Emil took a glance at his tracker and saw another blip coming towards them. He looked up at the newcomers to add on to what Emmett said. “Yeah dude. That fucking leek head is a dick. He tried killing us over my buddy tracker, but we beat him up until he ran away.”
Erika seemed pretty cool, but Nona was kinda weird. Not like creepy weird or like weird weird, but she was definitely off. Whatever, she’ll probably fine in a little while. Probably.
Erika was nice. She didn’t like Lorenzo either. Now, this didn’t surprise Emil much, but he wasn’t expecting her to want to kill him off the bat. Did he attack her too? She mentioned a pill was her weapon, what would a pill do-oooh, it’s one of those motherfucking cyanosis pills! Damn dude, that’s like the thing that made Javier’s face go all lumpy in Skyfall. Damn that’s metal.
“So... Erika, what happened with you and Lorenzo if you don’t mind me asking? Did he find you too? Did he try killing you for your shit too?”
Emil heard the voice that belonged to the new dot pop in from the tree lines. She knew Emmett it sounded like, so that was pretty good. “Hey!” Emil called back. “Suh!”
Something Better
Open (when Toxie enters)
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Emprexx Plush
- Posts: 1678
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
- Contact:
Did you know there is not a single, definitive answer to the question "what is the smallest island in the world?" It was the sort of random factoid she loved to have on hand for when it was never relevant, but the answers she found had left her unsatisfied. The record holder, if Nona was remembering right, was Bishop's Rock. That was all a matter of where you drew the line though. There were plenty of "islands" in at least the loosest sense that were a fraction of a fraction of its size. Why should the line be drawn at Bishop's Rock? What criteria did it fulfill that was integral to our understanding of an island? Nona wasn't certain, she hadn't gotten that far. She had learned quite a bit about averages, though, and what made Bishop's Rock an outlier if not an undisputed champion. She could remember three broad types of islands: continental, oceanic, and tropical. Tropical were usually the smallest, she thought, but even they dwarfed Bishop's Rock by several orders of magnitude. There were over 40,000 tropical islands in the world with a size of at least 12 acres. Each acre contained 43,560 square feet. If as her map suggested they were on an island, it was probably at least 522,270 square feet in total.
Was that clear enough? No? No. Show more work. It was obvious once you really started thinking about it.
Overcrowding was a serious pressing world issue, or so people seemed to think. Nona wasn't so sure, like most things it seemed to be an issue of efficiency. Take living space as an example. The average square footage of an American home had grown over the last several decades. During the Cold War an average household could be measured at around 1500 square feet; more recent census data put that number around 2500 square feet. While space increased occupancy decreased, American households had dropped from an average of around three people to an average of about two and a half. Nona didn't know much more about population growth vs. resource consumption than she did about islands, but the math suggested people were getting more space, not less. It was probably different in other places. She'd gotten bored before she started looking at those numbers. There was some argument the American ones were important for, but she'd never been bold enough to start it.
Numbers. Lots and lots of big, seemingly unconnected numbers. They all started to make sense once you added in one more, though: 150.
Like everything else, Nona wasn't certain exactly how many of her classmates had come on the trip. It was a lot, though, at least 150 but not too much more. It would work for her formula. You took 522,270 square feet, divided it by 150 kids, and came out with close to 3500 square feet. Enough that every single one of her classmates could build a comfortably average house on this island and still have enough space for a third house between any given pair. Allot some of that land for food and for preservation and they could still probably live out an existence where they went weeks, maybe months without seeing certain classmates. Years. Yes, even years. Without the central meeting location of school, how many of these people would she have really seen from the first day of freshman year to graduation? Put into that clear as day context the proposition that all three of the people who had appeared near out of nowhere to surround her had all had negative encounters with the same, single student elevated itself from benign coincidence to improbability bordering on impossibility. Maybe if you counted Emmett and Emil as a single unit, but...no, no, even then she knew it was highly unlikely everything worked out that neatly in reality.
In narrative, however, things worked out that way all the time. Three victims drawn together by common purpose. A call to action framed against a looming unseen antagonist. Sweeping thematic set pieces lending majesty and gravitas to mundane speech. Blooming romance, the threat of mortality, panic, intrigue, betrayal, kinship, moral duty! If she'd stumbled over the plot on her dashboard at 3 A.M. she would have been hooked. It was good, way too good. The three of them really had her going for a second, but they'd made a mistake. Reality was terrifying, but stories? Stories were her domain.
There was another voice calling on behind her, but Nona paid it no mind. With an uncharacteristic calm confidence she shouldered her bags and began to ascend the path once more. She moved away from the others without acknowledgement; they could try to ensnare her all they wanted, but she would slip through their pages like ink refusing to dry. This was her story now, and it had no room for co-authors.
Wow. She needed to write that one down for when she got home. What had gotten into her?
Was that clear enough? No? No. Show more work. It was obvious once you really started thinking about it.
Overcrowding was a serious pressing world issue, or so people seemed to think. Nona wasn't so sure, like most things it seemed to be an issue of efficiency. Take living space as an example. The average square footage of an American home had grown over the last several decades. During the Cold War an average household could be measured at around 1500 square feet; more recent census data put that number around 2500 square feet. While space increased occupancy decreased, American households had dropped from an average of around three people to an average of about two and a half. Nona didn't know much more about population growth vs. resource consumption than she did about islands, but the math suggested people were getting more space, not less. It was probably different in other places. She'd gotten bored before she started looking at those numbers. There was some argument the American ones were important for, but she'd never been bold enough to start it.
Numbers. Lots and lots of big, seemingly unconnected numbers. They all started to make sense once you added in one more, though: 150.
Like everything else, Nona wasn't certain exactly how many of her classmates had come on the trip. It was a lot, though, at least 150 but not too much more. It would work for her formula. You took 522,270 square feet, divided it by 150 kids, and came out with close to 3500 square feet. Enough that every single one of her classmates could build a comfortably average house on this island and still have enough space for a third house between any given pair. Allot some of that land for food and for preservation and they could still probably live out an existence where they went weeks, maybe months without seeing certain classmates. Years. Yes, even years. Without the central meeting location of school, how many of these people would she have really seen from the first day of freshman year to graduation? Put into that clear as day context the proposition that all three of the people who had appeared near out of nowhere to surround her had all had negative encounters with the same, single student elevated itself from benign coincidence to improbability bordering on impossibility. Maybe if you counted Emmett and Emil as a single unit, but...no, no, even then she knew it was highly unlikely everything worked out that neatly in reality.
In narrative, however, things worked out that way all the time. Three victims drawn together by common purpose. A call to action framed against a looming unseen antagonist. Sweeping thematic set pieces lending majesty and gravitas to mundane speech. Blooming romance, the threat of mortality, panic, intrigue, betrayal, kinship, moral duty! If she'd stumbled over the plot on her dashboard at 3 A.M. she would have been hooked. It was good, way too good. The three of them really had her going for a second, but they'd made a mistake. Reality was terrifying, but stories? Stories were her domain.
There was another voice calling on behind her, but Nona paid it no mind. With an uncharacteristic calm confidence she shouldered her bags and began to ascend the path once more. She moved away from the others without acknowledgement; they could try to ensnare her all they wanted, but she would slip through their pages like ink refusing to dry. This was her story now, and it had no room for co-authors.
Wow. She needed to write that one down for when she got home. What had gotten into her?
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Primrosette
- Posts: 1033
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:58 am
- Location: In the Dark Abyss
Emmett had been blinking a little in surprise that Erika seemed to have a problem with Lorenzo too. Had he done something to her as well? Emmett really hoped that that was not the case. Lorenzo already getting his hands on someone else after him and Emil did not sit well with Emmett. Erika even wanted to get a gun to light up Lorenzo's ass. Emmett kind of wanted to do the same but it seemed like Erika hated Lorenzo's guts more than he did. Oh, Erika was getting out her weapon. What in the fuck...? A pill, seriously? Did they all have weapons that were not going to be useful to them? Well, the tracker was the best thing that they had for now. Shit, maybe they could make use of the pill at some point.
"Not gonna lie to you, Erika. I wish that we could come across a gun too. Well, maybe someone with a gun who could help us out with that shitty bastard." Emmett said, moving his hand up to where Lorenzo had hit his face and he was hoping that the ache in his shoulder would piss off soon. "Yeah, what Emil said. Did Lorenzo lay his hands on you? If he fucking did...."
Emmett was trying to keep the surge of anger rising under control and he closed his eyes, taking a few deep breathes. Lorenzo really did have him riled up and he knew that he had to make sure his head was not going to go on an unsteady rampage of so-called revenge. Lorenzo had seemed serious about his threat to kill him and Emil if they ran into him again. Erika did not need to know that, right? Shit, he didn't know!
Emmett then heard a voice that was very familiar to him and his eyes snapped open to see who it was. He looked off to who was a bit behind Nona who seemed to be moving herself and Emmett felt a wave of relief come over him. Sapphire. Holy shit! It was Sapphire. He felt a smile come over his face and his anger had sunk back into his dark place. He was so glad to see that one of his friends were safe and it looked like she had a pretty, cool-as-shit weapon.
"Shit! Sapphire! Glad to see you're okay...!" He called out to her and then he make a hand gesture of hoping that she could come up and join them. "Hey, you should come and join us. We're just talking about how much of a dick Lorenzo is."
"Not gonna lie to you, Erika. I wish that we could come across a gun too. Well, maybe someone with a gun who could help us out with that shitty bastard." Emmett said, moving his hand up to where Lorenzo had hit his face and he was hoping that the ache in his shoulder would piss off soon. "Yeah, what Emil said. Did Lorenzo lay his hands on you? If he fucking did...."
Emmett was trying to keep the surge of anger rising under control and he closed his eyes, taking a few deep breathes. Lorenzo really did have him riled up and he knew that he had to make sure his head was not going to go on an unsteady rampage of so-called revenge. Lorenzo had seemed serious about his threat to kill him and Emil if they ran into him again. Erika did not need to know that, right? Shit, he didn't know!
Emmett then heard a voice that was very familiar to him and his eyes snapped open to see who it was. He looked off to who was a bit behind Nona who seemed to be moving herself and Emmett felt a wave of relief come over him. Sapphire. Holy shit! It was Sapphire. He felt a smile come over his face and his anger had sunk back into his dark place. He was so glad to see that one of his friends were safe and it looked like she had a pretty, cool-as-shit weapon.
"Shit! Sapphire! Glad to see you're okay...!" He called out to her and then he make a hand gesture of hoping that she could come up and join them. "Hey, you should come and join us. We're just talking about how much of a dick Lorenzo is."
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 12:39 am
There was a moment where Sapphire couldn’t tell what would happen. Maybe Emmett, or all the others, might have been turned by something that had happened to them, something they’d seen.
But then she heard two voices calling back to her, one of them Emmett’s and the other belonging to a boy named Emil, whom she knew little about beyond a name and a face.
Clearing her voice, she moved towards them with a new lightness in her step, one she hadn’t felt since waking into this earthly hell.
First came the address from Emil. “Um, not much. I’ve just…” she gazed back at the way she’d come “Just came up from the lake. I think this is mine.” She said, awkwardly trying to explain the spear she held tightly in her hand.
“It’s good to see you too, Emmett.” She said, and it was genuine. Emmett wasn’t always excellent company, given his general attitude, but she knew by now that he was good people. She’d have hugged him, if her hands weren’t so full.
There were two girls here as well, another set of names with faces. Nona and Erika. However, if they were here just… talking, they were good. Not killers.
Then Emmett mentioned someone in particular. “Lorenzo?” she asked aloud. Now that name was one she’d heard of a bit more. A boy like him was hard to not be aware of, but he was still essentially a stranger to her. Though she had heard of him, and what she had heard wasn’t exactly glowing.
She felt a shiver down her back, perhaps a presence, perhaps a realization. Had something happened? Had that Lorenzo boy done something? Had someone... died already? It was not a pleasant thought. No, not pleasant at all.
But then she heard two voices calling back to her, one of them Emmett’s and the other belonging to a boy named Emil, whom she knew little about beyond a name and a face.
Clearing her voice, she moved towards them with a new lightness in her step, one she hadn’t felt since waking into this earthly hell.
First came the address from Emil. “Um, not much. I’ve just…” she gazed back at the way she’d come “Just came up from the lake. I think this is mine.” She said, awkwardly trying to explain the spear she held tightly in her hand.
“It’s good to see you too, Emmett.” She said, and it was genuine. Emmett wasn’t always excellent company, given his general attitude, but she knew by now that he was good people. She’d have hugged him, if her hands weren’t so full.
There were two girls here as well, another set of names with faces. Nona and Erika. However, if they were here just… talking, they were good. Not killers.
Then Emmett mentioned someone in particular. “Lorenzo?” she asked aloud. Now that name was one she’d heard of a bit more. A boy like him was hard to not be aware of, but he was still essentially a stranger to her. Though she had heard of him, and what she had heard wasn’t exactly glowing.
She felt a shiver down her back, perhaps a presence, perhaps a realization. Had something happened? Had that Lorenzo boy done something? Had someone... died already? It was not a pleasant thought. No, not pleasant at all.
Erika sighed, hanging her head towards the ground. The mess that was her hair fell in front of her eyes, for which she was thankful. It was hard not to wear a look of innate disgust and hate, but Erika managed to wipe it away as she brushed the hair from her eyes. Emil and Emmett seemed to have been fairly shaken by their encounter, and it was easy enough to tell that they were looking for some kind of validation. Some kind of better explanation for why they’d have been attacked, other than the shitty and probably pretty rational reason.
They want to hurt him back, don’t they? Damnit, this is already going to shit.
It didn’t matter what she knew. There were some things you just didn’t say, not with cameras watching. These guys didn’t need any help with their hatred. Plus, there were others here. People they should focus on helping, maybe keeping their minds focused elsewhere. There were going to be other people soon enough who’d come to the same realization that garbage boy had come to.
Other people. As if I don’t know. Yeah, right.
Holding up her hands, Erika tried her best to hit the brakes on the hate train. She knew Emmett to easily blow his top, and it wouldn’t do to have him ranting and raving loud enough for their less-than-savory classmates to hear.
“Jesus Em & Em, lay off the gas a little bit, you’re gonna scare these two. I haven’t seen the assclown, him and Ty just had a falling out on the trip. Dude always gave me bad vibes, it’s all. Guess I was right.” Buddy tracker? The fuck? “Did he uhh, get your buddy tracker?”
Erika looked to the girl who had approached, and was pleased to see a familiar face. Sapphire Waters always sounded like such a cool name. It was the kind of thing that old hippies would name their kids, which made her instantly memorable, charming even. Aside from that, she’d always seemed kind and like the sort of odd bean Erika could probably relate to. The familiarity put her at ease, if only for a moment.
One day soon those blue eyes are going to be lifeless and broken. Like all of us. What’s the point of even talking to these people?
People like them were meant for better places than this. Erika attempted to defuse the tension.
“Yo, Sapphire. We’re just sharing stories. I was about to tell Emit and Emmel here about how I woke up and got chased down by monkeys.” Out of the corner of her eye, Erika noticed Nona seeming to walk off into the distance, further up the overlook. Much like she’d done in entirely normal social situations, Erika tried her best to include people she saw on the fringe.
No one should die alone.
“Hey, Nona. You okay, friend?”
They want to hurt him back, don’t they? Damnit, this is already going to shit.
It didn’t matter what she knew. There were some things you just didn’t say, not with cameras watching. These guys didn’t need any help with their hatred. Plus, there were others here. People they should focus on helping, maybe keeping their minds focused elsewhere. There were going to be other people soon enough who’d come to the same realization that garbage boy had come to.
Other people. As if I don’t know. Yeah, right.
Holding up her hands, Erika tried her best to hit the brakes on the hate train. She knew Emmett to easily blow his top, and it wouldn’t do to have him ranting and raving loud enough for their less-than-savory classmates to hear.
“Jesus Em & Em, lay off the gas a little bit, you’re gonna scare these two. I haven’t seen the assclown, him and Ty just had a falling out on the trip. Dude always gave me bad vibes, it’s all. Guess I was right.” Buddy tracker? The fuck? “Did he uhh, get your buddy tracker?”
Erika looked to the girl who had approached, and was pleased to see a familiar face. Sapphire Waters always sounded like such a cool name. It was the kind of thing that old hippies would name their kids, which made her instantly memorable, charming even. Aside from that, she’d always seemed kind and like the sort of odd bean Erika could probably relate to. The familiarity put her at ease, if only for a moment.
One day soon those blue eyes are going to be lifeless and broken. Like all of us. What’s the point of even talking to these people?
People like them were meant for better places than this. Erika attempted to defuse the tension.
“Yo, Sapphire. We’re just sharing stories. I was about to tell Emit and Emmel here about how I woke up and got chased down by monkeys.” Out of the corner of her eye, Erika noticed Nona seeming to walk off into the distance, further up the overlook. Much like she’d done in entirely normal social situations, Erika tried her best to include people she saw on the fringe.
No one should die alone.
“Hey, Nona. You okay, friend?”
"Nah, I still got my tracker. Lorenzo ran off when me and Emmett started beating him up. It was pretty cool to be honest, Before that I've never been in a fight before."
Erika didn't want to talk about Lorenzo, apparently he was always a shit or something. Emil liked to have more faith in people than that, everyone's got a little good, somewhere, but shit, with the way things are going maybe not. Maybe there was something else to it, but Emil wasn't going to press, it wasn't his business. They didn't need to talk about him more anyways outside of warning people he was trying to attack people for their shit.
"Anyways, we're just chilling here for right now. I was thinking of going for a swim or something, the bottom of that waterfall looks pretty nice, if it's deep enough I might try some cliff jumping, that'd be pretty fun too, but I think it might be too shallow down there."
There was something else on Emil's mind, but he got side tracked. He was about to ask something, but he couldn't figure it out. As he was thinking on what it was, he got sidetracked by Erika, and something she said.
"Wait a second?"
"There's monkeys on this island?" Emil had seen monkeys before in the zoo, but he's never really seen one in the wild. "Wait, why were they chasing you? What kind were they? Were they like, the cute lil ones?" It was a fair question after all. The entire context of the story would change based on whether or not Erika was chased by those raccoon monkey looking things from Madagascar, or rip your face off and eat it chimpanzees.
It'd also help in the fact that knowing there were rabid chimpanzees on the island to look out for, so Emil didn't get his face ripped off and eaten, either.
Erika didn't want to talk about Lorenzo, apparently he was always a shit or something. Emil liked to have more faith in people than that, everyone's got a little good, somewhere, but shit, with the way things are going maybe not. Maybe there was something else to it, but Emil wasn't going to press, it wasn't his business. They didn't need to talk about him more anyways outside of warning people he was trying to attack people for their shit.
"Anyways, we're just chilling here for right now. I was thinking of going for a swim or something, the bottom of that waterfall looks pretty nice, if it's deep enough I might try some cliff jumping, that'd be pretty fun too, but I think it might be too shallow down there."
There was something else on Emil's mind, but he got side tracked. He was about to ask something, but he couldn't figure it out. As he was thinking on what it was, he got sidetracked by Erika, and something she said.
"Wait a second?"
"There's monkeys on this island?" Emil had seen monkeys before in the zoo, but he's never really seen one in the wild. "Wait, why were they chasing you? What kind were they? Were they like, the cute lil ones?" It was a fair question after all. The entire context of the story would change based on whether or not Erika was chased by those raccoon monkey looking things from Madagascar, or rip your face off and eat it chimpanzees.
It'd also help in the fact that knowing there were rabid chimpanzees on the island to look out for, so Emil didn't get his face ripped off and eaten, either.
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Emprexx Plush
- Posts: 1678
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
- Contact:
Oh. Quandary. Nona could not stop moving when Erika called out to her, but she could not just ignore her either. That would tip everybody off right? She had done such a good job of keeping them in the dark, no one suspected she was on to them, she could not start acting suspicious now. Hmm. Hmmmm. Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Was she hmmming out loud? That would be awkward, someone would definitely pick up on that. Improvising while keeping on her toes for funny business was hard, like thinking about two things at once. Well, that wouldn't be that hard, but she was already thinking about three different things at once and she was not allowed to think about how she was thinking about two of the things she was thinking about because otherwise she would have to think about them and that would defeat the purpose of thinking about the first thing she was thinking about to keep her from thinking about the other two things she was thinking about but now there was a fourth thing to think about that kept her thinking about the first thing she was thinking about to keep her from thinking about the second and third things she was thinking about and the more she thought about it the more the things she was not supposed to be thinking about started to creep in on the edges of the things she was supposed to be thinking about until it took more effort to be not thinking about thinking about thinking about the second and third things than it did to be thinking about thinking about the first and fourth things oh when had she stopped moving?
Sometime after the humming and before the loop Nona had stopped and stared back at Erika, well not exactly at but not through or around either, it was sort of as if in her mind's eye she was looking for the platonic ideal of Erika to give her clues about how to fool the suspicious less-than-ideal of Erika into thinking she was fine, and it might of said something but she was not paying attention because she did not actually know she was doing that? How long had she been doing that? It had to just be a couple seconds right? That was too long, panic, compromise, impulse-"I lost something!"
That...was not the worst excuse she could have come up with, surely? It could have been improved with a less frantic delivery but it was simple, to the point, not technically a lie. She could salvage it. Her hands clutched the straps of her bags tightly and she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I just, I thought maybe I could see it from up there and you were talking and I didn't want to be rude so I thought I'd just um go have a look while you all were talking is that okay?" To say her voice was calm would have been generous, but she probably didn't sound much worse than she did in the average social interaction back home.
It occurred to her too late that if you could see the bus from up there, they would never want her to reach the overlook. She had tipped her hand in front of everyone with no idea who she could trust.
Good. Nona could distract herself with that for some time. The thoughts about not thinking about other thoughts sunk under the tide of her rising anxiety.
Sometime after the humming and before the loop Nona had stopped and stared back at Erika, well not exactly at but not through or around either, it was sort of as if in her mind's eye she was looking for the platonic ideal of Erika to give her clues about how to fool the suspicious less-than-ideal of Erika into thinking she was fine, and it might of said something but she was not paying attention because she did not actually know she was doing that? How long had she been doing that? It had to just be a couple seconds right? That was too long, panic, compromise, impulse-"I lost something!"
That...was not the worst excuse she could have come up with, surely? It could have been improved with a less frantic delivery but it was simple, to the point, not technically a lie. She could salvage it. Her hands clutched the straps of her bags tightly and she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I just, I thought maybe I could see it from up there and you were talking and I didn't want to be rude so I thought I'd just um go have a look while you all were talking is that okay?" To say her voice was calm would have been generous, but she probably didn't sound much worse than she did in the average social interaction back home.
It occurred to her too late that if you could see the bus from up there, they would never want her to reach the overlook. She had tipped her hand in front of everyone with no idea who she could trust.
Good. Nona could distract herself with that for some time. The thoughts about not thinking about other thoughts sunk under the tide of her rising anxiety.
"Howdy, ladies and gents."
Garnet wasn't surprised to see people already hanging out on top of the waterfall. The island was fairly big, but a lot of it was taken up with terrain which was varying combinations of inaccessible and impassable, so there was less area than a quick glance at the map would suggest. The waterfall, visible from a way off and a unique landmark besides, was just the kind of location that would draw attention, bring people in as a fresh vantage or even just a scenic view.
Hey, it had worked on her.
The trek up here had taken a while, a combination of the incline and frequent pauses to either adjust her bags or take a few seconds to scope out the immediate area. Garnet wanted to say she was being cautious, making sure that the narrow route winding up to the overlook wasn't seeing her run foul of any would-be ambushes, but the tense knot of anxiety in her stomach was barely dispelled by not seeing anything. Actually, in some ways it kind of grew. There were a whole lot of people on the buses and sure, not a comfort that they were decked out to kill, but she was pretty sure the alternative was that the terrorists had just shot them and left them in a ditch. Maybe it hadn't been so long, but she should have seen someone else by now, right? Like, she wasn't super fussy or anything, anyone would do (briefly in the case of certain less-nice folks, but heyo). The bags were annoying though. This was a steep incline and even with a lot of the ol' vim and vigor in her legs, Garnet didn't usually carry stuff around when she was walking and running, and the bags had quite a bit of stuff.
There was the Garnet's stuff stuff and then the murder game stuff stuff. The Garnet's stuff was still getting to her pretty badly, because the fact that some bunch of murderers had been pawing through it made her skin crawl. Did the terrorists just have piles and piles of mobile phones and ipods and diaries and whatever else stacked up in their base like a little mass graveyard? Somewhere in there would be a DS and her games and nobody would ever give Cinnamon a high five and feed her little virtual treats and shut up Garnet wasn't crying you're crying.
The murder game stuff carried different emotions, which Garnet mulled over as she ascended further, rubbing her eyes with her forearm. The pack was well stocked, food, gear, medical supplies; couldn't have them keeling over and dying from things that weren't each other, right? The weapon had evoked disappointment, something which had skeeved her out the second she'd identified what she was feeling. Getting let down because what she'd been given wasn't good for murdering; her priorities already skewed. She'd left the beads decorating a tree somewhere because bringing them along was pointless and kept reminding her of that uncomfortable initial reaction.
What she did hold in one hand though was a roll of coins. There'd been some tape inside the first aid kit in her daypack and some small change squirrelled away in various pockets, put them together and she had a grippable—well, uh. Weapon. She supposed. Yeah.
Anyway, up top here she had a little collection, and that was enough to let some of that knot break down, if not break away entirely. Four, or wait no, five, there was another person further off and back that Garnet could take a stab at guessing but wasn't 100%. The others—
Okay, so, it was weirdly surprising in a way that shouldn't have been surprising that Garnet recognised everyone. Erika was cool people for one, immediate bonus right there. Emil was aright, she'd watched some of his things before and it was kind of trippy that he was basically internet famous. Emmett was uhhh. Sapphire was okay, quiet.
All in all this should be all right, right?
Garnet waved with her free hand.
Garnet wasn't surprised to see people already hanging out on top of the waterfall. The island was fairly big, but a lot of it was taken up with terrain which was varying combinations of inaccessible and impassable, so there was less area than a quick glance at the map would suggest. The waterfall, visible from a way off and a unique landmark besides, was just the kind of location that would draw attention, bring people in as a fresh vantage or even just a scenic view.
Hey, it had worked on her.
The trek up here had taken a while, a combination of the incline and frequent pauses to either adjust her bags or take a few seconds to scope out the immediate area. Garnet wanted to say she was being cautious, making sure that the narrow route winding up to the overlook wasn't seeing her run foul of any would-be ambushes, but the tense knot of anxiety in her stomach was barely dispelled by not seeing anything. Actually, in some ways it kind of grew. There were a whole lot of people on the buses and sure, not a comfort that they were decked out to kill, but she was pretty sure the alternative was that the terrorists had just shot them and left them in a ditch. Maybe it hadn't been so long, but she should have seen someone else by now, right? Like, she wasn't super fussy or anything, anyone would do (briefly in the case of certain less-nice folks, but heyo). The bags were annoying though. This was a steep incline and even with a lot of the ol' vim and vigor in her legs, Garnet didn't usually carry stuff around when she was walking and running, and the bags had quite a bit of stuff.
There was the Garnet's stuff stuff and then the murder game stuff stuff. The Garnet's stuff was still getting to her pretty badly, because the fact that some bunch of murderers had been pawing through it made her skin crawl. Did the terrorists just have piles and piles of mobile phones and ipods and diaries and whatever else stacked up in their base like a little mass graveyard? Somewhere in there would be a DS and her games and nobody would ever give Cinnamon a high five and feed her little virtual treats and shut up Garnet wasn't crying you're crying.
The murder game stuff carried different emotions, which Garnet mulled over as she ascended further, rubbing her eyes with her forearm. The pack was well stocked, food, gear, medical supplies; couldn't have them keeling over and dying from things that weren't each other, right? The weapon had evoked disappointment, something which had skeeved her out the second she'd identified what she was feeling. Getting let down because what she'd been given wasn't good for murdering; her priorities already skewed. She'd left the beads decorating a tree somewhere because bringing them along was pointless and kept reminding her of that uncomfortable initial reaction.
What she did hold in one hand though was a roll of coins. There'd been some tape inside the first aid kit in her daypack and some small change squirrelled away in various pockets, put them together and she had a grippable—well, uh. Weapon. She supposed. Yeah.
Anyway, up top here she had a little collection, and that was enough to let some of that knot break down, if not break away entirely. Four, or wait no, five, there was another person further off and back that Garnet could take a stab at guessing but wasn't 100%. The others—
Okay, so, it was weirdly surprising in a way that shouldn't have been surprising that Garnet recognised everyone. Erika was cool people for one, immediate bonus right there. Emil was aright, she'd watched some of his things before and it was kind of trippy that he was basically internet famous. Emmett was uhhh. Sapphire was okay, quiet.
All in all this should be all right, right?
Garnet waved with her free hand.
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Primrosette
- Posts: 1033
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:58 am
- Location: In the Dark Abyss
Em & Em. What the fuck? ....Okay then. I can accept the weird nickname, I guess. I don't fucking know!
Emmett was trying to take in everything that was being said and he felt like his head was going to explode. .... Okay, not the best thing to think about because of their stupid collars. But he was also trying to think of other stuff but he was feeling tired and he wished that he could take a nap. But that would be fucking rude as fuck.
....
Monkeys....
....
MONKEYS?!!! There are monkeys on this shitty island?! I can't fucking believe this! Are they for fucking real?! Did they really leave animals on this island as well?!
Emmett couldn't find himself wanting to comment on anything as Emil pretty much asked the questions for him and Emmett found himself rubbing his temple, feeling like he needed time to think over everything in his head. However, Nona said something that caught his attention and he found himself looking at her. "You lost something, Nona?" Emmett asked, frowning at her with a sense of suspicion. "What the fuck do you mean that you wanted to see if you could see it at the top of this place? ....Did someone steal it from you? Is that what you are saying?"
Emmett heard another girl's voice. But right now he was too busy making sure to keep an eye on Nona. She had been acting so strangely since she had arrived. Emmett didn't want to think that she was up to no good. But he had always known that he couldn't trust everyone that he could come across.
Emmett was trying to take in everything that was being said and he felt like his head was going to explode. .... Okay, not the best thing to think about because of their stupid collars. But he was also trying to think of other stuff but he was feeling tired and he wished that he could take a nap. But that would be fucking rude as fuck.
....
Monkeys....
....
MONKEYS?!!! There are monkeys on this shitty island?! I can't fucking believe this! Are they for fucking real?! Did they really leave animals on this island as well?!
Emmett couldn't find himself wanting to comment on anything as Emil pretty much asked the questions for him and Emmett found himself rubbing his temple, feeling like he needed time to think over everything in his head. However, Nona said something that caught his attention and he found himself looking at her. "You lost something, Nona?" Emmett asked, frowning at her with a sense of suspicion. "What the fuck do you mean that you wanted to see if you could see it at the top of this place? ....Did someone steal it from you? Is that what you are saying?"
Emmett heard another girl's voice. But right now he was too busy making sure to keep an eye on Nona. She had been acting so strangely since she had arrived. Emmett didn't want to think that she was up to no good. But he had always known that he couldn't trust everyone that he could come across.
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 12:39 am
Almost as soon as she’d joined the group, Nona seemed to wander off and Erika jumped in to explain that she’d been chased down by a bunch of monkeys had chased her down. Sapphire wondered if that had been a dream too, that the island itself might give off a presence that made one’s mind fixated on thoughts of wild things, things that hunt and consume. It was a silly thought, though, one she brushed off almost as soon as it came to her.
However, it did mean that her and all the other students weren’t alone. This island was alive, in a sense, and they were trespassers, as well as captives. Perhaps her thoughts of being stalked by some inhuman presence in the wilderness wasn’t so off-base.
She had been about to ask for some clarification of what had happened to Erika when Emil cut in himself. She decided it was best to keep any questions that might seem too strange or probing to herself. Didn’t want to make anyone nervous, especially not here, right?
"Howdy, ladies and gents."
Another presence entered the space, one that seemed bizarrely upbeat considering the overall circumstances.
Turning to face it, she found another of her peers had joined the little waterfall group, one she knew by the name of Garnet. She was a girl that Sapphire had never spoken to much and heard little about, though that also meant she’d heard little bad. The girl’s energy seemed to speak for itself, though, and Sapphire couldn’t help but smile a bit as she returned the greeting.
“Hi! How are you… all things considered?”
However, it did mean that her and all the other students weren’t alone. This island was alive, in a sense, and they were trespassers, as well as captives. Perhaps her thoughts of being stalked by some inhuman presence in the wilderness wasn’t so off-base.
She had been about to ask for some clarification of what had happened to Erika when Emil cut in himself. She decided it was best to keep any questions that might seem too strange or probing to herself. Didn’t want to make anyone nervous, especially not here, right?
"Howdy, ladies and gents."
Another presence entered the space, one that seemed bizarrely upbeat considering the overall circumstances.
Turning to face it, she found another of her peers had joined the little waterfall group, one she knew by the name of Garnet. She was a girl that Sapphire had never spoken to much and heard little about, though that also meant she’d heard little bad. The girl’s energy seemed to speak for itself, though, and Sapphire couldn’t help but smile a bit as she returned the greeting.
“Hi! How are you… all things considered?”
Emil had a tracker of some kind. A buddy tracker. It wasn't a stretch to figure it probably had to do with the collars. The only semblance of a strategy that had been forming in her mind involved gradually secluding herself away from other people as the numbers thinned out. Having something that could track other people on the island - well, it was something at least one person would kill for.
I won't. I can't, even if I wanted to. It's Emil's. Let him have it. We all need an edge.
Nona still seemed preoccupied with something out past the overlook. She'd said she lost something, and she wondered if she could see it from up here. Emmett seemed skeptical, and Erika couldn't blame him.
Right, that doesn't sound reasonable at all. Anything you could carry you're not going to see from that far away.
"I was mostly joking, but yeah. Monkeys. Little ones. Didn't stop to really get a good look at 'em." Erika halfheartedly replied to Emil as her attention floated between him and Nona. The sound of another voice joining the group made Erika freeze.
Maybe it was the way Nona was acting that threw her off, or Emmett and Emil's shared revelation of how quickly people straight-up turned to violence. Or maybe it was what she'd asked of Katie, continuing to gnaw at her insides. It might've just been one thing too many. Something that felt wrong to see in a place like this. Something too familiar.
Erika was used to hearing her doing her best impression of savage, barbarian rage. They'd had a lot of good times, the two of them. Never really speaking outside of games, just as a wizard and a barbarian who had saved each other's bacon more times than either could count. In an imaginary world, they'd been the best of friends.
"Shit, Garnet. Fuck, hi. Goddamnit. You're here too. I'm sorry, I didn't... I forgot..."
Nobody got to die alone here. They just went with their friends and exes and boyfriends and girlfriends and D&D buddies. Earynspeir The Deathless, the good-natured necromancer, had lived up to his moniker for four years only to just stop existing, because his player never made it back to another session. Erika had seen their bodies in her mind's eye when she looked at Emmett, Emil, Nona, and Sapphire. It was the only thing she could really see in this state of mind. It was terrible, it filled her with existential dread, but she felt like she had worn out her tear ducts shortly after waking up here. Or at least, that's what it seemed like.
Something about seeing Garnet though - that constant, someone she knew mostly as a character - that seemed worse, somehow. Even though the school year had ended, she'd kept a scrapbook of all of their session logs. Got some of the art kids at school to draw their party and made copies for everyone. People were going to dig through their stuff and find those pictures, those scrapbooks, the dice, and not know what to do with it. Maybe just toss it out, because it wasn't significant to anyone anymore.
Unable to focus on what Nona was up to, or on what to make of Emil's tracker, or the strange coincidence of three people with E names and two with gemstone names - Erika shoved her hands into her pockets, trying to keep from fidgeting. It was hard to make eye contact with Garnet or the others, but she tried to offer a smile.
Wait, what is that?
She felt something metallic in her pocket. It hadn't occurred to her to check for the small hermetically sealed case she kept her weed in, thinking that some opportunistic terrorist probably made off with it. Now that she gave it a second thought, it was easy to imagine why they'd leave it with her. Variables like that probably seemed exciting to them, maybe made for more interesting gore porn or whatever.
Regardless of what might happen, it was something to do with herself at least. Some way to respond to what she felt. Hands shaking, she produced the small case and lighter from her pocket and pulled out one of two hand-rolled joints, placing the case back in her pocket after she did so.
The second one had a very definite moment she had to save it for, that she didn't want much to think about.
"Yeah, I'm gonna..."
The wind made lighting the end difficult. She cupped her hands over the lighter.
"I'm not..."
Short breaths in, then one out to kill the flame. Then a long pull. It was routine. It felt calming, even though the feeling of wet eyes was hard to ignore. Her mind a tightly-wound mess, she blurted out a rambling response, pacing as she did so.
"Howdy, Garnet! Nona here's either trying to find herself or she's taking the easy way out - and I've got an easier one if you want it, bud - and I'm barely keeping my shit together. Maybe I just won't, hell if I know. These two fine dudes just got attacked by a green-haired sex fiend and you just arrived on the heels of the only other girl with a fuckin' rad jewel name. That's about it. Other than the like, mutual problem of all of us trying to figure out what to do other than curl up and die here. I'm sorry, I just don't know how to... I'm sorry. I don't know what to make of this."
Erika sat down on a nearby rock and continued to smoke the joint, her hands still shaking.
I won't. I can't, even if I wanted to. It's Emil's. Let him have it. We all need an edge.
Nona still seemed preoccupied with something out past the overlook. She'd said she lost something, and she wondered if she could see it from up here. Emmett seemed skeptical, and Erika couldn't blame him.
Right, that doesn't sound reasonable at all. Anything you could carry you're not going to see from that far away.
"I was mostly joking, but yeah. Monkeys. Little ones. Didn't stop to really get a good look at 'em." Erika halfheartedly replied to Emil as her attention floated between him and Nona. The sound of another voice joining the group made Erika freeze.
Maybe it was the way Nona was acting that threw her off, or Emmett and Emil's shared revelation of how quickly people straight-up turned to violence. Or maybe it was what she'd asked of Katie, continuing to gnaw at her insides. It might've just been one thing too many. Something that felt wrong to see in a place like this. Something too familiar.
Erika was used to hearing her doing her best impression of savage, barbarian rage. They'd had a lot of good times, the two of them. Never really speaking outside of games, just as a wizard and a barbarian who had saved each other's bacon more times than either could count. In an imaginary world, they'd been the best of friends.
"Shit, Garnet. Fuck, hi. Goddamnit. You're here too. I'm sorry, I didn't... I forgot..."
Nobody got to die alone here. They just went with their friends and exes and boyfriends and girlfriends and D&D buddies. Earynspeir The Deathless, the good-natured necromancer, had lived up to his moniker for four years only to just stop existing, because his player never made it back to another session. Erika had seen their bodies in her mind's eye when she looked at Emmett, Emil, Nona, and Sapphire. It was the only thing she could really see in this state of mind. It was terrible, it filled her with existential dread, but she felt like she had worn out her tear ducts shortly after waking up here. Or at least, that's what it seemed like.
Something about seeing Garnet though - that constant, someone she knew mostly as a character - that seemed worse, somehow. Even though the school year had ended, she'd kept a scrapbook of all of their session logs. Got some of the art kids at school to draw their party and made copies for everyone. People were going to dig through their stuff and find those pictures, those scrapbooks, the dice, and not know what to do with it. Maybe just toss it out, because it wasn't significant to anyone anymore.
Unable to focus on what Nona was up to, or on what to make of Emil's tracker, or the strange coincidence of three people with E names and two with gemstone names - Erika shoved her hands into her pockets, trying to keep from fidgeting. It was hard to make eye contact with Garnet or the others, but she tried to offer a smile.
Wait, what is that?
She felt something metallic in her pocket. It hadn't occurred to her to check for the small hermetically sealed case she kept her weed in, thinking that some opportunistic terrorist probably made off with it. Now that she gave it a second thought, it was easy to imagine why they'd leave it with her. Variables like that probably seemed exciting to them, maybe made for more interesting gore porn or whatever.
Regardless of what might happen, it was something to do with herself at least. Some way to respond to what she felt. Hands shaking, she produced the small case and lighter from her pocket and pulled out one of two hand-rolled joints, placing the case back in her pocket after she did so.
The second one had a very definite moment she had to save it for, that she didn't want much to think about.
"Yeah, I'm gonna..."
The wind made lighting the end difficult. She cupped her hands over the lighter.
"I'm not..."
Short breaths in, then one out to kill the flame. Then a long pull. It was routine. It felt calming, even though the feeling of wet eyes was hard to ignore. Her mind a tightly-wound mess, she blurted out a rambling response, pacing as she did so.
"Howdy, Garnet! Nona here's either trying to find herself or she's taking the easy way out - and I've got an easier one if you want it, bud - and I'm barely keeping my shit together. Maybe I just won't, hell if I know. These two fine dudes just got attacked by a green-haired sex fiend and you just arrived on the heels of the only other girl with a fuckin' rad jewel name. That's about it. Other than the like, mutual problem of all of us trying to figure out what to do other than curl up and die here. I'm sorry, I just don't know how to... I'm sorry. I don't know what to make of this."
Erika sat down on a nearby rock and continued to smoke the joint, her hands still shaking.
"Shit, that's pretty cool." The island had monkeys. Tiny cute ones, too. That was good, because it meant less chance to get fucking killed and shit, and it also meant it was something else he could have fun with. Maybe he'd pull an Ace Ventura or something and give those monkeys his bread, and they'd come back and swarm the shit out of Lorenzo if he ever came back. That'd be funny as hell, and cool as hell! Emil laughed at the green haired sex fiend description. It was appropriate way to describe that hoe.
In a way, it was like nothing really happened. It felt like everyone was back home, just smoking and joking. It was nice. The feeling didn't last too long when Emil tried to itch under the collar, but it was nice while it lasted. Emil was snapped out of his day dreaming by something Emmett said. He heard 'steal' and put the few pieces he had together.
"Hey, Nona, you alright? You need our help finding it?"
In a way, it was like nothing really happened. It felt like everyone was back home, just smoking and joking. It was nice. The feeling didn't last too long when Emil tried to itch under the collar, but it was nice while it lasted. Emil was snapped out of his day dreaming by something Emmett said. He heard 'steal' and put the few pieces he had together.
"Hey, Nona, you alright? You need our help finding it?"
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Emprexx Plush
- Posts: 1678
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
- Contact:
So here you are; exhausted, surrounded, off balance, paranoid, desperate. Anything could be part of a plan you haven't worked out and anyone could make a move now that you've let your objective be known. There's no way out and only so long you can play games. Time isn't your friend anymore than any of them are, after all, so stalling without a plan plays into their hands. Reinforcements have already arrived one, two, three times now at conspicuous intervals. You've gotta make a move, a big one, and you've got to do it now. You're the protagonist of this story. How do you get out?
Nona didn't want to ask that question. Before today she never would have read any story that would have her as a protagonist. No one wanted to read about her decisions, least of all her, and just a few beats ago hadn't she written herself out of this tale? Ink refusing to dry, no room for co-authors? All that confidence shriveled as soon as she was asked a question and dragged back into their world. The story couldn't be escaped so easily. To do that, she would have to deny it not only to herself but to all of them in word or action. A clear declaration of intent: this is not happening, I am not playing your game. Having that fight with so many people would only get her mocked again. Maybe if she got out the slip again, showed them Abe's name, that had to be important to whatever they had planned. Nested narratives. Pretend to live in their story while making her own, no lying required. If they let her get up to the top i would all work out. Her hand fished in her pocket, "Yes, um, Abraham-"
The breeze carried a new smell Nona's way. Wide disbelieving eyes followed it back to Erika. In all the nights she'd spent driving people home from parties she'd certainly smelled that before, but she'd never seen someone, um, partake. How had she snuck that on the trip? This couldn't be part of the plan, it didn't make any sense, why would anyone bring drugs all the way out-
Drugs. That's how they did it. It's why she couldn't remember how she got here, why everything after they got on the bus was so hazy. It even let her think about the blood, the blood that on second recollection didn't look quite right, the words that didn't sound like words, the vague unawareness of where she was or why, her inability to cry out, it was all right there in front of her. Um, maybe not exactly, she didn't think marijuana could do anything that crazy, but it worked didn't it? A perfect excuse for everything she'd been trying not to focus on. The layers of thought in her head began to meld together in harmony once more, if she could follow this line she could crack the whole thing. It was thrilling, just like cracking a big twist on a new plot back home. All the tell tale signs were there. Her body felt like it was vibrating with nervous energy, there was a rush of blood to her face, sweat dripped lazy trails across her forehead, her chest ached with every burning wheezing breath as she wait humm no, no, actually most of those were wrong, she never got this worked up writing. When had she started running again?
Oh.
Right.
Nona had come to another conclusion parallel to that one that was a little bit more pressing. It was very simple: someone with drugs had put her to sleep.
Erika was someone with drugs.
Erika was going to put her back to sleep.
Her throat ached. If she focused hard enough she could recall screaming before she started back up the side of the waterfall.
Nona didn't want to ask that question. Before today she never would have read any story that would have her as a protagonist. No one wanted to read about her decisions, least of all her, and just a few beats ago hadn't she written herself out of this tale? Ink refusing to dry, no room for co-authors? All that confidence shriveled as soon as she was asked a question and dragged back into their world. The story couldn't be escaped so easily. To do that, she would have to deny it not only to herself but to all of them in word or action. A clear declaration of intent: this is not happening, I am not playing your game. Having that fight with so many people would only get her mocked again. Maybe if she got out the slip again, showed them Abe's name, that had to be important to whatever they had planned. Nested narratives. Pretend to live in their story while making her own, no lying required. If they let her get up to the top i would all work out. Her hand fished in her pocket, "Yes, um, Abraham-"
The breeze carried a new smell Nona's way. Wide disbelieving eyes followed it back to Erika. In all the nights she'd spent driving people home from parties she'd certainly smelled that before, but she'd never seen someone, um, partake. How had she snuck that on the trip? This couldn't be part of the plan, it didn't make any sense, why would anyone bring drugs all the way out-
Drugs. That's how they did it. It's why she couldn't remember how she got here, why everything after they got on the bus was so hazy. It even let her think about the blood, the blood that on second recollection didn't look quite right, the words that didn't sound like words, the vague unawareness of where she was or why, her inability to cry out, it was all right there in front of her. Um, maybe not exactly, she didn't think marijuana could do anything that crazy, but it worked didn't it? A perfect excuse for everything she'd been trying not to focus on. The layers of thought in her head began to meld together in harmony once more, if she could follow this line she could crack the whole thing. It was thrilling, just like cracking a big twist on a new plot back home. All the tell tale signs were there. Her body felt like it was vibrating with nervous energy, there was a rush of blood to her face, sweat dripped lazy trails across her forehead, her chest ached with every burning wheezing breath as she wait humm no, no, actually most of those were wrong, she never got this worked up writing. When had she started running again?
Oh.
Right.
Nona had come to another conclusion parallel to that one that was a little bit more pressing. It was very simple: someone with drugs had put her to sleep.
Erika was someone with drugs.
Erika was going to put her back to sleep.
Her throat ached. If she focused hard enough she could recall screaming before she started back up the side of the waterfall.
Initially, Garnet considered it to be a bonus that Emmett wasn't paying attention to her. It was only when she caught wind of his agitation that she realised that may have been a premature assessment. Emmett called out a name, Nona, and recognition filtered through of the girl, which was just as well 'cause Garnet wasn't great at picking people out from their retreating back. But yeah! Garnet knew Nona, though she was more Shauna's friend than her friend, on account the pair of them were the kind of people who basically BSODed as soon as they were called upon to actually socialise. Anyway, in terms of like, ranking people who Garnet figured would do a great job with coping with SOTF, Nona had to be someplace close to the bottom. So that was a thing, and Emmett calling out to Nona raised a red flag of oh-shit-she's-probably-not-dealing.
This left Garnet's response to Sapphire as kind of muted, tipping her hand upwards and pulling a face. To be fair, Garnet didn't think much more needed to be said, could be said. She was here and okay. On the other hand, she was here and okay. So y'know, how okay could that really be in the end?
Erika met her eyes for just a second and it took her out of that line of thought like a guided missile. The contact was broken after an instant, but that instant was all that it took. A connection flashed between them both and Garnet found herself suddenly rubbing her eyes with a forearm, scuffing away the tears welling in her eyes. This was ah, this was harder than she'd thought, or maybe it was that she hadn't thought at all before and this was what was actually making her think. 'Cause like, maybe that's what that moment was, standing face to face with someone you'd been hanging out with since middle school and getting fucking dunked onto your head with the realisation that both of your life expectancies could be measured in days.
Garnet didn't need to be a master psychologist to see how forced Erika's smile was. She still returned one of her own, a rueful twitch of the lips, a 'yep this sucks but appreciate the effort' special. Erika proceeded to toke up, which honestly was not the worst possible reaction to the worst set of circumstances they all found themselves in, and then she was giving an explanation of this merry band of misfits. Other than a near-instinctive half-cocked salute at the comment regarding her name, Garnet didn't respond, trying to pull together everything she could from Erika's words whilst also chasing thoughts into the best corral she could manage after they'd been so rudely scattered to the winds. Attacked by a green-haired—well Garnet could think of a guy with green hair but wasn't sure how to process 'sex fiend', especially not hand in hand with 'attacked', and honestly not at all when Erika breezed right through something that just piled on the concern for whatever-the-heck was happening with Nona further on up towards the top.
Which got way, way worse when said lady responded to her name by screaming and scrambling further up the trail. That made things more immediate, and though it didn't ground Garnet, it did provide a mooring. A simple one to start off with: she really couldn't face up to Shauna if she let something happen to her friend.
"Nona! Nona, slow down for a second and chill your ass!" Garnet loped a few long strides upwards, level with Erika's perch and then a little further. "Don't freak—I know there's a bunch but—look you know me, right?"
'Course, maybe Nona had like, that sixth sense she sometimes saw from her animals and was detecting evil or something but Garnet was pretty sure she remembered Nona screaming because an out-of-bounds ball hit the bleachers next to her when Garnet and Shauna and a couple others were shooting around after school, so y'know. Levels, and all.
This left Garnet's response to Sapphire as kind of muted, tipping her hand upwards and pulling a face. To be fair, Garnet didn't think much more needed to be said, could be said. She was here and okay. On the other hand, she was here and okay. So y'know, how okay could that really be in the end?
Erika met her eyes for just a second and it took her out of that line of thought like a guided missile. The contact was broken after an instant, but that instant was all that it took. A connection flashed between them both and Garnet found herself suddenly rubbing her eyes with a forearm, scuffing away the tears welling in her eyes. This was ah, this was harder than she'd thought, or maybe it was that she hadn't thought at all before and this was what was actually making her think. 'Cause like, maybe that's what that moment was, standing face to face with someone you'd been hanging out with since middle school and getting fucking dunked onto your head with the realisation that both of your life expectancies could be measured in days.
Garnet didn't need to be a master psychologist to see how forced Erika's smile was. She still returned one of her own, a rueful twitch of the lips, a 'yep this sucks but appreciate the effort' special. Erika proceeded to toke up, which honestly was not the worst possible reaction to the worst set of circumstances they all found themselves in, and then she was giving an explanation of this merry band of misfits. Other than a near-instinctive half-cocked salute at the comment regarding her name, Garnet didn't respond, trying to pull together everything she could from Erika's words whilst also chasing thoughts into the best corral she could manage after they'd been so rudely scattered to the winds. Attacked by a green-haired—well Garnet could think of a guy with green hair but wasn't sure how to process 'sex fiend', especially not hand in hand with 'attacked', and honestly not at all when Erika breezed right through something that just piled on the concern for whatever-the-heck was happening with Nona further on up towards the top.
Which got way, way worse when said lady responded to her name by screaming and scrambling further up the trail. That made things more immediate, and though it didn't ground Garnet, it did provide a mooring. A simple one to start off with: she really couldn't face up to Shauna if she let something happen to her friend.
"Nona! Nona, slow down for a second and chill your ass!" Garnet loped a few long strides upwards, level with Erika's perch and then a little further. "Don't freak—I know there's a bunch but—look you know me, right?"
'Course, maybe Nona had like, that sixth sense she sometimes saw from her animals and was detecting evil or something but Garnet was pretty sure she remembered Nona screaming because an out-of-bounds ball hit the bleachers next to her when Garnet and Shauna and a couple others were shooting around after school, so y'know. Levels, and all.
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Primrosette
- Posts: 1033
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:58 am
- Location: In the Dark Abyss
Emmett was actually caught off-guard by the sudden event that happened after Nona had mentioned the name Abraham and for some reason she had not finished what she was going to say. Nona was coming up the trail toward him and Emil while screaming. Screaming. Fucking screaming at him for some reason he did not understand. Emmett found himself stumbling back a bit to make sure that he got the hell out of her way.
The person who he had not paid attention to was trying to make Nona chill the fuck out and he noticed that she was one of those sporty girls. Garnet if he remembered correctly. So yes, he was glad that there was someone who was trying to not lose their shit. Well, Sapphire, Emil and Erika weren't either. But Erika seemed to be trying to chill herself out in her own way.
Emmett took a deep breath and he wasn't even angry at Nona for suddenly losing it. Emmett knew that feeling of just wanting to scream and scream over and over again. But right now, his heart was pounding more faster than he would have liked and he knew that he could not have a breakdown. The others didn't need that right now as it might cause them to panic more over their shitty situation and Nona especially did not need him yelling at her to shut the fuck up.
"Nona, it's going to be okay. It's going to be okay." Emmett was trying to do his best to speak in a calming tone and he knew that he was not like Adonis who knew what to do when someone was having a bad day. His heart ached at the thought of what Adonis could be going through. But he knew that Adonis could take care of himself. He just had to believe it to be true. "Listen to Garnet. She seems to know you as a friend and maybe she could help you out. You just need a moment to breathe. Just relax. No one here is gonna hurt you."
Emmett glanced at Emil to show that he was being serious and he really didn't want Nona to continue to scream bloody murder. He was sure that the other girls didn't want Nona to alert other people to their presence. Especially someone who had the balls to want to kill a whole group of six people.
Fuck. Could this day get more shittier or what?
The person who he had not paid attention to was trying to make Nona chill the fuck out and he noticed that she was one of those sporty girls. Garnet if he remembered correctly. So yes, he was glad that there was someone who was trying to not lose their shit. Well, Sapphire, Emil and Erika weren't either. But Erika seemed to be trying to chill herself out in her own way.
Emmett took a deep breath and he wasn't even angry at Nona for suddenly losing it. Emmett knew that feeling of just wanting to scream and scream over and over again. But right now, his heart was pounding more faster than he would have liked and he knew that he could not have a breakdown. The others didn't need that right now as it might cause them to panic more over their shitty situation and Nona especially did not need him yelling at her to shut the fuck up.
"Nona, it's going to be okay. It's going to be okay." Emmett was trying to do his best to speak in a calming tone and he knew that he was not like Adonis who knew what to do when someone was having a bad day. His heart ached at the thought of what Adonis could be going through. But he knew that Adonis could take care of himself. He just had to believe it to be true. "Listen to Garnet. She seems to know you as a friend and maybe she could help you out. You just need a moment to breathe. Just relax. No one here is gonna hurt you."
Emmett glanced at Emil to show that he was being serious and he really didn't want Nona to continue to scream bloody murder. He was sure that the other girls didn't want Nona to alert other people to their presence. Especially someone who had the balls to want to kill a whole group of six people.
Fuck. Could this day get more shittier or what?