((Sofia Kowalski continued from But my favorites are the ones who find the way to be themselves in their art))
This was harder than Sofia expected it to be.
She hadn’t exactly had an easy run of things in general, but in terms of this game? Things had gone pretty alright. She had avoided much conflict, and by the time the second announcement rolled around she’d been in a grand total of one altercation. If it weren’t for the loss of Lucille and the gain of the motor engine she now dragged by her side, it might’ve been impossible to tell she’d even been through anything beyond a sedentary, uneventful day. Her braid was still firmly in place, with only a few flyaway hairs to speak of; her outfit unblemished, barely a sweat having broken across her brow or under her arms. So as their announcer rattled off another tally of those who’d lost their life and had undergone, most obviously, a much worse day than hers, Sofia counted herself lucky.
The captain’s quarters of the cruise ship were practically palatial in comparison to the areas she’d explored so far. It felt like a parallel to the life she’d had outside of the game, making her way from tinges of chaos and rundown conditions into a stillness, a sense of calm and luxury.
She nibbled her way through the small portion of flaky, dried seaweed she’d allotted herself as she slowly explored the area around her. Names that barely earned recognition floated in the air around her. It was hard to concentrate, to let any of them settle in, after the resounding thump -- a bright burst amongst the chatter -- that came as the first killer’s name reached her ears.
Vasily. She’d felt so confident that he was incapable of taking that step, and had written off Lucille’s predictions with nary a second thought. She’d been wrong. He’d taken that plunge. She’d lost count of everybody who’d taken that step. You clearly didn’t need to be that special -- there wasn’t a minute few who were doing the dirty work. No Jewels or Karens or whatever their names were. No, the heavy lifting was definitely being shared this time a round.
So. If Vasily could do it, the boy she’d seen merely as an easy target, someone who’d get swept up in someone’s storming attempt at glory, why couldn’t she?
The answer came more easily to Sofia than she thought it would.
Quite simply, she didn’t really want to. There was some fire, some urge that had to push you to take that next step, that leap off the moral pedestal, and throughout what had transpired so far, Sofia hadn’t yet swallowed that pill. There had always been some sense of another option, another way out that didn’t require ending a life. The thought that she could get out of there and go back to the aspirations and life she’d fought so hard for without listening to anyone else’s last breath. She would still get out of that house, cut loose from her mother and stepfather, live a life that wasn’t dictated by the whims and choices of those around her. And she wouldn’t need to plunge a knife into anyone’s heart to get there.
But still, if Vasily could do it, maybe she could too.
If push came to shove.
SSSS (Sofia's Seaweed Salad Surprise)
Open! (Bring ya chaos, babies)
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SansaSaver
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- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:15 pm
((Rebecca Roberts continued from I’ve Passed the Point of no Return))
Rebecca couldn’t shake the feeling that she was falling behind.
It lingered in the back of her mind as she barricaded herself in one of the cabins for the night, curled up in the nook beside the bed. The feeling haunted her dreams, though Rebecca wasn’t even sure if she’d actually fallen asleep. When she got up a few hours later to wander the cruise ship’s endless maze of corridors, it slowly began to consume her.
There had been light streaming through the window when she’d risen from her maybe-slumber, so the second announcement should be coming at any moment. By this time two seasons ago, Karen Ruiz had killed two people. One season ago, Jewel Evans had killed five. Rebecca, however, was still at zero. She was behind about five people, if she remembered correctly, with one kill each. If any of them reappeared on the next announcement, she’d fall even further behind.
Rebecca’s hands shook. She needed to do something. Fast.
She hadn’t realized how much her feet hurt from walking until she stopped dead in her tracks, just outside a cabin marked as the captain’s quarters. Someone was inside, moving around. As the speakers around her crackled to life, Rebecca tiptoed forward and poked her head into the cabin. She caught a brief glimpse of another girl with a pink bandanna in her hair. She looked unarmed. Probably alone.
This was her chance.
Rebecca disappeared from the doorway, pressing her back against the wall. She took a few deep breaths as she waited, straining to hear the names of last night's killers over the pounding of her heart.
Rebecca couldn’t shake the feeling that she was falling behind.
It lingered in the back of her mind as she barricaded herself in one of the cabins for the night, curled up in the nook beside the bed. The feeling haunted her dreams, though Rebecca wasn’t even sure if she’d actually fallen asleep. When she got up a few hours later to wander the cruise ship’s endless maze of corridors, it slowly began to consume her.
There had been light streaming through the window when she’d risen from her maybe-slumber, so the second announcement should be coming at any moment. By this time two seasons ago, Karen Ruiz had killed two people. One season ago, Jewel Evans had killed five. Rebecca, however, was still at zero. She was behind about five people, if she remembered correctly, with one kill each. If any of them reappeared on the next announcement, she’d fall even further behind.
Rebecca’s hands shook. She needed to do something. Fast.
She hadn’t realized how much her feet hurt from walking until she stopped dead in her tracks, just outside a cabin marked as the captain’s quarters. Someone was inside, moving around. As the speakers around her crackled to life, Rebecca tiptoed forward and poked her head into the cabin. She caught a brief glimpse of another girl with a pink bandanna in her hair. She looked unarmed. Probably alone.
This was her chance.
Rebecca disappeared from the doorway, pressing her back against the wall. She took a few deep breaths as she waited, straining to hear the names of last night's killers over the pounding of her heart.
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Catche Jagger
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- Team Affiliation: Ben's Crabs
((James Highchurch continued from Picnic After the Panic))
The walk did James at least a little bit of good, and he felt a fair bit less tense than he did just a little while earlier. However, a part of him did feel bad about just bailing like that without much warning, and before Bacchia came back.
Maybe he should have waited to talk to her in private again, try to figure out how she kept on with the killing even after they talked things out. He’d offered to watch her back, basically, so maybe he was kind of obligated to check in and ask why.
For now, James found himself approaching the place where it all began, the captain’s quarters where Fisk first brought the Respects together.
Making his way to the doorway, though, James found that someone else stole his attention away as a stupid smile came over his busted-up face.
“Holy shit, Sofia? H-Hey, Sofia- OH JEEZ- FUCK!” James began to wave to the familiar face while entering the room before he noticed someone else standing by the doorway who had previously blended in with the wall.
He stumbled back and felt his hand reach for the shiv stored in his pocket.
“H-Hey, dude… like, don’t fucking sneak up on people like that. Really not a good idea out here, right?”
The walk did James at least a little bit of good, and he felt a fair bit less tense than he did just a little while earlier. However, a part of him did feel bad about just bailing like that without much warning, and before Bacchia came back.
Maybe he should have waited to talk to her in private again, try to figure out how she kept on with the killing even after they talked things out. He’d offered to watch her back, basically, so maybe he was kind of obligated to check in and ask why.
For now, James found himself approaching the place where it all began, the captain’s quarters where Fisk first brought the Respects together.
Making his way to the doorway, though, James found that someone else stole his attention away as a stupid smile came over his busted-up face.
“Holy shit, Sofia? H-Hey, Sofia- OH JEEZ- FUCK!” James began to wave to the familiar face while entering the room before he noticed someone else standing by the doorway who had previously blended in with the wall.
He stumbled back and felt his hand reach for the shiv stored in his pocket.
“H-Hey, dude… like, don’t fucking sneak up on people like that. Really not a good idea out here, right?”
((skipping for inactivity))
Suddenly, there was a boy. Rebecca didn't bother getting a good look at him—all it took was a glance down at his hand, reaching into a pocket, to make her turn and bolt.
Whoever he was, she hoped he wouldn't put a bullet in her back.
((Rebecca Roberts continued elsewhere))
Suddenly, there was a boy. Rebecca didn't bother getting a good look at him—all it took was a glance down at his hand, reaching into a pocket, to make her turn and bolt.
Whoever he was, she hoped he wouldn't put a bullet in her back.
((Rebecca Roberts continued elsewhere))
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SansaSaver
- Posts: 197
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:15 pm
Sofia’s solitude didn’t last long, and she thought that was a good thing. Less time to overthink, to drown in a too-deep pool of introspection.
She could hear soft footfalls approaching, and her hand instinctively curled towards her bag. Not much in there that could help in a gunfight, but at the very least she could hurl her thrifted engine at any dangerous intruder and be ready to run without leaving any of her belongings behind.
It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was better than nothing.
The calm of the quarters was broken by a voice that was heartwarming and heartbreaking in its familiarity. James. She’d wanted so much to believe he wasn’t here, that he was safe at home and untouched by the calamities and fear and violence that ran rampant here. But a familiar face, when all she’d had so far were acquaintances and exes -- no one she really felt close to or trusted -- was exactly what she needed right now.
Maybe that was her fault, for pulling away as the years had gone by and the pressures of work and school and getting out of that damn house had built up. She hadn’t wanted to freeze over, to shut people out. But something needed to get culled from her life to make the days bearable, to give her room to breathe. And in the end she’d told herself that the end would justify the means.
She hadn’t expected much to transpire from their weekend rendezvous at McDonalds, but James was calm and pleasant company. Someone she could see once a week for a study date at lunch or over coffee on the weekend, or just driving down some meandering road, listening to music late at night. Something to whittle away time before graduation. She didn’t expect that much from him, and he didn’t demand anything from her either. Just someone to make those last few weeks a little brighter, a little less hard.
James’ tone had turned from relief to fright as he yelled at some enigmatic figure lurking nearby. They couldn’t even manage a minute before someone swung up and threatened to snatch it all away. She wanted a break, and she was going to get one.
Sofia leapt up and closed the gap between herself and James.
She’d screwed up enough already, had enough false starts. What was one more if it brought her an oasis of happiness in the drought of this game.
She wrapped her arms around the back of James’ neck, and planted her lips on his.
She could hear soft footfalls approaching, and her hand instinctively curled towards her bag. Not much in there that could help in a gunfight, but at the very least she could hurl her thrifted engine at any dangerous intruder and be ready to run without leaving any of her belongings behind.
It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was better than nothing.
The calm of the quarters was broken by a voice that was heartwarming and heartbreaking in its familiarity. James. She’d wanted so much to believe he wasn’t here, that he was safe at home and untouched by the calamities and fear and violence that ran rampant here. But a familiar face, when all she’d had so far were acquaintances and exes -- no one she really felt close to or trusted -- was exactly what she needed right now.
Maybe that was her fault, for pulling away as the years had gone by and the pressures of work and school and getting out of that damn house had built up. She hadn’t wanted to freeze over, to shut people out. But something needed to get culled from her life to make the days bearable, to give her room to breathe. And in the end she’d told herself that the end would justify the means.
She hadn’t expected much to transpire from their weekend rendezvous at McDonalds, but James was calm and pleasant company. Someone she could see once a week for a study date at lunch or over coffee on the weekend, or just driving down some meandering road, listening to music late at night. Something to whittle away time before graduation. She didn’t expect that much from him, and he didn’t demand anything from her either. Just someone to make those last few weeks a little brighter, a little less hard.
James’ tone had turned from relief to fright as he yelled at some enigmatic figure lurking nearby. They couldn’t even manage a minute before someone swung up and threatened to snatch it all away. She wanted a break, and she was going to get one.
Sofia leapt up and closed the gap between herself and James.
She’d screwed up enough already, had enough false starts. What was one more if it brought her an oasis of happiness in the drought of this game.
She wrapped her arms around the back of James’ neck, and planted her lips on his.
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Wham Yubeesling
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- Contact:
Roughly five seconds into or after the kiss, a voice comes out of Sofia's collar, audible to both her and James:
"I understand how it feels to meet someone you care about out here, but you need to be a bit careful. James has been a very naughty boy."
"I understand how it feels to meet someone you care about out here, but you need to be a bit careful. James has been a very naughty boy."
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 743
- Joined: Tue May 28, 2019 7:40 pm
- Team Affiliation: Ben's Crabs
James hadn’t even managed to figure out who the mysterious figure was before they just ran off at the sight of him. They were a girl, he could tell that much, but that was all.
With his focus on the retreating figure, he didn’t properly notice Sofia’s approach until she was almost upon him, and was rather surprised with what she brought with her, before words properly passed between them. Not a bad surprise, though.
There was a slight grunt of pain as the touch of her face did create a brief stab of pain in his nose, but he wasn’t going to let that fuck with him too much. This was probably the best thing to happen to James in these past couple of days of complete shit, and he was going to hold onto it. As Sofia’s arms wrapped around the back of his neck, his own hands gently found her waist.
He wanted to hold her there and just not think about the Respects, or the deaths, or Bacchia, or Ivan, any of it.
But then the voice of Sofia’s mentor cut through the moment.
With that, James abruptly broke from the kiss, staggering backwards, hands in the air. He should’ve known, really. It wasn’t the first time that the mentors had jumped into the middle of interactions the Respects were a part of.
“I… I really should explain that yeah?” James tried to smile like he had when he first noticed Sofia in the Captain’s Quarters, but he was too obviously anxious to pull it off, the grin was forced as his eyes nervously wandered around.
“I was going to… yeah. Hi, Sofia. It’s me! How are you doing?” A brief pause, not able to find a way to phrase the next part in a way that didn’t sound insane.
“Um, I was recruited into a gang of killers right at the start of the game. So, there’s that.”
With his focus on the retreating figure, he didn’t properly notice Sofia’s approach until she was almost upon him, and was rather surprised with what she brought with her, before words properly passed between them. Not a bad surprise, though.
There was a slight grunt of pain as the touch of her face did create a brief stab of pain in his nose, but he wasn’t going to let that fuck with him too much. This was probably the best thing to happen to James in these past couple of days of complete shit, and he was going to hold onto it. As Sofia’s arms wrapped around the back of his neck, his own hands gently found her waist.
He wanted to hold her there and just not think about the Respects, or the deaths, or Bacchia, or Ivan, any of it.
But then the voice of Sofia’s mentor cut through the moment.
With that, James abruptly broke from the kiss, staggering backwards, hands in the air. He should’ve known, really. It wasn’t the first time that the mentors had jumped into the middle of interactions the Respects were a part of.
“I… I really should explain that yeah?” James tried to smile like he had when he first noticed Sofia in the Captain’s Quarters, but he was too obviously anxious to pull it off, the grin was forced as his eyes nervously wandered around.
“I was going to… yeah. Hi, Sofia. It’s me! How are you doing?” A brief pause, not able to find a way to phrase the next part in a way that didn’t sound insane.
“Um, I was recruited into a gang of killers right at the start of the game. So, there’s that.”
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SansaSaver
- Posts: 197
- Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:15 pm
That oasis didn’t last long.
They’d been in each other’s embrace for barely a moment before a voice hissed from the cool metal band around Sofia’s neck. She’d almost forgotten about her mentor, that there was supposed to be someone helping out and dispensing advice her way. In a way, she almost wished she didn’t have one -- they’d been utterly unhelpful so far. They hadn’t reached out to her when she and Lucille had linked up, nor when the catastrophe in the glass-bottomed boat had taken place. But when she made a move of her own, tried to grasp for a temporary beat of happiness and a reminder of what she wanted to survive this game for? That when they came in swinging.
James staggered away, abruptly breaking apart their kiss, and Sofia took a moment to catch her breath. Before she even had a chance to really mull over the implications of her mentor’s statement, James stammered his way through a hasty recount of his adventures so far, a painfully forced smile affixed to his face.
An all too familiar feeling of heaviness rose in her throat as her heart began steadily racing. When she’d first laid eyes on him, she’d hoped he’d made it through the last day wholly unscathed, that he’d have nothing really to recount about his time in the game. But as he finally managed to tell her how he’d survived so far, all of those hopes vanished in an instant.
If it had been anyone else, she thought she might’ve immediately grabbed her belongings and fled. But she didn’t want to give up on James just yet.
“So. Recruited into a band of killers and yet I haven’t heard your name on the announcements once. How’d that happen?”
They’d been in each other’s embrace for barely a moment before a voice hissed from the cool metal band around Sofia’s neck. She’d almost forgotten about her mentor, that there was supposed to be someone helping out and dispensing advice her way. In a way, she almost wished she didn’t have one -- they’d been utterly unhelpful so far. They hadn’t reached out to her when she and Lucille had linked up, nor when the catastrophe in the glass-bottomed boat had taken place. But when she made a move of her own, tried to grasp for a temporary beat of happiness and a reminder of what she wanted to survive this game for? That when they came in swinging.
James staggered away, abruptly breaking apart their kiss, and Sofia took a moment to catch her breath. Before she even had a chance to really mull over the implications of her mentor’s statement, James stammered his way through a hasty recount of his adventures so far, a painfully forced smile affixed to his face.
An all too familiar feeling of heaviness rose in her throat as her heart began steadily racing. When she’d first laid eyes on him, she’d hoped he’d made it through the last day wholly unscathed, that he’d have nothing really to recount about his time in the game. But as he finally managed to tell her how he’d survived so far, all of those hopes vanished in an instant.
If it had been anyone else, she thought she might’ve immediately grabbed her belongings and fled. But she didn’t want to give up on James just yet.
“So. Recruited into a band of killers and yet I haven’t heard your name on the announcements once. How’d that happen?”
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 743
- Joined: Tue May 28, 2019 7:40 pm
- Team Affiliation: Ben's Crabs
Sofia didn’t run away or raise her weapon or hit him or chew him out as soon as he began, which was a good sign that maybe things wouldn’t go the worst possible way for James. She was going to give him a chance, he hoped.
“Alright it’s… it’s a little complicated, but I guess I’ve mostly just played backup most of the time? I think it might be best if I just kinda start from the beginning. Would you, uh, be up for a walk?” He felt a bit foolish as he extended his hand to her, but he wasn’t going to waste the chance at something simple and normal out here, even if just for a little.
After a moment, his smile started to feel a bit more natural too.
((James and Sofia continued elsewhere...))
“Alright it’s… it’s a little complicated, but I guess I’ve mostly just played backup most of the time? I think it might be best if I just kinda start from the beginning. Would you, uh, be up for a walk?” He felt a bit foolish as he extended his hand to her, but he wasn’t going to waste the chance at something simple and normal out here, even if just for a little.
After a moment, his smile started to feel a bit more natural too.
((James and Sofia continued elsewhere...))