((Saachi Nidal continued from Looking Out for Number One))
Saachi had come up with better plans in the past. The island was larger than she expected. The map didn't make it seem so big, but it had felt like they'd been walking for ages. With no good way to tell time, Saachi didn't know if they'd been walking for 30 minutes or 3 hours. Time seemed to drag on and they had encountered no one so far. Next time, choose a place to go to then go there.
The walk had been tense, at least for her. Even though she had Jay's word on working together, he still made her uncomfortable. For one thing, he'd been oddly quiet for most of the walk. Whenever she looked back, he looked to be lost in his own world. She expected him to complain more, or at least give her grief over letting a shelf fall on top of him. She'd never take Jay to be thoughtful or even have a thought, to begin with. She knew she'd have to address that.
Her feet were starting to hurt. She had lost track of how long they had been walking for.
"Let's take a break here. We've been walking for ages now."
She didn't know how tired Jay was. He was an athlete, so he probably had more stamina than she ever would. That didn't stop her from directing the two of them towards the entrance and sitting just outside of the foliage. Sitting against one of the edges of the entrance, Saachi exhaled in relief as her feet finally received a much-needed break. Her hand still instinctively hovered over her closed bag with a map in hand. She watched Jay get comfortable, waiting until he had stopped moving before striking conversation.
"So, you seemed oddly quiet this whole time. Mind if I ask what's up?"
There's No Die in Team
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jimmydalad
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(Minus accessories)
(Minus accessories)
((Jay Harland continued from Looking Out for Number One))
So here he was, stuck on an island with a bitch with a cleaver, told to kill his classmates if he wanted to go home. Two attempts at doing so, two fails, too embarrassing.
He liked Kyran, ish, and he wasn’t sure he could kill him. Saachi was insisting that they had to kill everyone, and she had a point, but she was also a bitch who took to it way too easily and quickly.
Damn, this was a thinker.
He looked up when Saachi called out to him. How long had they been walking? He must’ve zoned out.
They took their seats, and he relaxed. Saachi was right in her assessment, in that he could still keep going a good while longer. But hey, he could enjoy a break.
He reached for his phone. Remembered that he’d realised it was missing ages ago. Pouted.
“Well,” he began, leaning back into his hands and avoiding eye contact with his companion. “This whole thing IS pretty fucked up. I guess I'm just trying to make sense of it.” It was stating the obvious, but it explained why he was thinking so much. Unlike Chop Susie, he couldn’t just walk through this with a straight face and accept it as matter of fact. Yeah, he played to win, and they’d already made a start, but still.
“I dunno, I just never thought I’d be in this kind of thing, y’know? The fact that we – How you tried to kill Kyran, it was,” he paused, exhaled. “well, it was fucked up.”
So here he was, stuck on an island with a bitch with a cleaver, told to kill his classmates if he wanted to go home. Two attempts at doing so, two fails, too embarrassing.
He liked Kyran, ish, and he wasn’t sure he could kill him. Saachi was insisting that they had to kill everyone, and she had a point, but she was also a bitch who took to it way too easily and quickly.
Damn, this was a thinker.
He looked up when Saachi called out to him. How long had they been walking? He must’ve zoned out.
They took their seats, and he relaxed. Saachi was right in her assessment, in that he could still keep going a good while longer. But hey, he could enjoy a break.
He reached for his phone. Remembered that he’d realised it was missing ages ago. Pouted.
“Well,” he began, leaning back into his hands and avoiding eye contact with his companion. “This whole thing IS pretty fucked up. I guess I'm just trying to make sense of it.” It was stating the obvious, but it explained why he was thinking so much. Unlike Chop Susie, he couldn’t just walk through this with a straight face and accept it as matter of fact. Yeah, he played to win, and they’d already made a start, but still.
“I dunno, I just never thought I’d be in this kind of thing, y’know? The fact that we – How you tried to kill Kyran, it was,” he paused, exhaled. “well, it was fucked up.”
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jimmydalad
- Posts: 266
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Saachi worked hard to maintain a straight face. She couldn't let Jay know how incredulous she felt about what he was saying. He was having second thoughts now? After trying to kill her then work with her to try and kill Kyran? Now was the time he was having the moral quandary about the game they were playing? Saachi could hardly believe it. He seemed so eager to play Captain Ahab and try to catch some guy in a net. He then called her actions "fucked up"?
Saachi needed to take a breath. Now wasn't the time to blow up on him. That would probably lead to her death. At least she heard about this now, rather than when they were about to attack someone. At least she could work with this, make this salvageable. In a way, it was actually nice for Jay to voice his opinions. It also was nice to know that he had a less than good opinion of her.
"Yes, this entire situation really is fucked up." Saachi began tentatively, trying to test the waters to see how Jay would react. "I mean, none of us really thought we'd end up in this kind of thing."
In the end, she needed to remember that Jay was a human. This was in no way a normal situation. She couldn't just tell him to suck it up. If anything, that would just make it worse. With that in mind, Saachi softened her expressions. She gave Jay a friendly smile, or at least she attempted to. She'd been antagonistic to Jay for most of the game. If she legitimately wanted to work with him, she needed to make the step in bridging the gap. She had to at least try, or she'd risk him losing his cool and turning on her.
"I hope I don't have to say this, but I take no enjoyment out of this game. I hate it. I hate having to play this game and do the things I'm doing. In the end, however, I have no choice. We have no choice. That's just the way this game was designed."
She stood up and moved so that she was seated right next to him. Crossing her arms, she made an attempt to look Jay straight in the eye. She had to be genuine, at least a little bit. It was true that she didn't like playing the game, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was an inevitability. She had to portray that to Jay, get him to understand.
"When you think about it Jay, everyone's going to play sooner or later. Whether it be today, tomorrow or next week. I doubt most of us are suicidal, so the only logical conclusion to survive is to play. I hate doing this, I really do. But I want to survive. Like you, Jay, I want to win and honestly, the best way to survive is to get to them before they get to us. We're doing the things that people are going to end up doing anyways. However, the things we do this game should in no way reflect our true nature. This game is a perversion of reality. We both just want to win and survive. That shouldn't make us monsters.
These were the things she had to do. This game wasn't who she was. This game was twisting what she was. Saachi already knew who she was. She was the daughter of Cheliyan and Wamil Nidal. She had a life back home. That was who she truly was. This was just a game. The other people were just players and prey. That's how she had to view things. Maybe, just maybe, she could communicate that to Jay.
Saachi needed to take a breath. Now wasn't the time to blow up on him. That would probably lead to her death. At least she heard about this now, rather than when they were about to attack someone. At least she could work with this, make this salvageable. In a way, it was actually nice for Jay to voice his opinions. It also was nice to know that he had a less than good opinion of her.
"Yes, this entire situation really is fucked up." Saachi began tentatively, trying to test the waters to see how Jay would react. "I mean, none of us really thought we'd end up in this kind of thing."
In the end, she needed to remember that Jay was a human. This was in no way a normal situation. She couldn't just tell him to suck it up. If anything, that would just make it worse. With that in mind, Saachi softened her expressions. She gave Jay a friendly smile, or at least she attempted to. She'd been antagonistic to Jay for most of the game. If she legitimately wanted to work with him, she needed to make the step in bridging the gap. She had to at least try, or she'd risk him losing his cool and turning on her.
"I hope I don't have to say this, but I take no enjoyment out of this game. I hate it. I hate having to play this game and do the things I'm doing. In the end, however, I have no choice. We have no choice. That's just the way this game was designed."
She stood up and moved so that she was seated right next to him. Crossing her arms, she made an attempt to look Jay straight in the eye. She had to be genuine, at least a little bit. It was true that she didn't like playing the game, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was an inevitability. She had to portray that to Jay, get him to understand.
"When you think about it Jay, everyone's going to play sooner or later. Whether it be today, tomorrow or next week. I doubt most of us are suicidal, so the only logical conclusion to survive is to play. I hate doing this, I really do. But I want to survive. Like you, Jay, I want to win and honestly, the best way to survive is to get to them before they get to us. We're doing the things that people are going to end up doing anyways. However, the things we do this game should in no way reflect our true nature. This game is a perversion of reality. We both just want to win and survive. That shouldn't make us monsters.
These were the things she had to do. This game wasn't who she was. This game was twisting what she was. Saachi already knew who she was. She was the daughter of Cheliyan and Wamil Nidal. She had a life back home. That was who she truly was. This was just a game. The other people were just players and prey. That's how she had to view things. Maybe, just maybe, she could communicate that to Jay.
Jay sat there with a straight face as Saachi delivered her rebuttal. He didn’t reciprocate her attempts at warmth, and moved back just a little bit when she slid into his personal space.
What she was saying made him uncomfortable. Not because of the whole ‘Hey, we’ve got no choice but to kill everyone’ shtick, or that what she was saying was, in all likelihood, accurate. It was because of how she’d said it.
Smoothly, reasoned, with clarity and calmness. She said she hated it, but she was pretty matter of fact about doing so. There was no doubt that she’d definitely accepted that things were as they were.
He folded his arms, and instead of replying immediately put on his thinking face. He didn’t wear it under usual circumstances, but – well, it was pretty obvious why he was wearing it.
She’d been pretty quick to buddy up with him, especially considering how they’d met. He’d mostly just gone along with it because he felt awkward and she had an actual plan and why the hell not, but you’d think someone would hold a grudge over that introduction. Yeah, it wasn’t like he didn’t have a good reason to kick the shit out of her, but she’d have to be Mother frickin’ Theresa to just let it go for no reason, and no way Jay was going to mix up the two anytime soon.
She did offer one ray of hope though: that whatever happened, it wasn’t the real them. It was nice to think that he wouldn’t be at fault for whatever he did, even though Saachi was still the one gunning to do so. Even if he did have to do what he had to do, it wasn’t like you could blame him. No red cards, free pass. Go back home, get on with life.
He tilted his head to the side, exhaling.
What she was saying made him uncomfortable. Not because of the whole ‘Hey, we’ve got no choice but to kill everyone’ shtick, or that what she was saying was, in all likelihood, accurate. It was because of how she’d said it.
Smoothly, reasoned, with clarity and calmness. She said she hated it, but she was pretty matter of fact about doing so. There was no doubt that she’d definitely accepted that things were as they were.
He folded his arms, and instead of replying immediately put on his thinking face. He didn’t wear it under usual circumstances, but – well, it was pretty obvious why he was wearing it.
She’d been pretty quick to buddy up with him, especially considering how they’d met. He’d mostly just gone along with it because he felt awkward and she had an actual plan and why the hell not, but you’d think someone would hold a grudge over that introduction. Yeah, it wasn’t like he didn’t have a good reason to kick the shit out of her, but she’d have to be Mother frickin’ Theresa to just let it go for no reason, and no way Jay was going to mix up the two anytime soon.
She did offer one ray of hope though: that whatever happened, it wasn’t the real them. It was nice to think that he wouldn’t be at fault for whatever he did, even though Saachi was still the one gunning to do so. Even if he did have to do what he had to do, it wasn’t like you could blame him. No red cards, free pass. Go back home, get on with life.
He tilted his head to the side, exhaling.
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jimmydalad
- Posts: 266
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:38 pm
Jay didn't say anything. That worried her. He seemed oddly thoughtful, much more than so than she had ever expected. She could already see ahead how this could backfire on her if she left this to continue to fester. It was clear that her original strategy didn't work. Jay still wasn't comfortable around her and that rang many warning bells.
"I never said it before, but thanks for... not killing me."
Saachi crossed her arms and looked to the floor. God, this felt uncomfy. Part of the reason she looked away was so she wouldn't break the illusion. Like her father did, the best way to get something out of someone was to please them. Make them feel good about themselves and curry their favour. Get to their heart and the world was your oyster. That was how her father described it. Jay was never going to like her as a close friend, that ship probably sailed ages ago. But maybe she could get him to like her, at least just a little bit.
"Out of everyone on the island, I trust you the most right now Jay. It's silly, considering the start we had, but you didn't kill me. In fact, you stopped and helped me out. Not everyone would do that. It was gentlemanly of you and I respect that. I respect that and your desire to win. I know it means we're going to have to fight later, but for now, our goals align. We both want to win and I know we can help each other out. You're strong, much stronger than I am, and at this point, I need your help."
It was partially true. Jay was probably the person Saachi trusted the most not to kill her. That was mostly because he had a perfect kill opportunity and squandered it. She still would never fully trust him with anything. That was stupid. She mostly just parroted things he said about himself. She felt slimy saying what she said. She didn't need help. She probably could've done decently well on her own. Having Jay just made things easier. Made her less likely to injure herself or lose her life. In the end, she'd have to swallow her pride and do it, even if it made her want to retch placating the guy who tried killing her at the beginning of the game.
She tried looking up at Jay, the awkwardness slithering through her body. God, she hoped he didn't see straight through her. That would make this 100 times worse than it already was.
"So, yeah, I really appreciate you helping me. You were good back with Kyran. If it was just me, I would've been totally screwed."
This had better work. While it was technically true, Saachi didn't like admitting it.
"I never said it before, but thanks for... not killing me."
Saachi crossed her arms and looked to the floor. God, this felt uncomfy. Part of the reason she looked away was so she wouldn't break the illusion. Like her father did, the best way to get something out of someone was to please them. Make them feel good about themselves and curry their favour. Get to their heart and the world was your oyster. That was how her father described it. Jay was never going to like her as a close friend, that ship probably sailed ages ago. But maybe she could get him to like her, at least just a little bit.
"Out of everyone on the island, I trust you the most right now Jay. It's silly, considering the start we had, but you didn't kill me. In fact, you stopped and helped me out. Not everyone would do that. It was gentlemanly of you and I respect that. I respect that and your desire to win. I know it means we're going to have to fight later, but for now, our goals align. We both want to win and I know we can help each other out. You're strong, much stronger than I am, and at this point, I need your help."
It was partially true. Jay was probably the person Saachi trusted the most not to kill her. That was mostly because he had a perfect kill opportunity and squandered it. She still would never fully trust him with anything. That was stupid. She mostly just parroted things he said about himself. She felt slimy saying what she said. She didn't need help. She probably could've done decently well on her own. Having Jay just made things easier. Made her less likely to injure herself or lose her life. In the end, she'd have to swallow her pride and do it, even if it made her want to retch placating the guy who tried killing her at the beginning of the game.
She tried looking up at Jay, the awkwardness slithering through her body. God, she hoped he didn't see straight through her. That would make this 100 times worse than it already was.
"So, yeah, I really appreciate you helping me. You were good back with Kyran. If it was just me, I would've been totally screwed."
This had better work. While it was technically true, Saachi didn't like admitting it.
Jay continued to sit where he was, arms folded, as Saachi went on. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but kept his wary reluctance to engage.
Thanks for not killing me.
Had that actually been a possibility? He’d lost it, probably, and he hadn’t planned on stopping what he’d been doing, but still. It’s not like he’d set out to kill the first bitch he came across, right? He wasn’t that crazy or anything. He hadn’t decided in the first five minutes that that was the only option, had he?
Well, she did think he’d stopped to help her. Or that’s what she was trying to sell him on, anyway. He couldn’t have come across as insane or whatever if that was the case. Couldn’t be coming off like that right now, either. Sure, even if he hadn’t kept his cool, he couldn’t have looked like he was about to kill her. He wasn’t about to do that, he was pretty sure. He knew he wouldn’t have tried it on Kyran, anyway, so it was ok.
That still left them in a bind. After all, if he wanted to go home, he’d have to do it eventually. He didn’t like it, but he certainly wasn’t about to die like a bitch. Saachi seemed fine with taking the reins for the time being, but he’d deal with it sooner or later. Better if it was later.
In the meantime, though, he could deal with her. If she wanted to play buddy buddy and feed him a lot of friendly remarks (as if he'd been good with Kyran, please), then he could play ball.
He turned back to her, plastering on a warm look that was equally as sincere as her own had been.
“It was nothing, really. Sorry about the whole net thing, it was an accident. My bad.”
Big smile, lots of teeth.
“I think we’ll be ok, anyway. You’re super smart, right? And with your cleaver and how strong I am, we’re pretty much unstoppable.”
He threw his arm around her, pulling her in close and giving her shoulder a rub.
“You and me Saachi, you and me. You just come up with all the plans, use that genius head of yours, and we’ve got this in the bag.”
Thanks for not killing me.
Had that actually been a possibility? He’d lost it, probably, and he hadn’t planned on stopping what he’d been doing, but still. It’s not like he’d set out to kill the first bitch he came across, right? He wasn’t that crazy or anything. He hadn’t decided in the first five minutes that that was the only option, had he?
Well, she did think he’d stopped to help her. Or that’s what she was trying to sell him on, anyway. He couldn’t have come across as insane or whatever if that was the case. Couldn’t be coming off like that right now, either. Sure, even if he hadn’t kept his cool, he couldn’t have looked like he was about to kill her. He wasn’t about to do that, he was pretty sure. He knew he wouldn’t have tried it on Kyran, anyway, so it was ok.
That still left them in a bind. After all, if he wanted to go home, he’d have to do it eventually. He didn’t like it, but he certainly wasn’t about to die like a bitch. Saachi seemed fine with taking the reins for the time being, but he’d deal with it sooner or later. Better if it was later.
In the meantime, though, he could deal with her. If she wanted to play buddy buddy and feed him a lot of friendly remarks (as if he'd been good with Kyran, please), then he could play ball.
He turned back to her, plastering on a warm look that was equally as sincere as her own had been.
“It was nothing, really. Sorry about the whole net thing, it was an accident. My bad.”
Big smile, lots of teeth.
“I think we’ll be ok, anyway. You’re super smart, right? And with your cleaver and how strong I am, we’re pretty much unstoppable.”
He threw his arm around her, pulling her in close and giving her shoulder a rub.
“You and me Saachi, you and me. You just come up with all the plans, use that genius head of yours, and we’ve got this in the bag.”
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jimmydalad
- Posts: 266
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:38 pm
Jay was apologising back, this was a good development. Her schmoozing did work, which was an immense relief to her. Saachi shot a grin back at Jay's, mostly out of relief more than anything else. She was making headway, and that was awesome. One less person to worry about, at least in the short term. For her, that was a miracle.
It was nice to have her skills complemented. What wasn't so nice was the sudden hug that she got pulled into. Resisting the urge to just push Jay away immediately, Saachi tentatively returned the hug. On the bright side, he wasn't kicking her, though this wasn't something she would classify as comfortable. Things were going well, however, so she might as well keep it up.
"That's one way to put it," Saachi responded. "I know we can do a lot of damage together. We've got each other's backs after all."
This was never going to be a long term thing, though something in the back of her mind wanted it to be. In the end, they were still competing with each other. Saachi needed to remember that. Everyone was competition. The only difference with Jay was that he was willing to cooperate. Saachi needed to remind herself of that, even though Jay seemed to be reciprocative towards her pleasantries. There was something oddly nice about having someone to play with.
"In any case, I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm not used to seeing you be so troubled with your thoughts. I will admit it's not the best look for you."
She gave him a friendly chuckle. When Jay wasn't being such a tryhard and making everything about him, he wasn't too bad. He was almost bearable. Saachi was starting to get her energy back and the problem with Jay seemed to have sorted itself out. She was ready to move on as she moved back towards her things and slung her bag around her again.
"We should probably get moving soon. Even if there are people there, I'd rather not deal with the darkness of the tunnels. Anywhere you particularly want to go or should we just explore and hope we can catch a lone person unawares? We've still got a Moby Dick to catch, after all, Captain Ahab."
She seemed to be feeling a bit more blasé with Jay. That probably was wrong. Was it smart for her to lower her guard? Probably not. Yet, there was something relieving about something going her way. Her game could be worse, but she couldn't really say that it had been great so far. Being able to be civil and friendly with Jay and not have to worry about him immediately trying to kill her, it was like a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders. With everything that was happening in the game, it was nice to have something that seemed relatively normal.
No, Saachi, focus. This was the same guy who caught you in a net and then proceeded to go to town. He stated his intentions were to win. She needed to be cognisant of that. Wanting to win meant turning on her, at least at some point. She needed to be ready to take the initiative before he did. She had a weapon, but he had strength. She needed to surprise him to stand a chance. Jay was friendly now, but he could snap at any point. She needed to win. There was no other option. Winning meant keeping focus. She couldn't lose herself to her emotions.
Focus, Saachi, focus. That's what she'd need to get through.
It was nice to have her skills complemented. What wasn't so nice was the sudden hug that she got pulled into. Resisting the urge to just push Jay away immediately, Saachi tentatively returned the hug. On the bright side, he wasn't kicking her, though this wasn't something she would classify as comfortable. Things were going well, however, so she might as well keep it up.
"That's one way to put it," Saachi responded. "I know we can do a lot of damage together. We've got each other's backs after all."
This was never going to be a long term thing, though something in the back of her mind wanted it to be. In the end, they were still competing with each other. Saachi needed to remember that. Everyone was competition. The only difference with Jay was that he was willing to cooperate. Saachi needed to remind herself of that, even though Jay seemed to be reciprocative towards her pleasantries. There was something oddly nice about having someone to play with.
"In any case, I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm not used to seeing you be so troubled with your thoughts. I will admit it's not the best look for you."
She gave him a friendly chuckle. When Jay wasn't being such a tryhard and making everything about him, he wasn't too bad. He was almost bearable. Saachi was starting to get her energy back and the problem with Jay seemed to have sorted itself out. She was ready to move on as she moved back towards her things and slung her bag around her again.
"We should probably get moving soon. Even if there are people there, I'd rather not deal with the darkness of the tunnels. Anywhere you particularly want to go or should we just explore and hope we can catch a lone person unawares? We've still got a Moby Dick to catch, after all, Captain Ahab."
She seemed to be feeling a bit more blasé with Jay. That probably was wrong. Was it smart for her to lower her guard? Probably not. Yet, there was something relieving about something going her way. Her game could be worse, but she couldn't really say that it had been great so far. Being able to be civil and friendly with Jay and not have to worry about him immediately trying to kill her, it was like a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders. With everything that was happening in the game, it was nice to have something that seemed relatively normal.
No, Saachi, focus. This was the same guy who caught you in a net and then proceeded to go to town. He stated his intentions were to win. She needed to be cognisant of that. Wanting to win meant turning on her, at least at some point. She needed to be ready to take the initiative before he did. She had a weapon, but he had strength. She needed to surprise him to stand a chance. Jay was friendly now, but he could snap at any point. She needed to win. There was no other option. Winning meant keeping focus. She couldn't lose herself to her emotions.
Focus, Saachi, focus. That's what she'd need to get through.
Jay kept smiling and nodding, keeping on Saachi’s side with some high-class lip service. She may have been a bitch, but as long as she thought they were a team, it was all good. After all, she was happy to do what he didn’t want to.
He pushed himself up from his seat, stretching out as the topic of next destinations came up. He thought for a moment, then pulled the map he’d stuffed into his pocket out. He hadn’t looked at it that closely until now, so he spent a moment taking in the various attractions the island offered. He found himself surprisingly curious about it, but indecisive enough all the same.
“Eh, I dunno. You pick, I’ll follow.”
He nodded at her, handing her the map. He couldn’t help but notice a slight tenseness in her face as he did so, as if she had thoughts on her mind too. Not unexpected, but the fact that he’d even noticed it to begin with was kind of odd.
Meh, whatever.
((Jay Harland and Saachi Nidal continued in PokeStop))
He pushed himself up from his seat, stretching out as the topic of next destinations came up. He thought for a moment, then pulled the map he’d stuffed into his pocket out. He hadn’t looked at it that closely until now, so he spent a moment taking in the various attractions the island offered. He found himself surprisingly curious about it, but indecisive enough all the same.
“Eh, I dunno. You pick, I’ll follow.”
He nodded at her, handing her the map. He couldn’t help but notice a slight tenseness in her face as he did so, as if she had thoughts on her mind too. Not unexpected, but the fact that he’d even noticed it to begin with was kind of odd.
Meh, whatever.
((Jay Harland and Saachi Nidal continued in PokeStop))