Or did you not even give her that chance? Did you slit her throat in her sleep?
"See, Jacquard, there's one little thing you didn't quite take into consideration here, and that's that you're a killer trying to frame as a bad guy someone who's pulled his friends out of the fire more times that you can probably count. And, more than that, you're forgetting that this guy, he happens to be armed. Some people assume there isn't any law here, Jacquard. They probably think the only rules left are the ones we make. Me, though? Along with escaping, I'm trying to bring a spot of civility to this mess. And the way I see it, right now, you're a criminal and I'm the closest damn thing to a cop we've got left. So you wanna debate? By all means stick around, but we're not going to be playing election, we're not going to be playing like we're two politicians trying to slander each other's character.
"We're going to be playing court, because you're a murderer, and I have a gun. We're going to be finding out exactly what went on, in painstaking detail, and then we're going to see that justice is served.
"Alternately, you could fuck off and we'll pretend you never caught up with us again. Sound fair?"
Aaron hoped it sounded intimidating. He hoped it would make her consider things. He hoped she'd really understand just how badly she'd messed up, hoped she'd fume, hoped she'd see that finally, finally things were right again, finally she'd been undone, finally all that she'd built, all that influence she'd exerted over him back at the gazebo on campus, had been turned right back around and rammed down her throat.
But, more than anything else, Aaron hoped Jacquard decided to see if he was bluffing or not.
He flexed his fingers, ready to go for the gun if she tried anything.
Aileen laid into Jacquard. Just let her have it. Milo said something, but it didn't matter, so Aaron ignored it. Then, icing on the cake, the new girl started in on Jacquard too. It was everything he'd hoped for back at school, everything that had been building for so long, all the poetic justice the crippled girl so richly deserved. Under any other circumstances, Aaron would have melted down. Now, though, he felt energized, felt like he had a bit of a buzz going. He wasn't going to shout. He wasn't going to be goaded again. He was going to win.
"Stalemate, Jaquard. Maybe next time one of us will prove something."
Words from school. Words from the past. A silly saying, a witty comeback to a string of biting remarks. Now, in retrospect, prophetic.
And so, he spoke. He spoke evenly, confident that no one would interrupt him, ready to blow them off completely if they did. No one else had a gun. No one else was close enough to do anything to him before he could react. The stage was all his.
"Yeah, Jacquard, sounds like you've got my number alright. I'm the leader. And yeah, I've offered to get them out of here. Will we succeed? I don't know. I think we will. I think we'll come out of this one ahead, pull one over on Danya.
"But hey, what if you're right? What if I'm just deluding these people? Say I'm just keeping them around me for kicks or something, keeping them safe to feed my own ego. I mean, clearly I couldn't possibly be doing this because it's the right thing, could I? Clearly I couldn't have good intentions. Clearly I couldn't be trying my damnedest to keep everyone alive and safe from psychopaths and killers like you. Yeah, keeping a group alive since day one, keeping them safe even as people abandon us and die like dogs, keeping them safe even as we're ambushed, even as one of our own sacrifices himself to allow us to escape, to allow us to take a shot at the guy who put us here, that's all clearly immoral and wrong. Better to look to you for an example. Better to go butcher some girl, right? Surely there's nothing wrong with that.
"Let's talk about that girl you killed, Jacquard. Let's talk about how you got her. You can't run too fast, so it had to be a sneak attack. You have no ranged weapon, so you must've got in close. Did you lie to her, Jacquard? Did you maybe try to cash in on what smarts you have, offer her a way out like you say I'm doing? Is that where this theory comes from? Or did you not even give her that chance? Did you slit her throat in her sleep?
"See, Jacquard, there's one little thing you didn't quite take into consideration here, and that's that you're a killer trying to frame as a bad guy someone who's pulled his friends out of the fire more times that you can probably count. And, more than that, you're forgetting that this guy, he happens to be armed. Some people assume there isn't any law here, Jacquard. They probably think the only rules left are the ones we make. Me, though? Along with escaping, I'm trying to bring a spot of civility to this mess. And the way I see it, right now, you're a criminal and I'm the closest damn thing to a cop we've got left. So you wanna debate? By all means stick around, but we're not going to be playing election, we're not going to be playing like we're two politicians trying to slander each other's character.
"We're going to be playing court, because you're a murderer, and I have a gun. We're going to be finding out exactly what went on, in painstaking detail, and then we're going to see that justice is served.
"Alternately, you could fuck off and we'll pretend you never caught up with us again. Sound fair?"
Aaron hoped it sounded intimidating. He hoped it would make her consider things. He hoped she'd really understand just how badly she'd messed up, hoped she'd fume, hoped she'd see that finally, finally things were right again, finally she'd been undone, finally all that she'd built, all that influence she'd exerted over him back at the gazebo on campus, had been turned right back around and rammed down her throat.
But, more than anything else, Aaron hoped Jacquard decided to see if he was bluffing or not.
He flexed his fingers, ready to go for the gun if she tried anything.
Well... Shit. Li hadn't even comprehending the idea that Aaron would be able to adapt to her presence, her attack. He always did thing so according to plan... He always lost his shit when the plan went wrong. He couldn't have planned for his old rival, and one of the killers on the island to show up. Unfortunately, the conclusion as to why he was able to deal with it so well was so painfully obvious. His female partner there. Milo wasn't helping him in any way but a meat shield. But Aileen. She was quick on her feet. She was giving Aaron ideas.
But there was still one fatal flaw in his argument; one that no one else seemed to notice yet. It was one that she was definitely going to exploit though.
---
Everything seemed to be... Floating. The mindscape was absolutely beautiful. It was comfortable, and she was finding slowly that the laws of physics didn't actually seem to apply. There was a small pool in the middle of the landscape that she actually dared to venture to. Cassarrah had told her to dive. She did. It went on for ever. She could feel the water on her skin, her hair floating all around her. But when she finally needed to breathe, she was too far down to get back to the surface in time. But she didn't drown. In fact, she could breathe under here.
It had felt like hours upon hours had passed.
She finally emerged, shaking the water droplets from her hair, watching as they bounced off of the grassy field nearby. This was euphoric.
And suddenly, as she emerged, a voice reached her ears. It was... Her own. "C'mon Aaron... Don't keep us waiting. What's the big idea?"
"W-Wha?"
This wasn't good. This couldn't be good. This couldn't be good at /all/. If Li was the remnants of her old self... Sans what little religious and suicidal bits that she had... And also sans her kindness...
Realization hit her. She quickly understood exactly what it was that Li was trying to do. With a massive, hobbling limp she staggered her way back towards that little black wall off in the distance. She had to wrest control from that bitch before she fucked things up for not only herself, but for Cassarah, Nekane, and well... for her.
She just knew though that the unbearable pain flowing through her leg would make it impossible to get there before any real damage had been done.
---
Li just waited and listened. Listened and let Aaron finish his tirade. He could argue until he was red in the face if he wanted to. There was one key thing that she knew she could hit on, and she absolutely knew it would break Aaron.
"You know... I was there when you ran." She made a point to avoid the sticky questions. If she executed this right, he wouldn't even remember he had asked them in about... Five minutes.
"You're condemning me as a murderer? You're putting yourself up on a pedestal, saying you have a moral high ground? Let's see, where in God's name did this come from? I watched you run Aaron. You shot at Rob. I don't know if you killed him, and I won't know until tomorrow morning. But you shot him. And you left everyone else for dead. The way you fled... You didn't care at the time who managed to keep up. And didn't I count more than just these two there? Wasn't there some little black haired girl with you when I found you the first time? What happened to her, hm? Don't you care?"
The look on her face was something beyond even smug. She knew she had just won. Because it was absolutely obvious, Aaron didn't care. She was just going to bring Milo and Aileen's attention to it. Even if he did have an escape plan, the way he was looking, it had to be for himself. She would turn Aileen away from him. Milo didn't seem smart enough to understand the implications of that. But honestly, even failing that it would cause a little distrust in the group.
Frankly? In Li's mind, Aaron deserved it.
But there was still one fatal flaw in his argument; one that no one else seemed to notice yet. It was one that she was definitely going to exploit though.
---
Everything seemed to be... Floating. The mindscape was absolutely beautiful. It was comfortable, and she was finding slowly that the laws of physics didn't actually seem to apply. There was a small pool in the middle of the landscape that she actually dared to venture to. Cassarrah had told her to dive. She did. It went on for ever. She could feel the water on her skin, her hair floating all around her. But when she finally needed to breathe, she was too far down to get back to the surface in time. But she didn't drown. In fact, she could breathe under here.
It had felt like hours upon hours had passed.
She finally emerged, shaking the water droplets from her hair, watching as they bounced off of the grassy field nearby. This was euphoric.
And suddenly, as she emerged, a voice reached her ears. It was... Her own. "C'mon Aaron... Don't keep us waiting. What's the big idea?"
"W-Wha?"
This wasn't good. This couldn't be good. This couldn't be good at /all/. If Li was the remnants of her old self... Sans what little religious and suicidal bits that she had... And also sans her kindness...
Realization hit her. She quickly understood exactly what it was that Li was trying to do. With a massive, hobbling limp she staggered her way back towards that little black wall off in the distance. She had to wrest control from that bitch before she fucked things up for not only herself, but for Cassarah, Nekane, and well... for her.
She just knew though that the unbearable pain flowing through her leg would make it impossible to get there before any real damage had been done.
---
Li just waited and listened. Listened and let Aaron finish his tirade. He could argue until he was red in the face if he wanted to. There was one key thing that she knew she could hit on, and she absolutely knew it would break Aaron.
"You know... I was there when you ran." She made a point to avoid the sticky questions. If she executed this right, he wouldn't even remember he had asked them in about... Five minutes.
"You're condemning me as a murderer? You're putting yourself up on a pedestal, saying you have a moral high ground? Let's see, where in God's name did this come from? I watched you run Aaron. You shot at Rob. I don't know if you killed him, and I won't know until tomorrow morning. But you shot him. And you left everyone else for dead. The way you fled... You didn't care at the time who managed to keep up. And didn't I count more than just these two there? Wasn't there some little black haired girl with you when I found you the first time? What happened to her, hm? Don't you care?"
The look on her face was something beyond even smug. She knew she had just won. Because it was absolutely obvious, Aaron didn't care. She was just going to bring Milo and Aileen's attention to it. Even if he did have an escape plan, the way he was looking, it had to be for himself. She would turn Aileen away from him. Milo didn't seem smart enough to understand the implications of that. But honestly, even failing that it would cause a little distrust in the group.
Frankly? In Li's mind, Aaron deserved it.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler T-Fox. 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.
((Hey, guess what? IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN. That's right, avoiding inactivity! : D))
Well, it looked like everyone hated Jacquard.
The only one who didn't snark or yell at her in some way was Milo, who, as always, had absolutely no clue. Instead, he simply asked if they could look for people at the gazebo, despite what Aaron had said. It was as if he shut his brain off whenever someone made little noises called "words" at him.
Aaron, however, went on some big speech about how Jacquard had probably sneaked up on her victim and killed her, and how he was the one with the gun. He was acting like he was the Big Sheriff Chief In Charge of Murderland or something. Only law here, huh? And he basically yelled at her saying that he was protecting people, unlike someone they knew.
Heck, even though she still didn't trust DuClare, they just needed Jacquard to run off and they can continue with business.
But Jacquard... oh boy... Jacquard...
Well, she was firing back. Of course she would fire back. It wasn't a good thing.
She pointed out essentially what Aileen had been yelling about minutes ago. He had shot someone and left Lily behind. Not only that, but she was sneering about it, acting like he had simply lost.
What if she knew what happened to Lily?
What if her suspicions were confirmed and Rob and Jacquard did something to her and Richard?
What if Lily and Richard were gone?
What if...
Oh hell, that just wasn't allowed. She probably did something to them, and then was using it to goad them on. Not good. She was gloating about something might have happened to Lily, and how he had ran off.
What. The Flipping. FUCK?!
Without warning, Aileen grabbed the hammer and stood up, seething and gritting her teeth.
"... Get out. Get out. Go away. Fuck off, and never return. Now. I mean it!" she screeched.
God damn, she probably did something to Lily, and then danced on over here to gloat about it and to use it to bait Aaron on. Fucking bitch! Aileen wanted nothing more than to smash that hammer straight into her face as of that moment. Of course, a shred of conscience was still there, but she was quickly getting angry. Jacquard could go fuck herself, for all she cared.
Well, it looked like everyone hated Jacquard.
The only one who didn't snark or yell at her in some way was Milo, who, as always, had absolutely no clue. Instead, he simply asked if they could look for people at the gazebo, despite what Aaron had said. It was as if he shut his brain off whenever someone made little noises called "words" at him.
Aaron, however, went on some big speech about how Jacquard had probably sneaked up on her victim and killed her, and how he was the one with the gun. He was acting like he was the Big Sheriff Chief In Charge of Murderland or something. Only law here, huh? And he basically yelled at her saying that he was protecting people, unlike someone they knew.
Heck, even though she still didn't trust DuClare, they just needed Jacquard to run off and they can continue with business.
But Jacquard... oh boy... Jacquard...
Well, she was firing back. Of course she would fire back. It wasn't a good thing.
She pointed out essentially what Aileen had been yelling about minutes ago. He had shot someone and left Lily behind. Not only that, but she was sneering about it, acting like he had simply lost.
What if she knew what happened to Lily?
What if her suspicions were confirmed and Rob and Jacquard did something to her and Richard?
What if Lily and Richard were gone?
What if...
Oh hell, that just wasn't allowed. She probably did something to them, and then was using it to goad them on. Not good. She was gloating about something might have happened to Lily, and how he had ran off.
What. The Flipping. FUCK?!
Without warning, Aileen grabbed the hammer and stood up, seething and gritting her teeth.
"... Get out. Get out. Go away. Fuck off, and never return. Now. I mean it!" she screeched.
God damn, she probably did something to Lily, and then danced on over here to gloat about it and to use it to bait Aaron on. Fucking bitch! Aileen wanted nothing more than to smash that hammer straight into her face as of that moment. Of course, a shred of conscience was still there, but she was quickly getting angry. Jacquard could go fuck herself, for all she cared.
So many words, back and forth and back and forth, so many words said and none of them said to her. And so she started to feel smaller, and smaller, until she was hardly there at all. This was a mistake. This had been a huge, huge mistake.
This wasn't how it went at all. Open arms, open hearts, tell a joke and crack a smile and Charlie's part of the group now. She belongs now. And if that weren't enough, she can help them. She can tell them some things that, if someone with a fully working brain hears them, might get them off the island. Isn't that worth something? That's got to be worth something. Something. Anything.
It wasn't worth shit. Aaron and Jacquard were just going back and forth about... about... well, honesty time. Charlie had barely heard a word the two of them were saying. Because it didn't matter, it didn't matter, whatever fucking stupid pissing contest this was didn't matter. And it sure as fuck didn't matter enough to distract the rest of the group enough that they weren't even fucking noticing Charlie.
She waved her hands a little.
Nobody was looking.
And who could blame them? Charlie wasn't part of the group. She was... someone else. Someone scared, someone desperate, someone altogether trying a little too hard. She was too little, too late, too far removed from these people and their group. Should've tried a little earlier, Charlie. Should've tried a few days ago.
Or better yet, should've stuck with the group you had.
Remember those guys? They were good. They were good. They were a solid group, and they looked out for each other, and they were doing good things. And you had to run. You had to abandon them. Because you didn't trust them to stay quiet, or something. After several hours of them staying quiet. You still ran. You still ran and you never came back.
And it was hard, right now, to decide which was scarier to ask. Was it Could I find them again?, or was it Would they take me back even if I did? It hurt to ask, and it hurt even more to answer, but it was all she could think of right now. All she could think of as long as she was in this fucking place. With these fucking people.
Them and their ways. Them and their problems. Their problems. Not hers.
So maybe she ought to just fuck off. Try again somewhere else, with someone else, keep trying till she succeeded. Or maybe just.... stop. Maybe take this as a lesson. Spend her last days as a recluse. Yeah, maybe... maybe that wouldn't be so bad. If this was the alternative. Banging against locked doors in a howling tempest... it sucked. There was no poetic way to say that last part. It sucked.
So let it out, Charlie.
"Oh, fucking... just stop. Whatever this bullshit it is, I don't care, just... fucking drop it. All of you."
And she looked behind her. And she sighed.
"Look, maybe I should just go. And you guys can... work all this out. I've obviously stumbled on... something. So."
And she took a few steps back.
But she was going pretty slowly. Why was that?
((Charlotte DuClare continued in No Such Thing as a Perfect Plan))
This wasn't how it went at all. Open arms, open hearts, tell a joke and crack a smile and Charlie's part of the group now. She belongs now. And if that weren't enough, she can help them. She can tell them some things that, if someone with a fully working brain hears them, might get them off the island. Isn't that worth something? That's got to be worth something. Something. Anything.
It wasn't worth shit. Aaron and Jacquard were just going back and forth about... about... well, honesty time. Charlie had barely heard a word the two of them were saying. Because it didn't matter, it didn't matter, whatever fucking stupid pissing contest this was didn't matter. And it sure as fuck didn't matter enough to distract the rest of the group enough that they weren't even fucking noticing Charlie.
She waved her hands a little.
Nobody was looking.
And who could blame them? Charlie wasn't part of the group. She was... someone else. Someone scared, someone desperate, someone altogether trying a little too hard. She was too little, too late, too far removed from these people and their group. Should've tried a little earlier, Charlie. Should've tried a few days ago.
Or better yet, should've stuck with the group you had.
Remember those guys? They were good. They were good. They were a solid group, and they looked out for each other, and they were doing good things. And you had to run. You had to abandon them. Because you didn't trust them to stay quiet, or something. After several hours of them staying quiet. You still ran. You still ran and you never came back.
And it was hard, right now, to decide which was scarier to ask. Was it Could I find them again?, or was it Would they take me back even if I did? It hurt to ask, and it hurt even more to answer, but it was all she could think of right now. All she could think of as long as she was in this fucking place. With these fucking people.
Them and their ways. Them and their problems. Their problems. Not hers.
So maybe she ought to just fuck off. Try again somewhere else, with someone else, keep trying till she succeeded. Or maybe just.... stop. Maybe take this as a lesson. Spend her last days as a recluse. Yeah, maybe... maybe that wouldn't be so bad. If this was the alternative. Banging against locked doors in a howling tempest... it sucked. There was no poetic way to say that last part. It sucked.
So let it out, Charlie.
"Oh, fucking... just stop. Whatever this bullshit it is, I don't care, just... fucking drop it. All of you."
And she looked behind her. And she sighed.
"Look, maybe I should just go. And you guys can... work all this out. I've obviously stumbled on... something. So."
And she took a few steps back.
But she was going pretty slowly. Why was that?
((Charlotte DuClare continued in No Such Thing as a Perfect Plan))
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Jonny. 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.
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 2566
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:37 am
((We are so far behind the timeline it's not even funny. I'm gonna get Aaron clear here, then PM everyone to figure out how we're going to timeskip back to near the present))
Jacquard was going on. Talking about how Aaron wasn't better than her. Talking about how he ran, how he shot at Rob, how that was clearly some terrible crime against humanity, despite the fact that Rob was a murderer. She got under his skin. Always had. His body temperature was rising. She was talking about how he didn't care about the others. That was untrue. Of course he cared. If he didn't care, he'd be nothing but another player, trying to lie and scramble his way to the top of the heap. That wasn't it, though. They had a plan. If sacrifices had to be made to carry it out, then sacrifices had to be made. Jacquard wouldn't understand that. She was a simple creature, unable to see the world beyond spite and instant gain, unable to understand hard calls.
Aaron opened his mouth, about to fire back, but instead he took a deep breath. In that time, Aileen stepped in, screaming. She did exactly what Aaron wanted to do. He closed his mouth. His lips curved into a smile. Retribution by proxy. He could get used to this.
Then, Charlie got started, telling them to calm down, saying maybe she should go. No. No way. She wasn't leaving now. Not if she had information. Jacquard could go die in a hole. She probably would. Aaron was going to get out of here. He knew just how to handle things.
He took a deep breath. Forced himself to calm. Forced himself not to draw his pistol and punch some holes in Jacquard.
Instead, he spoke.
"Think what you want. It's your right, I suppose. The girl was Lily. She got lost while we were fleeing from a pair of killers. Our search party got delayed when one caught up. That was awfully lucky for this killer, because we had to go search for Lily instead of sticking around to see justice served."
And with that, he turned his back and stalked away, passing close to Charlie.
As he passed her, he said, "I'm sorry things were tense here. If you still want to come along, we would love to hear what you can tell us about the escape plans you've seen. If not, well, walk with us a little, at least. That girl back there is a murderer."
Then, over his shoulder: "Milo, Aileen, come on. We're going. Just... make sure we don't have any unwanted guests along, alright?"
And he was off once more, this time making sure not to run off and lose what remained of his team.
He kept his hand by his gun, though, just in case Jacquard tried to hobble after them.
Their business wasn't done, after all. Not by a long shot.
((Aaron Hughes continued in No Such Thing as a Perfect Plan))
Jacquard was going on. Talking about how Aaron wasn't better than her. Talking about how he ran, how he shot at Rob, how that was clearly some terrible crime against humanity, despite the fact that Rob was a murderer. She got under his skin. Always had. His body temperature was rising. She was talking about how he didn't care about the others. That was untrue. Of course he cared. If he didn't care, he'd be nothing but another player, trying to lie and scramble his way to the top of the heap. That wasn't it, though. They had a plan. If sacrifices had to be made to carry it out, then sacrifices had to be made. Jacquard wouldn't understand that. She was a simple creature, unable to see the world beyond spite and instant gain, unable to understand hard calls.
Aaron opened his mouth, about to fire back, but instead he took a deep breath. In that time, Aileen stepped in, screaming. She did exactly what Aaron wanted to do. He closed his mouth. His lips curved into a smile. Retribution by proxy. He could get used to this.
Then, Charlie got started, telling them to calm down, saying maybe she should go. No. No way. She wasn't leaving now. Not if she had information. Jacquard could go die in a hole. She probably would. Aaron was going to get out of here. He knew just how to handle things.
He took a deep breath. Forced himself to calm. Forced himself not to draw his pistol and punch some holes in Jacquard.
Instead, he spoke.
"Think what you want. It's your right, I suppose. The girl was Lily. She got lost while we were fleeing from a pair of killers. Our search party got delayed when one caught up. That was awfully lucky for this killer, because we had to go search for Lily instead of sticking around to see justice served."
And with that, he turned his back and stalked away, passing close to Charlie.
As he passed her, he said, "I'm sorry things were tense here. If you still want to come along, we would love to hear what you can tell us about the escape plans you've seen. If not, well, walk with us a little, at least. That girl back there is a murderer."
Then, over his shoulder: "Milo, Aileen, come on. We're going. Just... make sure we don't have any unwanted guests along, alright?"
And he was off once more, this time making sure not to run off and lose what remained of his team.
He kept his hand by his gun, though, just in case Jacquard tried to hobble after them.
Their business wasn't done, after all. Not by a long shot.
((Aaron Hughes continued in No Such Thing as a Perfect Plan))
((Sorry for making you skip me, Toben. :c))
Milo had been standing there, jaw slack. He was drooling a bit; whether he actually realized this was up for grabs, but by all appearances he didn't.
He didn't get a response from Aaron, so naturally he just stood there. Then he heard his name.
"Milo, Aileen, come on. We're going. Just... make sure we don't have any unwanted guests along, alright?" Aaron said.
Milo, being the obedient little meat moose he was, followed his leader. He hadn't the slightest clue where he was going, so he just followed and hoped with his single-digit amount of brain cells that it was somewhere good.
((Milo Taylor continued in No Such Thing as a Perfect Plan))
Milo had been standing there, jaw slack. He was drooling a bit; whether he actually realized this was up for grabs, but by all appearances he didn't.
He didn't get a response from Aaron, so naturally he just stood there. Then he heard his name.
"Milo, Aileen, come on. We're going. Just... make sure we don't have any unwanted guests along, alright?" Aaron said.
Milo, being the obedient little meat moose he was, followed his leader. He hadn't the slightest clue where he was going, so he just followed and hoped with his single-digit amount of brain cells that it was somewhere good.
((Milo Taylor continued in No Such Thing as a Perfect Plan))
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Sean. 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.
((After reading the topic on formatting, I've decided I'm going to swap back to plaintext with Jackie, and see how well that works out here. Sooo yeah. If this is hard to read, by all means PM me ASAP.))
((Also, agreeing with Vole. I'm getting Jackie the hell out of dodge here, especially since I'm two days off of inactivity with her anyways.))
Jackie had scrambled back to that spot from which she had originally fallen, pain throbbing in her leg, terror behind her eyes. And now, terror once again racked her body, mind, and spirit, but for a completely different reason this time. No longer was it a fear that she was just plain broken. That she had lost her mind, and that she could no longer control herself on a literal level. A few hours... Well, it had felt like hours with Cassarah cleared all that right up. Armed with a greater understanding, she now realized exactly what she had left Li alone to do. Not that she could have done anything about it before.
It was amazing how well hidden the little platform was. A step through the underbrush, and she was viewing the world again through her own two eyes. Not the world that her sick and broken mind had concocted to give her a chance to escape from that which she could not cope with, as trippy as thinking about that fact was. She was once again looking at the real world.
Just in time to see Aaron stalking off into the distance, his troupe following closely in step. A girl was there that she had never seen before, even in the halls of Bayview. She certainly hadn't been there when she first laid eyes on Aaron's group a few hours beforehand.
Aaron had leaned in to say something, whisper in that girl's ear. Something about the way his head moved, and that hand on his gun told her that he had just made another ally.
She could feel her face flushing in a familiar way. Anger. Red hot anger shooting up her cheeks. Yet she didn't feel angry herself at all. And then she startled herself with the sound of her own voice. Except it wasn't really her at all. Li was still posing, using her body to get her own way.
"You're no better than me Aaron, don't let your loyal little dogs make you think otherwise! If Lilly appears on those announcements, even if Danya does give the credit to that racist little prick Rob, it's still your fault. You wouldn't stay to assess the true situation. You fled, left her and the others to the dogs. If she's dead, you're a murderer. Just like me."
She felt herself smirking, but at the same time she felt that feeling in the pit of your stomach that usually comes about when you realize exactly how fucked you are.
For the first time in six days, she thought about the cameras, showing her entire life for a week to the entire world like thousands of sick little voyeurs. Somewhere, her parents were watching. Watching who they presumed was their little girl, doing nothing better with her time on the island, with her supposed regret for taking the life of another than egging on one of her classmates. Getting her sick kicks out of trying to ruin someone significantly more deserving's day.
And now, the anger was truly hers.
She was fuming. At herself, for letting it happen. But mostly at Li, for being a big enough bitch to do it in the first place.
I don't fucking believe you Li... I fucking hate you.
She struggled against the mental bonds that seemed to hold her rooted in place, keep her out of the driver's seat.
I fucking hate you.
Within her own mind, her voice was becoming louder and louder. She hated Li. She hated the bus drivers that had sold them out. She hated Mr. Kwong for being a big enough idiot to not see that this was about to happen. She hated Danya for thinking this hair brained scheme would change a god damned thing within the US government, whatever political change he was trying to bring about. But most of all, she hated herself for being so god. damned. weak.
I fucking HATE you.
I FUCKING HA-
"-TE YOU!"
With what felt like a herculean effort of physical strength, she wrested control from Li. She didn't understand the mechanics of what had just occured, and she didn't understand the willpower it took, how she had harnessed it, or any of the little nuances involved. She didn't even know the exact moment that her frenzied yells had left the confines of her own mind and become real. But right about now she didn't care. Let her look like a god damn psychopath right now. Her brain really was broken.
Her hand flew to the Hacksaw on her hip.
"I don't fucking BELIEVE you. You have to go and fuck it up for me! You KNOW I wanted to apologize to him when I saw him, you stupid CUNT!" They were a ways away by now. She hadn't taken the time to survey the area, see if they were even in earshot anymore.
She didn't care. The hacksaw whipped up into the air.
"FUCK YOU."
She was in a blind rage at someone she couldn't physically lay a hand on. So she took it out on the next best thing. A shiny little piece of glass glinted from the fork of a nearby tree. She spun on her heel, ignoring the searing pain that shot through her entire body, using the hacksaw like a baseball bat, sending the camera spiraling off of it's stand and off into the distance with a loud, resounding crunch.
And suddenly, just like that, for the first time since the split... All was completely quiet save her ragged, labored breathing.
When she finally regained her composure, it would take her a good twenty minutes to force the destroyed blade of the saw from it's wooden prison, holding it so tightly, as if for dear life.
Yeah, there was no way that Danya passed up the chance to air that entire spectacle. Mom and Dad were watching.
"Fantastic..."
She sighed, an exasperated sigh. Still her own mind laid dormant. It was refreshing. And for a moment, she legitimately didn't care.
((Jacquard "Jackie" Broughten continued in Peripeteia.))
((Also, agreeing with Vole. I'm getting Jackie the hell out of dodge here, especially since I'm two days off of inactivity with her anyways.))
Jackie had scrambled back to that spot from which she had originally fallen, pain throbbing in her leg, terror behind her eyes. And now, terror once again racked her body, mind, and spirit, but for a completely different reason this time. No longer was it a fear that she was just plain broken. That she had lost her mind, and that she could no longer control herself on a literal level. A few hours... Well, it had felt like hours with Cassarah cleared all that right up. Armed with a greater understanding, she now realized exactly what she had left Li alone to do. Not that she could have done anything about it before.
It was amazing how well hidden the little platform was. A step through the underbrush, and she was viewing the world again through her own two eyes. Not the world that her sick and broken mind had concocted to give her a chance to escape from that which she could not cope with, as trippy as thinking about that fact was. She was once again looking at the real world.
Just in time to see Aaron stalking off into the distance, his troupe following closely in step. A girl was there that she had never seen before, even in the halls of Bayview. She certainly hadn't been there when she first laid eyes on Aaron's group a few hours beforehand.
Aaron had leaned in to say something, whisper in that girl's ear. Something about the way his head moved, and that hand on his gun told her that he had just made another ally.
She could feel her face flushing in a familiar way. Anger. Red hot anger shooting up her cheeks. Yet she didn't feel angry herself at all. And then she startled herself with the sound of her own voice. Except it wasn't really her at all. Li was still posing, using her body to get her own way.
"You're no better than me Aaron, don't let your loyal little dogs make you think otherwise! If Lilly appears on those announcements, even if Danya does give the credit to that racist little prick Rob, it's still your fault. You wouldn't stay to assess the true situation. You fled, left her and the others to the dogs. If she's dead, you're a murderer. Just like me."
She felt herself smirking, but at the same time she felt that feeling in the pit of your stomach that usually comes about when you realize exactly how fucked you are.
For the first time in six days, she thought about the cameras, showing her entire life for a week to the entire world like thousands of sick little voyeurs. Somewhere, her parents were watching. Watching who they presumed was their little girl, doing nothing better with her time on the island, with her supposed regret for taking the life of another than egging on one of her classmates. Getting her sick kicks out of trying to ruin someone significantly more deserving's day.
And now, the anger was truly hers.
She was fuming. At herself, for letting it happen. But mostly at Li, for being a big enough bitch to do it in the first place.
I don't fucking believe you Li... I fucking hate you.
She struggled against the mental bonds that seemed to hold her rooted in place, keep her out of the driver's seat.
I fucking hate you.
Within her own mind, her voice was becoming louder and louder. She hated Li. She hated the bus drivers that had sold them out. She hated Mr. Kwong for being a big enough idiot to not see that this was about to happen. She hated Danya for thinking this hair brained scheme would change a god damned thing within the US government, whatever political change he was trying to bring about. But most of all, she hated herself for being so god. damned. weak.
I fucking HATE you.
I FUCKING HA-
"-TE YOU!"
With what felt like a herculean effort of physical strength, she wrested control from Li. She didn't understand the mechanics of what had just occured, and she didn't understand the willpower it took, how she had harnessed it, or any of the little nuances involved. She didn't even know the exact moment that her frenzied yells had left the confines of her own mind and become real. But right about now she didn't care. Let her look like a god damn psychopath right now. Her brain really was broken.
Her hand flew to the Hacksaw on her hip.
"I don't fucking BELIEVE you. You have to go and fuck it up for me! You KNOW I wanted to apologize to him when I saw him, you stupid CUNT!" They were a ways away by now. She hadn't taken the time to survey the area, see if they were even in earshot anymore.
She didn't care. The hacksaw whipped up into the air.
"FUCK YOU."
She was in a blind rage at someone she couldn't physically lay a hand on. So she took it out on the next best thing. A shiny little piece of glass glinted from the fork of a nearby tree. She spun on her heel, ignoring the searing pain that shot through her entire body, using the hacksaw like a baseball bat, sending the camera spiraling off of it's stand and off into the distance with a loud, resounding crunch.
And suddenly, just like that, for the first time since the split... All was completely quiet save her ragged, labored breathing.
When she finally regained her composure, it would take her a good twenty minutes to force the destroyed blade of the saw from it's wooden prison, holding it so tightly, as if for dear life.
Yeah, there was no way that Danya passed up the chance to air that entire spectacle. Mom and Dad were watching.
"Fantastic..."
She sighed, an exasperated sigh. Still her own mind laid dormant. It was refreshing. And for a moment, she legitimately didn't care.
((Jacquard "Jackie" Broughten continued in Peripeteia.))
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler T-Fox. 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.
Oh, and as if things couldn't get chaotic enough?
DuClare vocalized a desire to leave. No, really. She was being scared off by all the chaos. Goody. And as if Jacquard couldn't make things more difficult.
God damn it, she should just get her ass out of here. Never come back, never see them again. And if she and Rob did something to those two, then she'd better wish that she'd never run into them again, as well. Aileen did not approve of people attacking members of the group, at all.
But, now Aaron was making plans to leave. Oh thank god. Any longer and Aileen would have thrown herself at Jacquard, with hammer at the ready. Some part of her wished to stick around and beat the crap out of her, but in the end common sense prevailed.
Sighing, Aileen grabbed her things and once again lifted the straps across her shoulder.
Well, she guessed they were going again, apparently. At least Jacquard wasn't planning on killing any of them, at the very least. But as she kept saying to herself, if it turned out Lily and Richard were dead... it won't end well. Of course it wouldn't fucking end well. That sort of shit pissed her off.
If only Aaron made sure to stick with the group this time.
Turning to DuClare, she tried to think of a few things to say, but the only thing she could think of was...
"Erm, come if you want", Aileen said quietly, still somewhat steaming from her rage.
Giving one last look at Jacquard, she wanted to say all sorts of things to her, but couldn't think of any that didn't involve smacking her across the face. She didn't want to see Jacquard ever again, even if they ever got off this shithole of a place and she was just another person.
So Aileen turned back around and followed Aaron, only-
She could hear Jacquard throwing a fit. Screaming, crying, everything. Calling Aaron a murderer, cussing them all out, and so on. Aileen's heart began to race faster as she heard bits and pieces of the rant.
Without warning, she picked up her pace.
Despite her own anger, she didn't want to be on the other side of Jacquard's in the end.
((Aileen Borden continued in No Such Thing as a Perfect Plan))
DuClare vocalized a desire to leave. No, really. She was being scared off by all the chaos. Goody. And as if Jacquard couldn't make things more difficult.
God damn it, she should just get her ass out of here. Never come back, never see them again. And if she and Rob did something to those two, then she'd better wish that she'd never run into them again, as well. Aileen did not approve of people attacking members of the group, at all.
But, now Aaron was making plans to leave. Oh thank god. Any longer and Aileen would have thrown herself at Jacquard, with hammer at the ready. Some part of her wished to stick around and beat the crap out of her, but in the end common sense prevailed.
Sighing, Aileen grabbed her things and once again lifted the straps across her shoulder.
Well, she guessed they were going again, apparently. At least Jacquard wasn't planning on killing any of them, at the very least. But as she kept saying to herself, if it turned out Lily and Richard were dead... it won't end well. Of course it wouldn't fucking end well. That sort of shit pissed her off.
If only Aaron made sure to stick with the group this time.
Turning to DuClare, she tried to think of a few things to say, but the only thing she could think of was...
"Erm, come if you want", Aileen said quietly, still somewhat steaming from her rage.
Giving one last look at Jacquard, she wanted to say all sorts of things to her, but couldn't think of any that didn't involve smacking her across the face. She didn't want to see Jacquard ever again, even if they ever got off this shithole of a place and she was just another person.
So Aileen turned back around and followed Aaron, only-
She could hear Jacquard throwing a fit. Screaming, crying, everything. Calling Aaron a murderer, cussing them all out, and so on. Aileen's heart began to race faster as she heard bits and pieces of the rant.
Without warning, she picked up her pace.
Despite her own anger, she didn't want to be on the other side of Jacquard's in the end.
((Aileen Borden continued in No Such Thing as a Perfect Plan))