((Aria Samuels continued from Tragic Solo))
The announcements blared, but Aria was too tired to fully pay attention. His night had been mostly restless and he was certainly suffering for it. Even as the sound of the announcement invaded his ears, Aria was still slightly delirious of the world around him. He was vaguely aware of the presence of names, or at least they were possible names? He was certain they were words, but what words they were was something that mystified him.
The first thing he noticed was that his eyes didn't hurt. The pain was gone. Thank god. A sigh of relief escaped Aria as he pushed himself off Paris and sat next to him. Paris's gun still sat in his hand and the crude, messy blindfold that had served as protection from the cruel sun the previous day was still on him. It had served its purpose well, but he was ready to face the light.
Aria moved to untie the knots, closing his eyes as the shirt came off his face. He was ready to see again. After accepting the comfort of darkness for an entire day, he was welcome for the light to welcome him back into his arms. He counted to three, bouncing his head to each number and opened his eyes.
He wasn't greeted with the sight of the cliffs. His vision was blurred like he was looking through a window on a foggy day or trying to see his reflection just after a steamy shower. At best, he could see blobs. Blobs of fuzzy colors here and there. He tried to look down to his hand and only saw tan blurs. He tried to look at where Paris was. Unrecognisable. His head swivelled around rapidly, trying to make sense of the world. There was nothing. Nothing except blurs and splotches of random colours.
Aria screamed.
Perilous Prelude
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jimmydalad
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Somersault
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((Natali Greer continued from She Wondered If There's A Way Out Of The Blue))
Another day, another dead body.
She looked to her gun, for something to tell her it was okay, that she just had to continue living, that it was alright. But it wasn't, was it? Because here she was, standing in front of the dead body of a...person she knew fairly well, and a screaming boy. This was not a great way to start the morning, and everything in her body was telling her to look away, to try to run away on her messed-up leg, but instead she stood, staring. What was in front of her as horrible, like a trainwreck, but just like a trainwreck, she couldn't look away. What an awful metaphor.
Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear. Fuuuuck her life. Had the screaming guy killed Paris? Had they fought or something, and was that why has wailing was so goddamn loud? It was in her ears, in her head, like a siren that just wouldn't go off, just going and going and GAAAAH. She couldn't take this. Not at all. She wasn't going to take this. She had a gun, she could use it, she could totally afford not to take it.
"Can you just shut up!? The hell did you do?" Natali shouted, glaring at the boy.
Briefly, she wondered whether he had seen him before in class, especially considering that P.J. Hobbs wasn't that big, and so she began to take slow breaths, trying to calm herself. Losing her head here meant that she would probably lose her head literally, and that was to be avoided at all costs. But, the screaming, it was just so much! Living. Yeah. She could live. Totally, here and now, plan ahead, but it wasn't as if she could run, right?
It was that animal instinct or something. Fight or flight? Yeah, in science class, they discussed this like a bajillion times. Science was fun, sure, but there was no going back. Not now. Nat had gone up here to like feel the ocean breeze or whatever, clear her head, and instead she just got an earful of wailing and an eyeful of her dead sorta-friend.
Eyes wide, heart beating, sweat running.
Her hand went into her pocket tighten.
She could feel the cool metal of the gun.
Another day, another dead body.
She looked to her gun, for something to tell her it was okay, that she just had to continue living, that it was alright. But it wasn't, was it? Because here she was, standing in front of the dead body of a...person she knew fairly well, and a screaming boy. This was not a great way to start the morning, and everything in her body was telling her to look away, to try to run away on her messed-up leg, but instead she stood, staring. What was in front of her as horrible, like a trainwreck, but just like a trainwreck, she couldn't look away. What an awful metaphor.
Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear. Fuuuuck her life. Had the screaming guy killed Paris? Had they fought or something, and was that why has wailing was so goddamn loud? It was in her ears, in her head, like a siren that just wouldn't go off, just going and going and GAAAAH. She couldn't take this. Not at all. She wasn't going to take this. She had a gun, she could use it, she could totally afford not to take it.
"Can you just shut up!? The hell did you do?" Natali shouted, glaring at the boy.
Briefly, she wondered whether he had seen him before in class, especially considering that P.J. Hobbs wasn't that big, and so she began to take slow breaths, trying to calm herself. Losing her head here meant that she would probably lose her head literally, and that was to be avoided at all costs. But, the screaming, it was just so much! Living. Yeah. She could live. Totally, here and now, plan ahead, but it wasn't as if she could run, right?
It was that animal instinct or something. Fight or flight? Yeah, in science class, they discussed this like a bajillion times. Science was fun, sure, but there was no going back. Not now. Nat had gone up here to like feel the ocean breeze or whatever, clear her head, and instead she just got an earful of wailing and an eyeful of her dead sorta-friend.
Eyes wide, heart beating, sweat running.
Her hand went into her pocket tighten.
She could feel the cool metal of the gun.
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jimmydalad
- Posts: 266
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:38 pm
"W-who was that? Where are you?"
Aria wildly swang around as he tried to use his useless eyes to see where the voice came from to no avail. His gun was outstretched, but it became more posturing than anything legitimately threatening. After all, without any idea of where the threat was coming from, what use was the fucking gun? No matter how hard he squinted, all he was greeted with were indistinct shapes of different colors.
Useless. Fucking useless.
What the fuck was he supposed to do? He just found out that he couldn't see and now some random voice was telling him to shut up. What if the voice tried to kill him? There'd be fucking nothing he could do about it. They'd come out of nowhere, beat the shit out of him and leave him for dead. Even if he managed by some miracle to make it back home, life would never be the same again. So much of his life had been fucked up on this island and there was nothing he could do about it.
Each revelation weighed upon Aria. Each piling on top of the other to culminate to the point where it was fit to burst. At what point, what could a boy like him do in this messed up situation in this messed up game dealing with messed up people who kept on fucking him over.
He cried.
After all, what else was there to do? He couldn't do anything. He couldn't go out and do things on his own. He couldn't follow Paris's wishes and stop the players. He couldn't even get revenge on Baxter or Jasmine or Brigid or Christopher or any of the people who were responsible for all the shit he'd been through in the game. At this point, he was probably going to die anyway. Aria found no sense in trying to keep hold of his last vestiges of pride after everything that had happened. After going blind. He just wanted to cry.
Aria wildly swang around as he tried to use his useless eyes to see where the voice came from to no avail. His gun was outstretched, but it became more posturing than anything legitimately threatening. After all, without any idea of where the threat was coming from, what use was the fucking gun? No matter how hard he squinted, all he was greeted with were indistinct shapes of different colors.
Useless. Fucking useless.
What the fuck was he supposed to do? He just found out that he couldn't see and now some random voice was telling him to shut up. What if the voice tried to kill him? There'd be fucking nothing he could do about it. They'd come out of nowhere, beat the shit out of him and leave him for dead. Even if he managed by some miracle to make it back home, life would never be the same again. So much of his life had been fucked up on this island and there was nothing he could do about it.
Each revelation weighed upon Aria. Each piling on top of the other to culminate to the point where it was fit to burst. At what point, what could a boy like him do in this messed up situation in this messed up game dealing with messed up people who kept on fucking him over.
He cried.
After all, what else was there to do? He couldn't do anything. He couldn't go out and do things on his own. He couldn't follow Paris's wishes and stop the players. He couldn't even get revenge on Baxter or Jasmine or Brigid or Christopher or any of the people who were responsible for all the shit he'd been through in the game. At this point, he was probably going to die anyway. Aria found no sense in trying to keep hold of his last vestiges of pride after everything that had happened. After going blind. He just wanted to cry.
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
Wait, how come he couldn't see her? Was he blind, or something? Then, she noticed how red his eyes were, the distress evident on his face, and she realized shit. A lot of shit, like the fact that the guy in front of her, whose name probably started with an A or something, was probably actually blind. Oh. Oh dear.
So, okay, now Nat was dealing with a really emotional, blind guy. Should she try to like comfort him, or just stay here, and continue to watch as he essentially dissolved into himself? At least she finally found someone on this island who was probably in deeper shit than she was. That thought gave her a small feeling of joy, but she quickly quelled it. She was pretty sure she shouldn't be feeling happy about another person being in worse shape than she was, but it meant she might have a chance out here, so yay?
She grimaced uncomfortably.
Like, okay, already decided that she was going to mainly look out for herself out here, but Nat also kind of felt shitty if she just left this guy out to cry, and to be honest, the crying was getting really tiring. Wasn't she good at this, listening to people's concerns? But being plopped on an island where most people were out to murder each other could probably make one value those skills a lot less, but she guess she could try.
One step forward, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. Close enough for him to hear her, far enough that he couldn't reach her that quickly if he decided he wanted to murder her. Had to be careful.
"Uhh...right here, hi. Natali Greer. I was friends with Paris, before, before well, this shit happened."
Everything about this felt awkward. So, so awkward. She was gonna live, she could do that, but for now, maybe listening to what the other guy would have to say would be good. At least, maybe he'd give her some of his supplies. That would be fantastic. Besides, the cameras were watching, and if she just abandoned him, that wouldn't look too good. The gun was still in her hoodie anyways, ready for her to get it.
If this turned out badly, she could do it. Definitely. Probably?
So, okay, now Nat was dealing with a really emotional, blind guy. Should she try to like comfort him, or just stay here, and continue to watch as he essentially dissolved into himself? At least she finally found someone on this island who was probably in deeper shit than she was. That thought gave her a small feeling of joy, but she quickly quelled it. She was pretty sure she shouldn't be feeling happy about another person being in worse shape than she was, but it meant she might have a chance out here, so yay?
She grimaced uncomfortably.
Like, okay, already decided that she was going to mainly look out for herself out here, but Nat also kind of felt shitty if she just left this guy out to cry, and to be honest, the crying was getting really tiring. Wasn't she good at this, listening to people's concerns? But being plopped on an island where most people were out to murder each other could probably make one value those skills a lot less, but she guess she could try.
One step forward, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. Close enough for him to hear her, far enough that he couldn't reach her that quickly if he decided he wanted to murder her. Had to be careful.
"Uhh...right here, hi. Natali Greer. I was friends with Paris, before, before well, this shit happened."
Everything about this felt awkward. So, so awkward. She was gonna live, she could do that, but for now, maybe listening to what the other guy would have to say would be good. At least, maybe he'd give her some of his supplies. That would be fantastic. Besides, the cameras were watching, and if she just abandoned him, that wouldn't look too good. The gun was still in her hoodie anyways, ready for her to get it.
If this turned out badly, she could do it. Definitely. Probably?
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jimmydalad
- Posts: 266
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:38 pm
It was a truly pathetic display. Aria crying next to the body of his dead friend into the ground. He had at this point braced himself to get attacked, recognising that he was such an easy target that if someone wanted to get that magical one kill to get them over the hump, they easily could. Maybe dying now wouldn't be so bad. Not like his life could get any worse. He'd already been slowly spiralling down the septic tank of life anyway. Some could even consider it cleansing the gene pool.
Aria braced himself even as no impact came. He didn't want death to be too painful. If he braced, he thought he'd be able to reduce the amount of hurt that he had incoming. It was totally possible that they were just playing with him, waiting for him to lower his guard and then strike. It was that thought that led him to continue his actions as tears slid down his cheeks.
At the sound of a voice again, Aria was finally able to pinpoint the general direction it came from. He turned to face Natali, though he still missed her by a smidge to the right. He was able to recognise her distinctive brown, white and blue, but the borders between her colors and the colors of the cliffs around him were indistinct, like the area around him just suddenly changed color out of nowhere. She said she was a friend of Paris, but Aria didn't let his guard down completely. He sniffed a few times, trying to gain his composure back before he talked.
"O-oh, I'm Aria." Aria started out, bumbling through his words as he was still trying to recover from crying. "I-I was friends with Paris too. He.. We.. W-we met up yesterday and started to travel together. H-he wanted to s-stop players from killing peacefully just by talking. W-we met up with Baxter, L-Lombardi and Sarah and they went off on their own."
Aria choked slightly as he thought back to yesterday. When he still had his sight. When he still had Paris. He should've fucking gone with Paris and Lombardi, or been there while he was talking with Jasmine. He wiped the tears off his face and took a deep breath before trying to talk again.
"L-Lombardi came back on his own and next thing I see... Jasmine... Fucking Jasmine."
Aria's face contorted in pain. He replayed each kick that Paris suffered at the hands of Jasmine. Again and again and again.
"S-she was shouting and P-paris tried to calm her down and then she... s-she... she beat him up. S-s-smacked him with her gun and started stomping on his ribs over and over again. H-he had no chance."
At that point, Aria hugged himself and let the tears come back.
Aria braced himself even as no impact came. He didn't want death to be too painful. If he braced, he thought he'd be able to reduce the amount of hurt that he had incoming. It was totally possible that they were just playing with him, waiting for him to lower his guard and then strike. It was that thought that led him to continue his actions as tears slid down his cheeks.
At the sound of a voice again, Aria was finally able to pinpoint the general direction it came from. He turned to face Natali, though he still missed her by a smidge to the right. He was able to recognise her distinctive brown, white and blue, but the borders between her colors and the colors of the cliffs around him were indistinct, like the area around him just suddenly changed color out of nowhere. She said she was a friend of Paris, but Aria didn't let his guard down completely. He sniffed a few times, trying to gain his composure back before he talked.
"O-oh, I'm Aria." Aria started out, bumbling through his words as he was still trying to recover from crying. "I-I was friends with Paris too. He.. We.. W-we met up yesterday and started to travel together. H-he wanted to s-stop players from killing peacefully just by talking. W-we met up with Baxter, L-Lombardi and Sarah and they went off on their own."
Aria choked slightly as he thought back to yesterday. When he still had his sight. When he still had Paris. He should've fucking gone with Paris and Lombardi, or been there while he was talking with Jasmine. He wiped the tears off his face and took a deep breath before trying to talk again.
"L-Lombardi came back on his own and next thing I see... Jasmine... Fucking Jasmine."
Aria's face contorted in pain. He replayed each kick that Paris suffered at the hands of Jasmine. Again and again and again.
"S-she was shouting and P-paris tried to calm her down and then she... s-she... she beat him up. S-s-smacked him with her gun and started stomping on his ribs over and over again. H-he had no chance."
At that point, Aria hugged himself and let the tears come back.
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
Still frozen, still unmoving, unwilling to move further away or even closer.
She was still listening, sort of, but she was more staring at Aria, the crying mass huddled in front of her, and how now it was possible to see the Paris' broken ribs, open, gaping, dead. There was no one inside that body, right? If Heaven existed then maybe he went there, or perhaps now his body was just an empty shell, just staring there.
The cameras were looking now, maybe Ms. Ardennes was watching now, as one of her students, a friend of her son, broke into pieces. What could she do? It wasn't as if Natali could just go up and say "Sorry for letting your son get killed," or something like that.
A shuddering breath. Maybe that was the thing, maybe that was the key. She couldn't look out for anyone else out here, right? Every person for themselves, survival. Living. She shouldn't feel guilty, right? Just showed that she was better able to survive here, make something of herself. No problem with that. There shouldn't have been one.
Wouldn't stop her from feeling sick, feeling guilty as her eyes settled on his corpse, and what she caught of what Aria was mumbling about wasn't helping her either. Of course Paris was gonna go try and talk down the killers, of course he thought everything could be solved like that. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Of course he did that. Of course she had to go find his dead body, with someone crying over him. No crying, though. Not in front of someone else.
Tears formed in the corner of her eye. They were quickly wiped out, as if they were never there.
Right, Aria. Had to act like she was listening, at least. A small nod there, a quiet "Mmm." there, just enough to look like she was paying attention, and she sort of was. Half in, half out, until he mentioned who had killed Paris, who had stomped on him and left him looking like...that.
Jasmine. The Jasmine she had spoken to in that weird abandoned theme park, the one that was an ex of Paris. Wasn't she meant to be smart? Smart wasn't killing someone this early, but then again, this island, this island was...strange. No one to really trust, no one to really hate. Weren't they all trying to live? Still, she guess she could offer some scattered words of encouragement, something to placate the crying mess here.
"Yeah, that's shitty." Should she tell him her story? Would he even listen?
He went back to crying, so she was going to take that as a no, then. A firm no.
Natali was still looking at his crumpled form, as Aria continued to shake and cry. Without anyone to help him, he wasn't gonna last out here. Being made blind and having a breakdown probably did not bode well for one's long-term survival here. If she just left now, probably some sadist was going to come round and put a bullet between his eyes. Maybe she should help him, use him until he finally just up and died. But then again, the gun was still in her pocket, and she felt like it was going to burn a hole through her hoodie. One kill to get off the island, right? He wasn't gonna live much longer, he was already in a lot of pain, she could do it, right?
"It's gonna be fine, just you wait." She said emptily, unsure if she was trying to convince him or herself.
That would've been the smart play, probably, the good one.
So why were her hands shaking so much?
She was still listening, sort of, but she was more staring at Aria, the crying mass huddled in front of her, and how now it was possible to see the Paris' broken ribs, open, gaping, dead. There was no one inside that body, right? If Heaven existed then maybe he went there, or perhaps now his body was just an empty shell, just staring there.
The cameras were looking now, maybe Ms. Ardennes was watching now, as one of her students, a friend of her son, broke into pieces. What could she do? It wasn't as if Natali could just go up and say "Sorry for letting your son get killed," or something like that.
A shuddering breath. Maybe that was the thing, maybe that was the key. She couldn't look out for anyone else out here, right? Every person for themselves, survival. Living. She shouldn't feel guilty, right? Just showed that she was better able to survive here, make something of herself. No problem with that. There shouldn't have been one.
Wouldn't stop her from feeling sick, feeling guilty as her eyes settled on his corpse, and what she caught of what Aria was mumbling about wasn't helping her either. Of course Paris was gonna go try and talk down the killers, of course he thought everything could be solved like that. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Of course he did that. Of course she had to go find his dead body, with someone crying over him. No crying, though. Not in front of someone else.
Tears formed in the corner of her eye. They were quickly wiped out, as if they were never there.
Right, Aria. Had to act like she was listening, at least. A small nod there, a quiet "Mmm." there, just enough to look like she was paying attention, and she sort of was. Half in, half out, until he mentioned who had killed Paris, who had stomped on him and left him looking like...that.
Jasmine. The Jasmine she had spoken to in that weird abandoned theme park, the one that was an ex of Paris. Wasn't she meant to be smart? Smart wasn't killing someone this early, but then again, this island, this island was...strange. No one to really trust, no one to really hate. Weren't they all trying to live? Still, she guess she could offer some scattered words of encouragement, something to placate the crying mess here.
"Yeah, that's shitty." Should she tell him her story? Would he even listen?
He went back to crying, so she was going to take that as a no, then. A firm no.
Natali was still looking at his crumpled form, as Aria continued to shake and cry. Without anyone to help him, he wasn't gonna last out here. Being made blind and having a breakdown probably did not bode well for one's long-term survival here. If she just left now, probably some sadist was going to come round and put a bullet between his eyes. Maybe she should help him, use him until he finally just up and died. But then again, the gun was still in her pocket, and she felt like it was going to burn a hole through her hoodie. One kill to get off the island, right? He wasn't gonna live much longer, he was already in a lot of pain, she could do it, right?
"It's gonna be fine, just you wait." She said emptily, unsure if she was trying to convince him or herself.
That would've been the smart play, probably, the good one.
So why were her hands shaking so much?
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jimmydalad
- Posts: 266
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:38 pm
Aria looked towards the floor as he continued to cry, refusing to make eye contact even if it would've made no difference which way he looked. It was more about what Aria was trying to communicate. With his ability to communicate with the outside world significantly diminished, he had to look inwardly. He wanted to retreat within himself, let the world disappear around him to vent out every feeling that was rushing through him. The world around him sucked and everything had fucked him over. Was it too much for him to ask to have some time to come to terms with this fucked up situation?
It was times like these that he hated emotions. Hated the way they made him feel. Hated how they hurt him so much. There were times where he felt like he was at war with them, fighting a losing battle as they ripped him apart from the inside while he could do nothing to retaliate. Sometimes he wished he had no emotions, or that his emotions were just taken out or nullified. He wouldn't be a mess and making a fucking fool out of himself in front of Natali.
He gripped himself tighter, wheezing as he tried to get his breath back. He didn't even want to think about how she was looking at him. It was probably a look of revulsion and pity. Aria wished he made a better first impression than screaming and then breaking down in front of her. How fucking pathetic must he look to her now? What if she was being opportunistic? Knowing that he'd be an easy kill. Her ticket out of this fucking hell. Were her acts of friendliness just a facade? A mask for her true intentions? It wouldn't surprise him. After all, he was used to people being assholes to him. Treating him like shit and making his life miserable. He'd never been able to escape high school, even in this stupid, fucking, ridiculous game.
"It's gonna be fine?" Aria's voice shook, but with an undercurrent of anger.
Fine? This was not fucking fine. How had anything that had fucking happened to him be fine? A flare of frustration flickered through his body as his head suddenly flicked up towards the general direction of Natali.
"How are things ever gonna be fucking fine? Do you not know where we are? I don't know about you, but I've been threatened at gunpoint, had my friend die right in front of me and then got blinded forever by having antiseptic thrown into my eyes. And that was only day fucking one! Do you know how much it fucking hurt, to have your eyes burn for an entire day while all you do was sit there and fucking take it? And then wake up the next day, find out that I've gone fucking blind and then have you shouting at me to shut up?"
The shaking from his voice had reached his body, the negative feelings inside vibrating inside him as they clamoured to be released.
"Right now, I'm just a sitting duck for some fucking psycho to come out of nowhere and put me out of my misery. I can't see them coming and Paris's gun may as well be a fucking toy for how useful it is in protecting me when I can't fucking see them. So I'm sorry if I'm finding it hard to see how things are going to get any fucking better."
Aria didn't want to die. He didn't want to just die like a bitch. To him, however, it didn't seem like Danya was going to have it any other way.
It was times like these that he hated emotions. Hated the way they made him feel. Hated how they hurt him so much. There were times where he felt like he was at war with them, fighting a losing battle as they ripped him apart from the inside while he could do nothing to retaliate. Sometimes he wished he had no emotions, or that his emotions were just taken out or nullified. He wouldn't be a mess and making a fucking fool out of himself in front of Natali.
He gripped himself tighter, wheezing as he tried to get his breath back. He didn't even want to think about how she was looking at him. It was probably a look of revulsion and pity. Aria wished he made a better first impression than screaming and then breaking down in front of her. How fucking pathetic must he look to her now? What if she was being opportunistic? Knowing that he'd be an easy kill. Her ticket out of this fucking hell. Were her acts of friendliness just a facade? A mask for her true intentions? It wouldn't surprise him. After all, he was used to people being assholes to him. Treating him like shit and making his life miserable. He'd never been able to escape high school, even in this stupid, fucking, ridiculous game.
"It's gonna be fine?" Aria's voice shook, but with an undercurrent of anger.
Fine? This was not fucking fine. How had anything that had fucking happened to him be fine? A flare of frustration flickered through his body as his head suddenly flicked up towards the general direction of Natali.
"How are things ever gonna be fucking fine? Do you not know where we are? I don't know about you, but I've been threatened at gunpoint, had my friend die right in front of me and then got blinded forever by having antiseptic thrown into my eyes. And that was only day fucking one! Do you know how much it fucking hurt, to have your eyes burn for an entire day while all you do was sit there and fucking take it? And then wake up the next day, find out that I've gone fucking blind and then have you shouting at me to shut up?"
The shaking from his voice had reached his body, the negative feelings inside vibrating inside him as they clamoured to be released.
"Right now, I'm just a sitting duck for some fucking psycho to come out of nowhere and put me out of my misery. I can't see them coming and Paris's gun may as well be a fucking toy for how useful it is in protecting me when I can't fucking see them. So I'm sorry if I'm finding it hard to see how things are going to get any fucking better."
Aria didn't want to die. He didn't want to just die like a bitch. To him, however, it didn't seem like Danya was going to have it any other way.
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
A shuddering breath. A deep, shuddering breath. In, out, in, out, trying to calm herself, trying to contain herself from leaping at this asshole and trying to tear him into pieces. The gun. Always had the gun, in case this got worse.
He was still ranting now, raving, as if she had just told him that the world was going to blow up or something. Of course, the Earth was going to blow up eventually, everyone who dabbled in science knew that, even if she was a lot more into marine biology and stuff rather than astronomy or something, but she guessed she got why he was pissed. Like, Natali had lied to him, that was true, but what did that mean? She wasn't leaving him out for dead, she wasn't gonna go shoot him, she was being perfectly decent!
At least for now.
He was still on the ground, not crying anymore, and Nat was still looming over him. Standing. He was the one who was blind, he was the one who had seen his friend die in front of him, he was the one who was gonna be a sitting duck for serial killers or whatever, wasn't he? She should've felt some happiness at being the one in charge, being the one in power, so why was it now, that she felt she had no power at all? None of it, even when the gun was right there in her hoodie. Deep down, she knew why it was like that. Always did, even when they weren't forced to fight for their lives.
It was because she was scared. Scared of dying, scared of disappointing others, scared of saying the wrong thing. Hadn't it been the same way back in Denton? All the awkward reassurances, the cheerful white lies, the not really's that should have been tacked on to every other sentence. It was easier to lie that things were going to be okay, even though she knew everything was definitely, irrevocably fucked up. No take backs, none of that.
"Even if we get back, no one's gonna look at us the same way anymore."
She had meant to say that in her head, just a passing thought, but now it was something that lingered in between them, just like dead air. Dead air that was going to end up suffocating the fuck out of this conversation, but a thing was said, none the less. Maybe screaming would still be good, just get rid of all of that anger, but it wouldn't help. That much was obvious. Wouldn't change the fact that Paris was dead, the fact that the guy was blind, any of it. It would change none of it. The remark was still true though, at least to her. Dealing with the pity, the stares, had to be worth it. Needed to be. Living was all she needed, all she was striving for, and that couldn't be tainted.
A quick gulp of saliva down a dry throat, helping nothing, hurting nothing. Still angry, yes, but was there any real way to act on it? A quick brush of a braid out of her face, listening to the soft jangling of the beads moving. Something else to focus on, but eventually, the focus needed to come back to the guy sitting before her, placing him in the crosshair of the camera lens.
"Yeah, sure. Could totally do that, leave you here." Tried to remain still, impassive, even if he couldn't even see what she was doing. It was for her. "No, things won't get better, but maybe they won't get worse if we help each other out. Two guns, two people?"
Maybe things weren't going to get better. But she could still get out of it, reclaim the power. She hungered for it, needed it. The state of being alone was a shit place to be in, especially here.
He was still ranting now, raving, as if she had just told him that the world was going to blow up or something. Of course, the Earth was going to blow up eventually, everyone who dabbled in science knew that, even if she was a lot more into marine biology and stuff rather than astronomy or something, but she guessed she got why he was pissed. Like, Natali had lied to him, that was true, but what did that mean? She wasn't leaving him out for dead, she wasn't gonna go shoot him, she was being perfectly decent!
At least for now.
He was still on the ground, not crying anymore, and Nat was still looming over him. Standing. He was the one who was blind, he was the one who had seen his friend die in front of him, he was the one who was gonna be a sitting duck for serial killers or whatever, wasn't he? She should've felt some happiness at being the one in charge, being the one in power, so why was it now, that she felt she had no power at all? None of it, even when the gun was right there in her hoodie. Deep down, she knew why it was like that. Always did, even when they weren't forced to fight for their lives.
It was because she was scared. Scared of dying, scared of disappointing others, scared of saying the wrong thing. Hadn't it been the same way back in Denton? All the awkward reassurances, the cheerful white lies, the not really's that should have been tacked on to every other sentence. It was easier to lie that things were going to be okay, even though she knew everything was definitely, irrevocably fucked up. No take backs, none of that.
"Even if we get back, no one's gonna look at us the same way anymore."
She had meant to say that in her head, just a passing thought, but now it was something that lingered in between them, just like dead air. Dead air that was going to end up suffocating the fuck out of this conversation, but a thing was said, none the less. Maybe screaming would still be good, just get rid of all of that anger, but it wouldn't help. That much was obvious. Wouldn't change the fact that Paris was dead, the fact that the guy was blind, any of it. It would change none of it. The remark was still true though, at least to her. Dealing with the pity, the stares, had to be worth it. Needed to be. Living was all she needed, all she was striving for, and that couldn't be tainted.
A quick gulp of saliva down a dry throat, helping nothing, hurting nothing. Still angry, yes, but was there any real way to act on it? A quick brush of a braid out of her face, listening to the soft jangling of the beads moving. Something else to focus on, but eventually, the focus needed to come back to the guy sitting before her, placing him in the crosshair of the camera lens.
"Yeah, sure. Could totally do that, leave you here." Tried to remain still, impassive, even if he couldn't even see what she was doing. It was for her. "No, things won't get better, but maybe they won't get worse if we help each other out. Two guns, two people?"
Maybe things weren't going to get better. But she could still get out of it, reclaim the power. She hungered for it, needed it. The state of being alone was a shit place to be in, especially here.
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jimmydalad
- Posts: 266
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:38 pm
He wasn't sure where Natali's statement came from, it was definitely enough for him to reflect on it. Being so focused on survival and life on this island, he never stopped to think about what happened in the extremely unlikely scenario that he get off the island. He wouldn't be able to look after himself anymore, at least not without a lot of help. That meant putting more pressure on his parents to look after him. Aria visibly tightened his grip at the mere thought. It was difficult enough for his family to live day by day. Coming back blind and probably a murderer would only make things worse.
That thought consequently lead to another. Was it worth living? It was true that Aria didn't want to die, but the statement posed a question in his mind.
Was a point in him coming back?
At best, he'd be a minor nuisance. At worst, he'd probably be hounded down like a B-list celebrity. Plus he'd be a burden on his family with his acquired blindness. That didn't really seem like a life he wanted to go back to. Yet, was that life better than no life?
Aria looked down at the floor as he mediated to himself. He wondered if he should've just pushed himself off that ledge he sat on at the beginning. He'd be dead, sure, but he wouldn't have to see Paris die or get threatened by Rachel or any of the other fucking bullshit things he had to go through on this godforsaken island. And the reward, in the end, was to go back to a life that was completely different to the one he had when he got here. That didn't seem to be worth it, to go through hell, kill his classmates and then just hope he got lucky enough that he was the one left standing just to go back to a life that would never be the same again.
In the end, it all came back to one underlying question.
How much worth was there in just being alive?
His thoughts were interrupted by Natali and he looked back up in her general direction. His face was heavy, and while he wasn't crying, his eyes were still slightly swollen from the tears. At first, Aria had braced himself to just accept that he was going to be left here. He was sure that no one wanted to be stuck dealing with a blind kid with a mouth like his. He visibly relaxed and his face lightened as he heard that Natali was willing to travel with him.
While Aria was still suspicious, he knew that he couldn't just sit around here forever. He needed to try to stay alive, even if he wasn't sure if it was even worth it. At least, in the short term, he needed to focus on the things he could do to keep himself alive. If there was one thing he was certain of, he didn't just want to die from a random attack. If he were to die, it'd be at his own hands.
"That sounds good to me," Aria responded, feeling around the area to find Paris's body and eventually his bag. He hadn't moved the cartridges over to his bag. He'd been a bit too focused on keeping himself alive up until then. Though he probably could've done it himself, an idea came to him.
"Umm, before we leave, could you help me move the cartridges from Paris's bag to mine? I'd like to be able to reload Paris's gun, you know, just in case."
Aria tried to play it off casually, but he was still eager to hear how Natali would respond. If he was going to go off with her, he wanted to have some idea of how much he could trust her. He'd rather not get a sudden shot in the back of his head out of nowhere.
That thought consequently lead to another. Was it worth living? It was true that Aria didn't want to die, but the statement posed a question in his mind.
Was a point in him coming back?
At best, he'd be a minor nuisance. At worst, he'd probably be hounded down like a B-list celebrity. Plus he'd be a burden on his family with his acquired blindness. That didn't really seem like a life he wanted to go back to. Yet, was that life better than no life?
Aria looked down at the floor as he mediated to himself. He wondered if he should've just pushed himself off that ledge he sat on at the beginning. He'd be dead, sure, but he wouldn't have to see Paris die or get threatened by Rachel or any of the other fucking bullshit things he had to go through on this godforsaken island. And the reward, in the end, was to go back to a life that was completely different to the one he had when he got here. That didn't seem to be worth it, to go through hell, kill his classmates and then just hope he got lucky enough that he was the one left standing just to go back to a life that would never be the same again.
In the end, it all came back to one underlying question.
How much worth was there in just being alive?
His thoughts were interrupted by Natali and he looked back up in her general direction. His face was heavy, and while he wasn't crying, his eyes were still slightly swollen from the tears. At first, Aria had braced himself to just accept that he was going to be left here. He was sure that no one wanted to be stuck dealing with a blind kid with a mouth like his. He visibly relaxed and his face lightened as he heard that Natali was willing to travel with him.
While Aria was still suspicious, he knew that he couldn't just sit around here forever. He needed to try to stay alive, even if he wasn't sure if it was even worth it. At least, in the short term, he needed to focus on the things he could do to keep himself alive. If there was one thing he was certain of, he didn't just want to die from a random attack. If he were to die, it'd be at his own hands.
"That sounds good to me," Aria responded, feeling around the area to find Paris's body and eventually his bag. He hadn't moved the cartridges over to his bag. He'd been a bit too focused on keeping himself alive up until then. Though he probably could've done it himself, an idea came to him.
"Umm, before we leave, could you help me move the cartridges from Paris's bag to mine? I'd like to be able to reload Paris's gun, you know, just in case."
Aria tried to play it off casually, but he was still eager to hear how Natali would respond. If he was going to go off with her, he wanted to have some idea of how much he could trust her. He'd rather not get a sudden shot in the back of his head out of nowhere.
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
Should she have felt guilty about offering this promise of championship, a potential alliance, to a blind guy who Natali was probably gonna ditch as soon as trouble arrived? It wasn't a good thing, she knew that, but it would be better than him dying alone. She was just being nice, just being a good person, helping someone else live a few more days as she tried to plan out how to actually win this thing. Getting off this island, yes, that was good, but getting off as someone who seemed to be an amoral murderer? Couldn't live life like that. Even then, though, she'd be damaged goods. Pity party person number 1 or something, a B-list celebrity about to get washed away.
Life was worth it, wasn't it? Couldn't be thinking about all of these things without having living in mind. What else could be done? As she listened to Aria's request, she nervously licked her teeth, feeling the metal brackets of her braces. Too young to even get her braces taken off yet. So much to do that would never be done if she only stayed here, dead, like how the rest of her classmates would be. A few steps forward, feeling the soil underneath her feet, letting her lungs take in the ocean breeze. It was a nice distraction from everything else, even if she knew there was still the pressing matter of helping Aria put the gun cartridges in his bag rather than Paris'. "Yeah, okay, that's good," She responded, idly nodding.
Helpful Natali, just like she was back in Denton, never forgetting to lend a helpful hand. Her face fell remembering this, knowing that it couldn't be the same. She was still Natali Greer of course, but she wouldn't be the Natali Greer who woke up that morning, expecting to look at some fish.
It had all changed. She had changed. Everyone had, because it was inevitable. Unless you were a stubborn-ass son of a bitch, how could you not?
Kneeling down on the ground to get closer to the bag, she now was acutely aware of how this could all go wrong. Sure, he was blind, but he didn't have a bad knee, and blindly tackling her? Probably gonna end worse for her than for him, but she slowly reached out for her fallen friend's bag, trying to stop her stomach from churning. Sure, she was letting him live for now, but that just meant she was playing the long game, gaining herself an ally who couldn't find his own way around even if he wanted to. Watching, waiting. It'd all come together.
Gently taking Paris' bag from Aria's hands, feeling the texture of the duffel, the memories started to flow again, and for a moment, it seemed the tears would too, but just as it was about to start, it suddenly stopped, and instead she simply stared at the bag, looking at it, opening it, staring at the contents of it inside. Biting her lip, she looked at Aria. "Umm, got your bag? Lemme just put the stuff inside, 'kay?"
She still hadn't bothered to ask his name. That was important, not just for that sentiment, but also to keep herself from looking back at the corpse of her friend. No time for that. Had to keep going forward.
Life was worth it, wasn't it? Couldn't be thinking about all of these things without having living in mind. What else could be done? As she listened to Aria's request, she nervously licked her teeth, feeling the metal brackets of her braces. Too young to even get her braces taken off yet. So much to do that would never be done if she only stayed here, dead, like how the rest of her classmates would be. A few steps forward, feeling the soil underneath her feet, letting her lungs take in the ocean breeze. It was a nice distraction from everything else, even if she knew there was still the pressing matter of helping Aria put the gun cartridges in his bag rather than Paris'. "Yeah, okay, that's good," She responded, idly nodding.
Helpful Natali, just like she was back in Denton, never forgetting to lend a helpful hand. Her face fell remembering this, knowing that it couldn't be the same. She was still Natali Greer of course, but she wouldn't be the Natali Greer who woke up that morning, expecting to look at some fish.
It had all changed. She had changed. Everyone had, because it was inevitable. Unless you were a stubborn-ass son of a bitch, how could you not?
Kneeling down on the ground to get closer to the bag, she now was acutely aware of how this could all go wrong. Sure, he was blind, but he didn't have a bad knee, and blindly tackling her? Probably gonna end worse for her than for him, but she slowly reached out for her fallen friend's bag, trying to stop her stomach from churning. Sure, she was letting him live for now, but that just meant she was playing the long game, gaining herself an ally who couldn't find his own way around even if he wanted to. Watching, waiting. It'd all come together.
Gently taking Paris' bag from Aria's hands, feeling the texture of the duffel, the memories started to flow again, and for a moment, it seemed the tears would too, but just as it was about to start, it suddenly stopped, and instead she simply stared at the bag, looking at it, opening it, staring at the contents of it inside. Biting her lip, she looked at Aria. "Umm, got your bag? Lemme just put the stuff inside, 'kay?"
She still hadn't bothered to ask his name. That was important, not just for that sentiment, but also to keep herself from looking back at the corpse of her friend. No time for that. Had to keep going forward.
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
Wasn't this meant to be the best plan, the one that was gonna help her get out of here alive? Finding a long-term ally that pretty much couldn't leave her, because they were somehow more injured than she was, someone who she could easily abandon? Nat looked back at Aria's eyes, the ones that were red and ruined. This was meant to be easy. No guilt-tripping herself about this or anything. Besides, he had to listen. He needed to, if only for her own sake more than no one else's. Someone had to listen.
Being alone was not safe. Not at all.
Her hands still held the bag open, waiting for something, or nothing at all.
Being alone was not safe. Not at all.
Her hands still held the bag open, waiting for something, or nothing at all.
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Somersault
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:21 am
Finally, Aria nodded at her, and they began to transfer the cartridges into his bag, as Natali tried to avoid looking back at the very dead body only a few feet away. She knew she should have looked, tried to strengthen her resolve to survive, but right now, she just wasn't really in the mood for that. She was tired, but she would keep on going, she knew that. But looking at a corpse right then and there, again, of her friend? That was a hard pass. Paris was dead, she wasn't. Those were the important facts. Probably.
As they finished, Nat stared in silence at Aria for a moment, tilting her head, and then looked downwards, at the bag she literally filled with ammo for someone else. It wasn't as if a blind man could even really use the gun, right? Not unless it was at point-blank range or something, and in this current situation, she was doubtful anyone would try to come that close. Or wait, maybe that could happen. Blaine hit her with a hammer walking up in front of her, Tina shot at her from not that far away, so maybe it was a possibility.
If anything, though, it was a possibility she tried to keep out of her head. Being the one with working vision in the group, she supposed that meant she had to be the one to bring them elsewhere.
She heaved out a great sigh, breathing in and out. Sure, she was the one leading the group now, but Nat was also fairly sure that literally being the one to lead the blind wasn't exactly the most prestigious job, considering it was a duty that could also be performed by dogs. Like, aid for the blind? Seemed really well-meaning, but not exactly well-paying, either. Photography could pay decent amounts, she guessed, if she got lucky and managed to score that job at Nat Geo, but if not maybe just going full on marine biology would be the best choice-
Honestly, she didn't know what would be the best choice. But all those dreams, possibilities, weren't they why she told herself she was going to fight to stay alive on this place? Because there was so much out there, for her, was there not? Had to get back to Denton, get back home, be able to live her life. It was like a volcano burning inside of her, demanding to erupt. She needed to live, needed to return.
She just didn't need to be reminded of the other 50 or so kids who had that right too.
Natali looked back at Aria, blind but still trying, she guessed. Even here, he was barely making it around, and sure he could get a guide dog or something if he got back, but could he? Really? Make it back out there? Maybe none of them would be able to, but she just wanted that chance, that chance to actually have a go at life, not have it taken away at that last moment like a photo never developing. Was that too much to ask for?
Finally standing up once more, she took a quick look around, trying to see if anyone else had arrived. Nope, nada, nuh uh, and she guessed they were incredibly lucky for that, even if they had only been at this place for like 10 minutes or so.
That probably also meant that they should probably go now. No point in dilly-dallying any longer, she guessed, and continuing to be surrounded by a dead body of one of your classmates. Maybe if she just concentrated hard enough, she would forget Paris was laying dead right there. The power of negative thinking or something. In any case, they still needed to go.
"I guess we should, like, probably go," came Natali's somewhat belated segue in that topic, locking eyes with Aria for a moment, even if all he could see at this moment were blurs or whatever. It was time to get moving, to get going, and so with her gun in her hoodie, her stuff in her duffel, she began walking forward, Aria in tow. At least, she thought he was in tow. Quick turn around to check, and yep, he was. Something she didn't have to really worry about. That was good.
The walking didn't get Paris' dead face off her mind, though.
((Natali Greer and Aria Samuels continued in Final Requiem))
As they finished, Nat stared in silence at Aria for a moment, tilting her head, and then looked downwards, at the bag she literally filled with ammo for someone else. It wasn't as if a blind man could even really use the gun, right? Not unless it was at point-blank range or something, and in this current situation, she was doubtful anyone would try to come that close. Or wait, maybe that could happen. Blaine hit her with a hammer walking up in front of her, Tina shot at her from not that far away, so maybe it was a possibility.
If anything, though, it was a possibility she tried to keep out of her head. Being the one with working vision in the group, she supposed that meant she had to be the one to bring them elsewhere.
She heaved out a great sigh, breathing in and out. Sure, she was the one leading the group now, but Nat was also fairly sure that literally being the one to lead the blind wasn't exactly the most prestigious job, considering it was a duty that could also be performed by dogs. Like, aid for the blind? Seemed really well-meaning, but not exactly well-paying, either. Photography could pay decent amounts, she guessed, if she got lucky and managed to score that job at Nat Geo, but if not maybe just going full on marine biology would be the best choice-
Honestly, she didn't know what would be the best choice. But all those dreams, possibilities, weren't they why she told herself she was going to fight to stay alive on this place? Because there was so much out there, for her, was there not? Had to get back to Denton, get back home, be able to live her life. It was like a volcano burning inside of her, demanding to erupt. She needed to live, needed to return.
She just didn't need to be reminded of the other 50 or so kids who had that right too.
Natali looked back at Aria, blind but still trying, she guessed. Even here, he was barely making it around, and sure he could get a guide dog or something if he got back, but could he? Really? Make it back out there? Maybe none of them would be able to, but she just wanted that chance, that chance to actually have a go at life, not have it taken away at that last moment like a photo never developing. Was that too much to ask for?
Finally standing up once more, she took a quick look around, trying to see if anyone else had arrived. Nope, nada, nuh uh, and she guessed they were incredibly lucky for that, even if they had only been at this place for like 10 minutes or so.
That probably also meant that they should probably go now. No point in dilly-dallying any longer, she guessed, and continuing to be surrounded by a dead body of one of your classmates. Maybe if she just concentrated hard enough, she would forget Paris was laying dead right there. The power of negative thinking or something. In any case, they still needed to go.
"I guess we should, like, probably go," came Natali's somewhat belated segue in that topic, locking eyes with Aria for a moment, even if all he could see at this moment were blurs or whatever. It was time to get moving, to get going, and so with her gun in her hoodie, her stuff in her duffel, she began walking forward, Aria in tow. At least, she thought he was in tow. Quick turn around to check, and yep, he was. Something she didn't have to really worry about. That was good.
The walking didn't get Paris' dead face off her mind, though.
((Natali Greer and Aria Samuels continued in Final Requiem))