Scott... Brittany... torture... consensual?
Kassandra was angry for the first part of Marion's explanation, but then she got confused. She knew that Scott had to be the guy that was dead on the ground, and Brittany was the one that had come through earlier, but... consensually? And after Marion had shittalked her so much, too? Weird. Definitely weird, and she was a little thrown off while trying to comprehend it.
But yeah, Scott? Sounded like he got what he deserved... although thinking that kind of made her feel a little sick inside.
"Yeah... don't worry about it."
She retrieved the pipe from its resting place on the gazebo floor, and held it out so that Marion could get a good look at it. "It's the sharpest thing I could find that had a good grip on it, so I think it's the best shot we've got at getting you out of here." She switched her grip so that she was holding it like a baseball bat, ready to start chopping away.
"So you ready?" She asked, pipe situated over her shoulder. "Lean away from the pole once you are. I'm gonna need some room."
Really Should Have Thought This Through... (Content Warning)
Phase 1 (0-12 Hours)
"Yeah, get right on it," Marion said, crouching down and leaning as far forward as possible.
All right, this was it. Kassandra took a few slow practice swings to figure out her form. It was easy, just like that year she played tee-ball as a kid. She had a target, and she just had to swing at it. And conveniently enough, both happened to involve some sort of pole. Funnily enough, even after at least a decade of not doing anything related to baseball, she still had the swing pretty much under control. Chalk up one point for muscle memory.
The first swing hit the post, and sent a shockwave down Kassandra's arms. She was suddenly reminded of one of the reasons why she quit playing tee-ball after one year. She let out a hissing breath to mask the pain and readied herself for another go. The first hit managed to make a dent in the post, which wasn't much, but it was proof that this pipe had some bite to it. She gave it a little twirl and sent it into the wood again.
The process continued exactly like that. Swing, pain, chip. Swing, pain, chip. Swing, pain, chip. After a while she stopped counting the amount of hits it took. She just kept her hands locked on the straight end of the pipe and kept swinging away. Bit by bit, the post was getting worn away. It went from a few chips to an honest slice into the wood, and from there it was all about expanding the slice.
She could see the post getting closer and closer to breaking. She reached the point where there was more empty space than solid wood in the chopping area. She was so close, so close to finally freeing Marion.
... Wait, something felt different. She looked at the pipe and grimaced at its condition. The head was starting to bend, and the cutting edge was getting harder to use. She took a few more whacks with it, but she could feel the difference. The pipe was becoming unwieldy, and it wasn't cutting into the wood as well as it had been before. Kass could have groaned with disappointment.
She was so close! There was only a little bit of wood holding the post together! It practically looked like a sliver! She couldn't give up now, not after working so hard and swearing that she would get Marion out of there. She needed another way. She needed to break this post down with what she had on hand.
In desperation, she raised her foot and horizontally stomped on the pole near where she had been hacking with the pipe. She heard a cracking noise and perked up. Was she really breaking through? She kicked it again and heard the same thing. The post was straining and cracking in its attempt to hold itself together, and that led Kassandra to crack a smile. She had a plan, and she was certain that this one would work. It had to.
She took a few steps away from the post and stared at it, planning her next move in her head. When she was satisfied, she charged forward, taking one, two, three steps and thrusting her right foot forward, stomping the post like she was kicking through a door. A small shower of splinters flew off to the side as the post split at last, part of it hanging off to the side with what had been the last connection turning into a spiky line of wood.
The post had been broken. A job well done.
The first swing hit the post, and sent a shockwave down Kassandra's arms. She was suddenly reminded of one of the reasons why she quit playing tee-ball after one year. She let out a hissing breath to mask the pain and readied herself for another go. The first hit managed to make a dent in the post, which wasn't much, but it was proof that this pipe had some bite to it. She gave it a little twirl and sent it into the wood again.
The process continued exactly like that. Swing, pain, chip. Swing, pain, chip. Swing, pain, chip. After a while she stopped counting the amount of hits it took. She just kept her hands locked on the straight end of the pipe and kept swinging away. Bit by bit, the post was getting worn away. It went from a few chips to an honest slice into the wood, and from there it was all about expanding the slice.
She could see the post getting closer and closer to breaking. She reached the point where there was more empty space than solid wood in the chopping area. She was so close, so close to finally freeing Marion.
... Wait, something felt different. She looked at the pipe and grimaced at its condition. The head was starting to bend, and the cutting edge was getting harder to use. She took a few more whacks with it, but she could feel the difference. The pipe was becoming unwieldy, and it wasn't cutting into the wood as well as it had been before. Kass could have groaned with disappointment.
She was so close! There was only a little bit of wood holding the post together! It practically looked like a sliver! She couldn't give up now, not after working so hard and swearing that she would get Marion out of there. She needed another way. She needed to break this post down with what she had on hand.
In desperation, she raised her foot and horizontally stomped on the pole near where she had been hacking with the pipe. She heard a cracking noise and perked up. Was she really breaking through? She kicked it again and heard the same thing. The post was straining and cracking in its attempt to hold itself together, and that led Kassandra to crack a smile. She had a plan, and she was certain that this one would work. It had to.
She took a few steps away from the post and stared at it, planning her next move in her head. When she was satisfied, she charged forward, taking one, two, three steps and thrusting her right foot forward, stomping the post like she was kicking through a door. A small shower of splinters flew off to the side as the post split at last, part of it hanging off to the side with what had been the last connection turning into a spiky line of wood.
The post had been broken. A job well done.
"Freedom! At last!" Marion yelled as she moved forward, no longer being held back by the post. She then lay down on her side and curled her knees up to her chest, before moving her bound hands underneath her feet and over to her front. While still handcuffed, her hands were much more useful in front of her than behind her. She ran over to Kassandra, and moved her bound hands over Kass's head and behind her back, pulling her into an embrace.
"Thank you so so much!" Marion said, before capturing Kassandra's lips with her own, pulling her into a kiss.
"Thank you so so much!" Marion said, before capturing Kassandra's lips with her own, pulling her into a kiss.
"Mmph..."
The kiss had not been expected, but it was definitely welcome. The pipe fell to the ground as Kassandra found a much better use for her hands, holding Marion as the two locked lips once more. Her arms were still sore from the work, but that pain felt insignificant now. She had worked herself hard, and now that she was standing there with a beautiful girl in her arms, it all felt worth it.
She didn't want to let go. She could have stayed in the warmth of Marion's embrace and never raised a complaint. But once again, her pragmatic side made itself known. She slowly drew away from the kiss and looked into Marion's eyes. There were a lot of things that she wished she could say, but none of them could find their way from her mind to her mouth. So for the time being, she stuck to the basics.
"So how are you feeling?"
The kiss had not been expected, but it was definitely welcome. The pipe fell to the ground as Kassandra found a much better use for her hands, holding Marion as the two locked lips once more. Her arms were still sore from the work, but that pain felt insignificant now. She had worked herself hard, and now that she was standing there with a beautiful girl in her arms, it all felt worth it.
She didn't want to let go. She could have stayed in the warmth of Marion's embrace and never raised a complaint. But once again, her pragmatic side made itself known. She slowly drew away from the kiss and looked into Marion's eyes. There were a lot of things that she wished she could say, but none of them could find their way from her mind to her mouth. So for the time being, she stuck to the basics.
"So how are you feeling?"
"Much better now, thanks to you," Marion said with a wink. Just because she was abstaining from sex until she got out of this mess didn't mean she couldn't flirt with her beautiful knight in shining armor. Her face then turned serious as she considered what her next move would be. "The real question is, where do we go from here? I'm hoping to find Brittany, bind and gag her, and then leave her to die, like she did to me. Given her reputation, I doubt anyone would help her. After that, I'll try to find a way out of this place. There's no collars this time around, so an escape will be much easier to pull off. And I want you to help me, staying by my side as we do it. Going at it alone is a little tough, given I can only move my wrists oh so far apart. Can I count on you to stick by my side?"
Oh right, they did try that weird thing with those collars in the Program recently, didn't they? Kassandra wondered why they didn't bring them back this time around. But like Marion said, it was a pretty huge blessing. Since the people in charge couldn't control their movements, they had a chance to get out. She didn't know how they would get past the perimeter and the soldiers, but by fuck, they had a chance.
Admittedly, Kassandra was a little less certain about what they should do with Brittany. Marion seemed pretty set on finding her, and considering that she had the keys to the handcuffs, it was pretty much a necessity. And yeah, if she had the chance, then she'd be totally willing to give her a good few shots to the jaw. She supposed that they would have to cross that bridge when they came to it, though.
But there was one thing that Kass was absolutely certain of: She had no intention of leaving Marion again. Meeting her was the only good thing that had happened to her since she got hauled away on that damned bus, and she wasn't going to let her down. Not a chance in hell.
"I'll stay with you."
Admittedly, Kassandra was a little less certain about what they should do with Brittany. Marion seemed pretty set on finding her, and considering that she had the keys to the handcuffs, it was pretty much a necessity. And yeah, if she had the chance, then she'd be totally willing to give her a good few shots to the jaw. She supposed that they would have to cross that bridge when they came to it, though.
But there was one thing that Kass was absolutely certain of: She had no intention of leaving Marion again. Meeting her was the only good thing that had happened to her since she got hauled away on that damned bus, and she wasn't going to let her down. Not a chance in hell.
"I'll stay with you."
"Good," Marion said. She was relieved to have an unwavering ally at her side. "You should probably go pick up Scott's daypack and weapon. Like I said, Brittany stole my daypack, and I can't exactly carry Scott's easily with my hands cuffed, nor could I wield the cattle prod, but you may find a good use for it. And don't forget the ball gag, I still want to use it on Brittany. I'll leave the navigating to you, considering I can't really do much with my hands, like pulling out and opening a map would require."
"All right."
Kassandra removed herself from Marion's cuffed grasp and set about scooping up the necessary supplies. The cattle prod was easy enough. It was lying right there, so all she had to do was pick it up. Simpler than simple.
The daypack, on the other hand, required her to get up close and personal with Scott's body, and that was easier said than done. For what were probably fairly obvious reasons, she had never been close to a corpse before, so grabbing a bag from one wasn't her idea of a good time. Doubly so if the corpse's head has set at a weird angle, and it jiggled a bit when she pulled the bag from his shoulders. Yeah, that was an image that she wanted to get out of her head as soon as possible. Too bad those were the ones that tended to stick around the longest.
Kass hopped over the railing to get back on the gazebo floor. She stashed the cattle prod in Scott's daypack for the time being. It was nice to have another weapon around, but she figured that she could stick with the pipe for now. Yeah, it was bent, but it was still intimidating as fuck, and she could probably fuck up someone's whole day with it if she had to.
Her foot lightly kicked a jacket as she headed to pick up her chosen weapon. She raised and eyebrow and pointed down at it, signaling a question for Marion.
"Hey, this yours?"
Kassandra removed herself from Marion's cuffed grasp and set about scooping up the necessary supplies. The cattle prod was easy enough. It was lying right there, so all she had to do was pick it up. Simpler than simple.
The daypack, on the other hand, required her to get up close and personal with Scott's body, and that was easier said than done. For what were probably fairly obvious reasons, she had never been close to a corpse before, so grabbing a bag from one wasn't her idea of a good time. Doubly so if the corpse's head has set at a weird angle, and it jiggled a bit when she pulled the bag from his shoulders. Yeah, that was an image that she wanted to get out of her head as soon as possible. Too bad those were the ones that tended to stick around the longest.
Kass hopped over the railing to get back on the gazebo floor. She stashed the cattle prod in Scott's daypack for the time being. It was nice to have another weapon around, but she figured that she could stick with the pipe for now. Yeah, it was bent, but it was still intimidating as fuck, and she could probably fuck up someone's whole day with it if she had to.
Her foot lightly kicked a jacket as she headed to pick up her chosen weapon. She raised and eyebrow and pointed down at it, signaling a question for Marion.
"Hey, this yours?"
"Fuck, I forgot about my jacket!" Marion said. She definitely didn't want to leave that behind. It was her favorite jacket. "Anyway, yeah, that's mine. Go ahead and stash it along with the ball gag into Scott's - or I suppose now my - daypack. I can't exactly put it back on in my current state, plus it's a little to warm here for leather."
"Sure thing."
Kassandra carried the jacket over her shoulder for the moment while she took to the dirty job of collecting the ball gag. She grabbed it by the strap, and couldn't help but notice a small string of saliva connecting the ball to the ground swiftly stretch and break after she picked it up. A low "Uhhh..." escaped her lips as she held it as far away from her as she could, stashing it deep into the corner of the bag. The jacket she pushed to the other side of the pack. She imagined that Marion would appreciate her trying to keep it relatively clean.
With Scott's bag now packed properly, she could focus on their next step. Now as for where they could find Brittany or a way to escape, she didn't have a clue, so they didn't have many options aside from taking a blind guess. Kass pulled out her map and stood by Marion's side, tilting her head slightly as she mentally checked the locations they had to choose from.
"Anywhere look good to you?"
Kassandra carried the jacket over her shoulder for the moment while she took to the dirty job of collecting the ball gag. She grabbed it by the strap, and couldn't help but notice a small string of saliva connecting the ball to the ground swiftly stretch and break after she picked it up. A low "Uhhh..." escaped her lips as she held it as far away from her as she could, stashing it deep into the corner of the bag. The jacket she pushed to the other side of the pack. She imagined that Marion would appreciate her trying to keep it relatively clean.
With Scott's bag now packed properly, she could focus on their next step. Now as for where they could find Brittany or a way to escape, she didn't have a clue, so they didn't have many options aside from taking a blind guess. Kass pulled out her map and stood by Marion's side, tilting her head slightly as she mentally checked the locations they had to choose from.
"Anywhere look good to you?"
Marion moved over close to Kassandra's side, both to get a better look at the map, and because she just liked being near Kassandra.
"Huh, they have a pool? Maybe we could check it out," She suggested. A devilish grin grew on her face. "Too bad the government didn't includes swimsuits in our daypacks. I'd love to see you in a bikini, Kass! Can I call you Kass?"
"Huh, they have a pool? Maybe we could check it out," She suggested. A devilish grin grew on her face. "Too bad the government didn't includes swimsuits in our daypacks. I'd love to see you in a bikini, Kass! Can I call you Kass?"
The pool, huh? Sounded like a pretty nice place to be, actually. Sounded a bit too nice for something involved with the Program. But still, Kassandra had never heard of a seawater pool before, much less been to one. Maybe they could take five and relax over there if it was anything like the mental image that was forming for her. Although admittedly, the invading image of Marion in a bikini was a bit more distracting...
"Oh yeah, that's fine. Kass is fine." She got herself back on track before she could drift too far off. "So what do you say? A trip to the pool sound all right to you?"
"Oh yeah, that's fine. Kass is fine." She got herself back on track before she could drift too far off. "So what do you say? A trip to the pool sound all right to you?"
"Sounds good to me. Let's go," Marion said, heading off to the pool. "Don't want to linger too long, you know?"
(Marion Williams continued in Care for a Dip?)
(Marion Williams continued in Care for a Dip?)
"Yeah, let's get going." Kassandra traced the path from the graveyard to the pool with her finger before re-folding the map and sliding it into her pocket. "Maybe we can catch a cool breeze while we're there."
She started to step off the gazebo, but took note of her empty hands and realized that she was forgetting something important.
"... Shit. One sec."
She turned back and grabbed the pipe from the ground before hurrying back to meet Marion.
"All right, now I'm good."
(Kassandra Vaitaki continued in Care For a Dip?)
She started to step off the gazebo, but took note of her empty hands and realized that she was forgetting something important.
"... Shit. One sec."
She turned back and grabbed the pipe from the ground before hurrying back to meet Marion.
"All right, now I'm good."
(Kassandra Vaitaki continued in Care For a Dip?)