Kaya lowered the gun she'd produced from her coat.
The barrel of the rifle was allowed to rest on the deck near her left foot, well away from RJ's corpse. "Fine, fair enough," she said. "Could do with the same courtesy but meh, I'm not in the mood to butt heads."
Kaya glanced over her shoulder just as the footfalls up the stairs became audible, and her eyes widened. "Hey, stay over there, Beth-" Before she could finish the thought, Bethan emerged from the flight of stairs, holding her spear but otherwise unharmed. Kaya half-turned from Amy to Bethan, then back to Amy. "Well, you know how it is. We've got a lot going on. Being super freaked out won't do us any good."
As she looked at Amy, her head slowly turned from left to right, then back. The calm in her voice seemed strained against her clenched neck muscles and tense gaze. "Yeah, it's uh, a real mess over here, Beth. I think we're about good to head off now, if you want. No use hanging around a place like this, right?"
Someone Who Needs Me
Waiting on Pippi and Slam
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Pippi
- Posts: 1121
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- Team Affiliation: Stephanie's Buccaneers
Oh. Uh. Whoops!
Y’know, she had gotten so into her job as bodyguard and as Kaya’s right-hand man - ooh, wait, no, as her first mate - that she’d briefly misplaced the fact that this was just a small position in a much much greater role, their role of showing to the audience that they were really and truly in a no holds barred game of life and death, with the stakes as high as possible. She was playing up the Buccaneer shtick for the sake of entertainment and the cameras, but there were probably also people watching back home who had tuned in for, like, the drama and the betrayal and the passionate cries of revenge, stuff like that! And she guessed that Amy was in that camp as well.
Hmm. Amy did look, and sound, particularly upset, though. She was shaking, and even paler than usual, and Bethan didn’t think it was all that cold up here; although, again, she was probably way more adapted to high-seas weather than Amy was. Still though. There was a level of force in her friend’s voice, one that she hadn’t heard… well, ever, before. Not coming out of her mouth. Not out of the mouth of anyone since she’d been thrown into SOTF. It was something that was impossible to ignore, and Bethan felt her smile loosen, and her fingers twitch and pulse against the handle of the spear.
But! But but but! There were still a whole number of reasons why Amy was acting this stern and sounding this agitated! Even though all these bodies lying around the place were just their classmates hanging out waiting to be picked up, or mannequins strewn across the deck to keep up the act, they were still pretty creepy, y’know? It was why Bethan was keeping her chin up, head high, spear ready, and looking at her friends, rather than the bodies! And speaking of the spear, all these weapons being handed out, the guns and axes and grenades and all that stuff, they were pretty scary to deal with too, especially given how realistic most of ‘em looked! She would have to show Amy the gun currently nestled in her pocket, that’d show her that they’d kinda run outta budget towards the end and just picked up some cruddy toy gun from Walmart. Not right now, though. She figured that suddenly going to grab something outta her pocket wouldn’t be a smart idea at the moment.
Or maybe Amy was just seasick! They’d been out here for, like, three days now, but there was still every chance she was yet to find her sea legs!
“Right, yep, sorry, sorry!” Bethan chirped out, all apologies, backing away into the doorway once more. “Just trying to keep things positive, but I totes get it, Ames! I’m good to go whenever you are, Kaya, just gimme a holler when you’re done! And, like, no fighting or anything, ‘k?”
She gave a little salute, stepping back into the main stairwell, growing closer and closer to the multi-murderer sneaking up behind her.
Y’know, she had gotten so into her job as bodyguard and as Kaya’s right-hand man - ooh, wait, no, as her first mate - that she’d briefly misplaced the fact that this was just a small position in a much much greater role, their role of showing to the audience that they were really and truly in a no holds barred game of life and death, with the stakes as high as possible. She was playing up the Buccaneer shtick for the sake of entertainment and the cameras, but there were probably also people watching back home who had tuned in for, like, the drama and the betrayal and the passionate cries of revenge, stuff like that! And she guessed that Amy was in that camp as well.
Hmm. Amy did look, and sound, particularly upset, though. She was shaking, and even paler than usual, and Bethan didn’t think it was all that cold up here; although, again, she was probably way more adapted to high-seas weather than Amy was. Still though. There was a level of force in her friend’s voice, one that she hadn’t heard… well, ever, before. Not coming out of her mouth. Not out of the mouth of anyone since she’d been thrown into SOTF. It was something that was impossible to ignore, and Bethan felt her smile loosen, and her fingers twitch and pulse against the handle of the spear.
But! But but but! There were still a whole number of reasons why Amy was acting this stern and sounding this agitated! Even though all these bodies lying around the place were just their classmates hanging out waiting to be picked up, or mannequins strewn across the deck to keep up the act, they were still pretty creepy, y’know? It was why Bethan was keeping her chin up, head high, spear ready, and looking at her friends, rather than the bodies! And speaking of the spear, all these weapons being handed out, the guns and axes and grenades and all that stuff, they were pretty scary to deal with too, especially given how realistic most of ‘em looked! She would have to show Amy the gun currently nestled in her pocket, that’d show her that they’d kinda run outta budget towards the end and just picked up some cruddy toy gun from Walmart. Not right now, though. She figured that suddenly going to grab something outta her pocket wouldn’t be a smart idea at the moment.
Or maybe Amy was just seasick! They’d been out here for, like, three days now, but there was still every chance she was yet to find her sea legs!
“Right, yep, sorry, sorry!” Bethan chirped out, all apologies, backing away into the doorway once more. “Just trying to keep things positive, but I totes get it, Ames! I’m good to go whenever you are, Kaya, just gimme a holler when you’re done! And, like, no fighting or anything, ‘k?”
She gave a little salute, stepping back into the main stairwell, growing closer and closer to the multi-murderer sneaking up behind her.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Oh Bethan, you were always so adorably stupid.
Seo-yun tried not to play favorites, but she admittedly had always had a soft spot for Bethan in particular. There was just something so innocently naive about her behavior. Despite all the sex she had and SOTF she watched, she never really struck Seo-yun as all that wise to the world. The harsh realities of life and stardom had not come down upon her yet.
Even though they were about to come down on her like a bullet through the back of her skull.
Seo-yun's new plan was simple enough. She would shoot Bethan in the head, then she would run away. If Amy or Kaya followed after her trying to get revenge, she would ambush them. It would be easy, and more importantly, it would be safe. It'd probably be the easiest kill she would get thus far.
Except something made her pause, if only for a moment. The thought of watching Bethan's brains splatter all over the deck made that emptiness gnaw away at her insides. Bethan was always nice company and a good friend. She was arguably second only to Mandy in the list of people Seo-yun would prefer accompany her on her journey out of this place. It was a tragedy, having a friendship end this way.
She would feel a little bad about it. She just wouldn't feel that bad about it.
Both of Seo-yun's hands wrapped around the shotgun, the barrel slowly rising to her target. She took one small, quiet step out from around the corner. She felt her leg wobble beneath her, a wave of weakness passing through her body. Then, it buckled, and in a flash she saw the ground rising up to meet her face.
She jolted her arms up to protect her face, just barely cushioning the impact as she hit the ground.
The shotgun loudly clattered to the floor next to her while all-too-familiar-pain cut through her like a hot knife through butter. If she wasn't in her current situation, she would scream and swear at the indignity of it all. Now, of all times, her body finally decided to give out on her.
She brought one arm down to bring herself up, weakly pushing herself off the ground.
Was this really it? Was she about to die?
Seo-yun tried not to play favorites, but she admittedly had always had a soft spot for Bethan in particular. There was just something so innocently naive about her behavior. Despite all the sex she had and SOTF she watched, she never really struck Seo-yun as all that wise to the world. The harsh realities of life and stardom had not come down upon her yet.
Even though they were about to come down on her like a bullet through the back of her skull.
Seo-yun's new plan was simple enough. She would shoot Bethan in the head, then she would run away. If Amy or Kaya followed after her trying to get revenge, she would ambush them. It would be easy, and more importantly, it would be safe. It'd probably be the easiest kill she would get thus far.
Except something made her pause, if only for a moment. The thought of watching Bethan's brains splatter all over the deck made that emptiness gnaw away at her insides. Bethan was always nice company and a good friend. She was arguably second only to Mandy in the list of people Seo-yun would prefer accompany her on her journey out of this place. It was a tragedy, having a friendship end this way.
She would feel a little bad about it. She just wouldn't feel that bad about it.
Both of Seo-yun's hands wrapped around the shotgun, the barrel slowly rising to her target. She took one small, quiet step out from around the corner. She felt her leg wobble beneath her, a wave of weakness passing through her body. Then, it buckled, and in a flash she saw the ground rising up to meet her face.
She jolted her arms up to protect her face, just barely cushioning the impact as she hit the ground.
The shotgun loudly clattered to the floor next to her while all-too-familiar-pain cut through her like a hot knife through butter. If she wasn't in her current situation, she would scream and swear at the indignity of it all. Now, of all times, her body finally decided to give out on her.
She brought one arm down to bring herself up, weakly pushing herself off the ground.
Was this really it? Was she about to die?
Amy didn’t respond to Kaya or Bethan, but the gun did start to falter. Both because it was heavy, and because the mood seemed like it was calming down.
No, stay sharp, Amy. If she let her guard down, Kaya could pull that gun right back up and take the shot. Or Bethan could sneak up behind her and stab her in the back. She’d just have to keep her distance, and keep the gun drawn.
Bethan could be all smiles and rainbows, but it didn’t matter to Amy. Trying to ‘keep positive’ on SOTF-TV sounded like the most insane thing, and Amy was in no mood, or state of mind, to figure out what she was trying to pull. If the situation was different, if they weren’t swimming in a sea of corpses with enough firepower between them to kill all three of them in seconds, then maybe she’d want to talk to her.
But that wasn’t how it worked anymore.
She lowered the barrel of her gun, but didn’t holster her weapon. She didn’t move any closer either. The sooner they left, the sooner she’d be alone and could try to get her thoughts back in order.
No, stay sharp, Amy. If she let her guard down, Kaya could pull that gun right back up and take the shot. Or Bethan could sneak up behind her and stab her in the back. She’d just have to keep her distance, and keep the gun drawn.
Bethan could be all smiles and rainbows, but it didn’t matter to Amy. Trying to ‘keep positive’ on SOTF-TV sounded like the most insane thing, and Amy was in no mood, or state of mind, to figure out what she was trying to pull. If the situation was different, if they weren’t swimming in a sea of corpses with enough firepower between them to kill all three of them in seconds, then maybe she’d want to talk to her.
But that wasn’t how it worked anymore.
She lowered the barrel of her gun, but didn’t holster her weapon. She didn’t move any closer either. The sooner they left, the sooner she’d be alone and could try to get her thoughts back in order.
Kaya didn't move. She just stayed there, staring at Amy's gun as it drooped to the floor. She glanced over her shoulder as Bethan stepped out of view before taking a few steps back from Amy, in the direction we came from.
"So-"
CLANK
Kaya snapped to attention at the loud metal sound, whipping around towards the source. As she turned to face it, she called out, "Hey Beth-" before pausing. She ran over to the edge of the deck and looked down the stairs over to Bethan. Her eyes widened as she looked behind the other girl.
She raised her rifle. "Beth, move!"
"So-"
CLANK
Kaya snapped to attention at the loud metal sound, whipping around towards the source. As she turned to face it, she called out, "Hey Beth-" before pausing. She ran over to the edge of the deck and looked down the stairs over to Bethan. Her eyes widened as she looked behind the other girl.
She raised her rifle. "Beth, move!"
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Pippi
- Posts: 1121
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:32 pm
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- Team Affiliation: Stephanie's Buccaneers
There was a clattering sound from down the stairs. It reminded Bethan of…
Well, hmm. She couldn’t actually pinpoint exactly what it sounded like, as she jogged down the stairs, one hand on the railing, the other clutching tightly to the spear, making sure she didn’t drop it or trip over it or let it bounce against the metal steps and make a really annoying noise. It was something plastic on something metal, a tiny bit like the sound of dropping a scrubbing brush into the sink, or of shaking a big box of Legos about, only amplified by a buttload, but neither of those gave a totally accurate picture of what she had heard from downstairs.
One thing was for sure, though; there was definitely somebody down here, wandering around on the deck below. The only thing she had seen close by was a life preserver hanging on the wall, and it wasn’t as though that could just fall down by itself, now, could it? Unless this ship was haunted, which would be pretty cool but also totally freaky!
No, wait, there was already a Ghost Ship in the flotilla, a few boats away from them, that’d be the haunted one!
Bethan’s pace slowed as she reached the foot of the stairs, her hand slipping from the railing and into her hoody pocket. She couldn’t quite tell if her fingers were wrapped around the handle or the barrel, the whole silly thing was so square shaped, but it didn’t really matter! She was just doing it for the aesthetic, after all; what kind of a pirate didn’t have a sword in one hand and a flintlock pistol in the other? Or, y’know, spear and weird cyberpunk pistol, in her case.
There was a gun, lying on the ground close to the stairs; that had to be the culprit behind the clattering from previously. And lying not too far away from it was…
“Oh my gosh!”
Now, on the one hand, Seo-yun was the exact sorta person the Buccaneers were trying to eliminate; y’know, they were all the dashing rogues, stealing treasures but leaving everyone onboard alive, sailing off with a witty quip and their hats jauntily askew, and people like Seo-yun were the actual evil pirates with bloodstained cutlasses and firecrackers in their hair. She, in particular, had been super duper busy! She’d gotten a whole bunch of points, Bethan hadn’t been keeping track of them at all, but she had to be close to the full ten by now. There was no doubt in her mind that if the girl hadn’t been in an ungainly, crumpled heap, they would be having a real, proper standoff right about now.
But on the other hand…
“Seo-yun!” Bethan called out, hurrying over to her friend’s side, her actual real super close friend from school, unzipping her bag and grabbing a water bottle. “Are you doing okay? Do you need any water? Did you spend too much time in the sun?”
Well, hmm. She couldn’t actually pinpoint exactly what it sounded like, as she jogged down the stairs, one hand on the railing, the other clutching tightly to the spear, making sure she didn’t drop it or trip over it or let it bounce against the metal steps and make a really annoying noise. It was something plastic on something metal, a tiny bit like the sound of dropping a scrubbing brush into the sink, or of shaking a big box of Legos about, only amplified by a buttload, but neither of those gave a totally accurate picture of what she had heard from downstairs.
One thing was for sure, though; there was definitely somebody down here, wandering around on the deck below. The only thing she had seen close by was a life preserver hanging on the wall, and it wasn’t as though that could just fall down by itself, now, could it? Unless this ship was haunted, which would be pretty cool but also totally freaky!
No, wait, there was already a Ghost Ship in the flotilla, a few boats away from them, that’d be the haunted one!
Bethan’s pace slowed as she reached the foot of the stairs, her hand slipping from the railing and into her hoody pocket. She couldn’t quite tell if her fingers were wrapped around the handle or the barrel, the whole silly thing was so square shaped, but it didn’t really matter! She was just doing it for the aesthetic, after all; what kind of a pirate didn’t have a sword in one hand and a flintlock pistol in the other? Or, y’know, spear and weird cyberpunk pistol, in her case.
There was a gun, lying on the ground close to the stairs; that had to be the culprit behind the clattering from previously. And lying not too far away from it was…
“Oh my gosh!”
Now, on the one hand, Seo-yun was the exact sorta person the Buccaneers were trying to eliminate; y’know, they were all the dashing rogues, stealing treasures but leaving everyone onboard alive, sailing off with a witty quip and their hats jauntily askew, and people like Seo-yun were the actual evil pirates with bloodstained cutlasses and firecrackers in their hair. She, in particular, had been super duper busy! She’d gotten a whole bunch of points, Bethan hadn’t been keeping track of them at all, but she had to be close to the full ten by now. There was no doubt in her mind that if the girl hadn’t been in an ungainly, crumpled heap, they would be having a real, proper standoff right about now.
But on the other hand…
“Seo-yun!” Bethan called out, hurrying over to her friend’s side, her actual real super close friend from school, unzipping her bag and grabbing a water bottle. “Are you doing okay? Do you need any water? Did you spend too much time in the sun?”
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Seo-yun stared up at Bethan through her one eye, stiff and silent.
She was dumbfounded, bewildered, and stupefied. Bethan and Seo-yun had been friends before, sure. That was until they wound up on enemy teams in a death game where Seo-yun had murdered seven people, including Virginia, who Seo-yun could have sworn Bethan had an intimate relationship with. This wasn't like Mandy, who Seo-yun had formed a partnership with and carefully manipulated. Yet Bethan still sounded so genuinely concerned, and was offering help to her in spite of everything.
"Wh-"
She faltered mid-sentence, transfixed on the water bottle in Bethan's hand. Her mind raced as she tried to understand what was happening in front of her. Was Bethan just that stupid and nice? How could anyone possibly be that stupid and nice? Was this some kind of strange ploy to get her guard down? Why even bother with something like that, when she was already prone and disarmed? Did Bethan secretly lose her hearing at some point between the abduction and now, and therefore didn't know? That didn't make any sense, but nothing she could come up with made any sense.
"Wh-why?" she forced out. "Why are you- why are you trying to help me? Why are you being nice to me?"
She was dumbfounded, bewildered, and stupefied. Bethan and Seo-yun had been friends before, sure. That was until they wound up on enemy teams in a death game where Seo-yun had murdered seven people, including Virginia, who Seo-yun could have sworn Bethan had an intimate relationship with. This wasn't like Mandy, who Seo-yun had formed a partnership with and carefully manipulated. Yet Bethan still sounded so genuinely concerned, and was offering help to her in spite of everything.
"Wh-"
She faltered mid-sentence, transfixed on the water bottle in Bethan's hand. Her mind raced as she tried to understand what was happening in front of her. Was Bethan just that stupid and nice? How could anyone possibly be that stupid and nice? Was this some kind of strange ploy to get her guard down? Why even bother with something like that, when she was already prone and disarmed? Did Bethan secretly lose her hearing at some point between the abduction and now, and therefore didn't know? That didn't make any sense, but nothing she could come up with made any sense.
"Wh-why?" she forced out. "Why are you- why are you trying to help me? Why are you being nice to me?"
A noise. Alarm. Kaya was distracted; Amy could shoot her right then and make a run for it. Her fingers curled around the handle of her gun.
But she heard Bethan calling out from down below. Heard the name, because Bethan was shouting it. Seo-yun. Amy froze.
Memories of the ferry came back to her: the bloodshed; the carnage. There were already at least two guns on the scene, and Seo would’ve brought more. This could easily become a mess. Bethan was already as good as dead.
She thought about staying around, trying to fight and get revenge. But she was already moving away. Sorry RJ, she’d have to come back for the body later. She was outnumbered, and she didn’t feel ready to take on a fight this big.
With no eyes on her, and such a big deck with many exits, it was easy for her to slip away.
((Amy Barrows-Shaw continued in The Connections We Make and Lose))
But she heard Bethan calling out from down below. Heard the name, because Bethan was shouting it. Seo-yun. Amy froze.
Memories of the ferry came back to her: the bloodshed; the carnage. There were already at least two guns on the scene, and Seo would’ve brought more. This could easily become a mess. Bethan was already as good as dead.
She thought about staying around, trying to fight and get revenge. But she was already moving away. Sorry RJ, she’d have to come back for the body later. She was outnumbered, and she didn’t feel ready to take on a fight this big.
With no eyes on her, and such a big deck with many exits, it was easy for her to slip away.
((Amy Barrows-Shaw continued in The Connections We Make and Lose))
"Beth!" Kaya snapped as she ran over to the other girl, weapon still raised, not acknowledging Amy's departure at all.
She stopped as Bethan called Seo-yun's name aloud, swearing under her breath. "Beth, Seo-yun's bad news, if she's here we need to go!"
Reaching her friend at the stairs, Kaya raised her weapon and looked down at Seo-yun on the floor. She grimaced, gritting her teeth at the sight of the battered, bloodied girl. "Beth, we need to go," she said, taking a glance at the water bottle in Bethan's hands. "She's a player, she's...well, she's eliminated a bunch of people. We should leave her or she might try to attack us, okay?"
Kaya stood firm next to her friend, not taking her eyes--or the barrel of her gun--off of the prone girl.
She stopped as Bethan called Seo-yun's name aloud, swearing under her breath. "Beth, Seo-yun's bad news, if she's here we need to go!"
Reaching her friend at the stairs, Kaya raised her weapon and looked down at Seo-yun on the floor. She grimaced, gritting her teeth at the sight of the battered, bloodied girl. "Beth, we need to go," she said, taking a glance at the water bottle in Bethan's hands. "She's a player, she's...well, she's eliminated a bunch of people. We should leave her or she might try to attack us, okay?"
Kaya stood firm next to her friend, not taking her eyes--or the barrel of her gun--off of the prone girl.
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Pippi
- Posts: 1121
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Bethan frowned again.
She looked, slowly, from Seo-yun across to Kaya, gaze moving from one to the other, an expression of concern spreading across her face. Was Amy still upstairs? She had heard footsteps right overhead, but she’d kinda presumed that had been the sound of both of her friends rushing down to assist her. Instead, the only person standing here, one foot still on the steps, was Kaya. And even if she hadn’t been training her gun directly at Seo-yun’s torso, it was plain as day that she was in no mood to help out.
And, like, that by itself would have been mostly understandable; it was a little odd that Kaya was so eager to get going, considering Seo-yun was lying in a total messy heap on the ground, but she was still at the very top of the leaderboard, and on a totally different team to them. Kaya was just super proactive and concerned about their safety! That part made total sense to Bethan!
It was Seo-yun’s reaction that was really kinda, to be totally honest, messing her up. Because her friend was in a barely moving heap right now. Her breathing was laboured. She was struggling to finish her words, let alone full sentences. She wasn’t really an outdoors-y person, was she? All this running around on boats, rocking with the waves, with sunlight beating down on her, it was probably really really not good for her. Gosh, they hadn’t even been given any sunscreen in their packs or anything like that, had they? And yet… and yet she seemed baffled, like, genuinely baffled that she was being offered help when she was in such a sorry state. Was the desire to maintain the immersion of this show and to keep up this act, this facade, so great that she would refuse even a bottle of water from a friend?
Bethan could feel her heart revving up, increasing shockingly quickly to an uncomfortable pace. Something was pulsing inside her head. Like a dam was about to break. Or, maybe more accurately, like the walls of a high security prison, moments before a jailbreak erupted, blowing a hole in the structure and revealing everything inside.
“Kaya… Seo-yun… I…”
Seo-yun was proud. She always had been. She was so self-confident and held herself with such poise and effortless grace, and that was really admirable and, to be honest, really attractive, it was part of why she was so attracted to Lucille after all! But it meant that she wanted to do things her way, and, undoubtedly, asking for help would be considered some kind of weakness to her. Accepting it, even more so. For anyone else, this act of confusion, and of defiance, while sprawled out in front of aid, would be incomprehensible. But for Seo-yun? Maybe not.
“Look,” Bethan said, lowering her voice to a hush. “I know we’re trying to maintain, uh, what’s it called, kayfabe here, keeping up the pirate act and all the killing game stuff, but I think you seriously need some help, okay, Seo-yun? Please, trust me, have you had any water recently? The heat can seriously sneak up on you when you’re on the water, especially if the sea breeze masks how hot it actually is, it’s a similar kinda deal to how you can get sunburn while mountain climbing.”
She gave Seo-yun a smile, pointing a finger towards the bandages covering one half of her face.
“Oh, but, I meant to say, I like the bandages, if you’re going for, y’know, the pirate sorta look, like a makeshift eyepatch? It’s neat!”
There were a lot of bandages covering her body, really.
And Bethan couldn’t help but notice how much fake blood was soaked into them.
She looked, slowly, from Seo-yun across to Kaya, gaze moving from one to the other, an expression of concern spreading across her face. Was Amy still upstairs? She had heard footsteps right overhead, but she’d kinda presumed that had been the sound of both of her friends rushing down to assist her. Instead, the only person standing here, one foot still on the steps, was Kaya. And even if she hadn’t been training her gun directly at Seo-yun’s torso, it was plain as day that she was in no mood to help out.
And, like, that by itself would have been mostly understandable; it was a little odd that Kaya was so eager to get going, considering Seo-yun was lying in a total messy heap on the ground, but she was still at the very top of the leaderboard, and on a totally different team to them. Kaya was just super proactive and concerned about their safety! That part made total sense to Bethan!
It was Seo-yun’s reaction that was really kinda, to be totally honest, messing her up. Because her friend was in a barely moving heap right now. Her breathing was laboured. She was struggling to finish her words, let alone full sentences. She wasn’t really an outdoors-y person, was she? All this running around on boats, rocking with the waves, with sunlight beating down on her, it was probably really really not good for her. Gosh, they hadn’t even been given any sunscreen in their packs or anything like that, had they? And yet… and yet she seemed baffled, like, genuinely baffled that she was being offered help when she was in such a sorry state. Was the desire to maintain the immersion of this show and to keep up this act, this facade, so great that she would refuse even a bottle of water from a friend?
Bethan could feel her heart revving up, increasing shockingly quickly to an uncomfortable pace. Something was pulsing inside her head. Like a dam was about to break. Or, maybe more accurately, like the walls of a high security prison, moments before a jailbreak erupted, blowing a hole in the structure and revealing everything inside.
“Kaya… Seo-yun… I…”
Seo-yun was proud. She always had been. She was so self-confident and held herself with such poise and effortless grace, and that was really admirable and, to be honest, really attractive, it was part of why she was so attracted to Lucille after all! But it meant that she wanted to do things her way, and, undoubtedly, asking for help would be considered some kind of weakness to her. Accepting it, even more so. For anyone else, this act of confusion, and of defiance, while sprawled out in front of aid, would be incomprehensible. But for Seo-yun? Maybe not.
“Look,” Bethan said, lowering her voice to a hush. “I know we’re trying to maintain, uh, what’s it called, kayfabe here, keeping up the pirate act and all the killing game stuff, but I think you seriously need some help, okay, Seo-yun? Please, trust me, have you had any water recently? The heat can seriously sneak up on you when you’re on the water, especially if the sea breeze masks how hot it actually is, it’s a similar kinda deal to how you can get sunburn while mountain climbing.”
She gave Seo-yun a smile, pointing a finger towards the bandages covering one half of her face.
“Oh, but, I meant to say, I like the bandages, if you’re going for, y’know, the pirate sorta look, like a makeshift eyepatch? It’s neat!”
There were a lot of bandages covering her body, really.
And Bethan couldn’t help but notice how much fake blood was soaked into them.
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VoltTurtle
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Seo-yun barely even registered the gun being pointed in her direction. Her attention was focused solely on Bethan. Her confusion had only gotten worse. Was this some kind of prank? Were the producers about to pop out and tell her that she had actually gotten the ten kills like she had thought, and they had gotten Bethan in on an act to mess with her one last time?
"Bethan, I-"
It was better to not look a gift horse in the mouth. It was reasonable to assume that so long as Bethan was between her and the barrel of that gun, Kaya wouldn't fire. Which meant, whatever was happening right now, she needed to take advantage of it if she wanted to stay alive. With that in mind, she started to force herself up, her arms wobbling all the while, until she was sitting up, crouched down behind Bethan. She reached one hand up and took the water bottle from Bethan. The other girl relinquished it easily, something that still surprised her, even in the present circumstances.
Ducking back behind the corner and into cover, Seo-yun uncapped the bottle and gave the water a tentative sniff. It didn't smell poisoned, and she couldn't imagine that Bethan would bother doing so, what with that heavy piece of artillery Kaya just had pointed at her. She downed the whole bottle in a few quick, desperate gulps, not quite realizing just how thirsty she had been until the water hit her tongue. She let out a small sigh afterwards, and placed the bottle next to her.
She gave a quick glance at her shotgun on the ground. It was currently out of arm's reach, but thankfully was still closer to her than to Bethan. A fact that she'd definitely have to keep in mind whenever she was making her getaway. With that acknowledgement, she turned her head back towards her friend, listening intently for any movement from Kaya as she kept her out of sight.
"Thank you for the water, Bethan."
She meant it.
"But this isn't a makeshift eyepatch, it's real," her words came out slowly, vulnerable for the first time since she arrived here. "I was stabbed in the eye by someone trying to kill me."
A half-truth, but one spoken confidently.
"What are you... what are you doing?" she asked, turning Bethan's own concerns back at her. "Is this some kind of act?"
"Bethan, I-"
It was better to not look a gift horse in the mouth. It was reasonable to assume that so long as Bethan was between her and the barrel of that gun, Kaya wouldn't fire. Which meant, whatever was happening right now, she needed to take advantage of it if she wanted to stay alive. With that in mind, she started to force herself up, her arms wobbling all the while, until she was sitting up, crouched down behind Bethan. She reached one hand up and took the water bottle from Bethan. The other girl relinquished it easily, something that still surprised her, even in the present circumstances.
Ducking back behind the corner and into cover, Seo-yun uncapped the bottle and gave the water a tentative sniff. It didn't smell poisoned, and she couldn't imagine that Bethan would bother doing so, what with that heavy piece of artillery Kaya just had pointed at her. She downed the whole bottle in a few quick, desperate gulps, not quite realizing just how thirsty she had been until the water hit her tongue. She let out a small sigh afterwards, and placed the bottle next to her.
She gave a quick glance at her shotgun on the ground. It was currently out of arm's reach, but thankfully was still closer to her than to Bethan. A fact that she'd definitely have to keep in mind whenever she was making her getaway. With that acknowledgement, she turned her head back towards her friend, listening intently for any movement from Kaya as she kept her out of sight.
"Thank you for the water, Bethan."
She meant it.
"But this isn't a makeshift eyepatch, it's real," her words came out slowly, vulnerable for the first time since she arrived here. "I was stabbed in the eye by someone trying to kill me."
A half-truth, but one spoken confidently.
"What are you... what are you doing?" she asked, turning Bethan's own concerns back at her. "Is this some kind of act?"
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Pippi
- Posts: 1121
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“I… no, no it’s not, it’s not an… well… I mean, well, it is an act, but, but, that’s just cause… just cause....”
The walls she had formed were crumbling faster than she could rebuild them, and the truth, the truth that mirrored everything Seo-yun was saying and that she’d hidden away for as long as she could was being revealed once again, dragged forcefully into the light.
“Cause like, we’re all putting on an act, right? We’re all part of a show and stuff, this… this whole thing, the, uh, ‘death game’ scenario, it’s not a real thing, is it? We’re playing up for the cameras cause, cause, we need to make it look as real as possible, and so that’s why all the blood looks so realistic and all the, the guns and stuff, but it’s not, it’s… it’s not real!”
She stared, wide-eyed, at Kaya. Her body was shaking. It was the only movement she felt as though she could make right now. The short distance around the corner to which Seo-yun had scurried to might as well have been a mile away now. Climbing a mountain sounded more feasible than clambering back up to the stairs to the upper deck. Her mouth was dry, but even if she’d still had her water bottle in her hand, she didn’t think she could have managed to sip from it.
“And so… And so nobody was actually trying to kill you. And you haven’t actually killed anyone either, and neither have you, Kaya, that guy, that guy at the restaurant is probably just, just sitting around and moping on the production boat, upset that he got knocked out so quickly because… because he’s still alive. Everyone’s still alive because you… you promised.”
She tried desperately to read the great blankness of Kaya’s face.
“You promised so easily…”
The walls she had formed were crumbling faster than she could rebuild them, and the truth, the truth that mirrored everything Seo-yun was saying and that she’d hidden away for as long as she could was being revealed once again, dragged forcefully into the light.
“Cause like, we’re all putting on an act, right? We’re all part of a show and stuff, this… this whole thing, the, uh, ‘death game’ scenario, it’s not a real thing, is it? We’re playing up for the cameras cause, cause, we need to make it look as real as possible, and so that’s why all the blood looks so realistic and all the, the guns and stuff, but it’s not, it’s… it’s not real!”
She stared, wide-eyed, at Kaya. Her body was shaking. It was the only movement she felt as though she could make right now. The short distance around the corner to which Seo-yun had scurried to might as well have been a mile away now. Climbing a mountain sounded more feasible than clambering back up to the stairs to the upper deck. Her mouth was dry, but even if she’d still had her water bottle in her hand, she didn’t think she could have managed to sip from it.
“And so… And so nobody was actually trying to kill you. And you haven’t actually killed anyone either, and neither have you, Kaya, that guy, that guy at the restaurant is probably just, just sitting around and moping on the production boat, upset that he got knocked out so quickly because… because he’s still alive. Everyone’s still alive because you… you promised.”
She tried desperately to read the great blankness of Kaya’s face.
“You promised so easily…”
Silence.
For a while.
Finally, Kaya turned her gaze away.
"I'm sorry."
For a while.
Finally, Kaya turned her gaze away.
"I'm sorry."
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Kaya's reply echoed down the stairs, and suddenly everything made sense.
Bethan was sweet, but given that she was lacking in brain cells, it was hardly a surprise she'd happily believe a nice lie that helped her feel more comfortable. The only surprise was that it took this long for the lie to be revealed. Certainly they would have seen all the corpses at some point, right? Or perhaps Kaya's deception was deeper than it first appeared.
Seo-yun couldn't help but imagine what it must be like for Bethan to learn that everyone was really dead. It was certainly easy enough to think that SOTF was like every other reality TV show, and the only "reality" was that it was completely fake. Except this wasn't like other reality TV shows. Everything that happened here was very much real. Devastatingly, painfully real. Something like that must destroy a person, might flip their whole world upside down.
She felt an all-too-unfamiliar pang of sympathy for her former friend. This was something she understood, and it was far too painful to just ignore. She felt obligated to say something. Except, if Bethan had been acting without knowing the truth, then that might mean her kindness would come to an end very shortly. Seo-yun took a deep breath, and braced herself. Since she might need to run and gun at any moment, she couldn't let her legs fall out from under her again. Before that, though, words might be able to buy her a stay of execution.
"This is real, Bethan," she said gently, quietly. "Everyone that has died is gone. I've killed some of them. Watched them writhe in their own blood and then lay still. Each one has taken something from me that I won't get back."
Her dignity, her image, her peace, her ear, her eye. Her self.
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
Bethan was sweet, but given that she was lacking in brain cells, it was hardly a surprise she'd happily believe a nice lie that helped her feel more comfortable. The only surprise was that it took this long for the lie to be revealed. Certainly they would have seen all the corpses at some point, right? Or perhaps Kaya's deception was deeper than it first appeared.
Seo-yun couldn't help but imagine what it must be like for Bethan to learn that everyone was really dead. It was certainly easy enough to think that SOTF was like every other reality TV show, and the only "reality" was that it was completely fake. Except this wasn't like other reality TV shows. Everything that happened here was very much real. Devastatingly, painfully real. Something like that must destroy a person, might flip their whole world upside down.
She felt an all-too-unfamiliar pang of sympathy for her former friend. This was something she understood, and it was far too painful to just ignore. She felt obligated to say something. Except, if Bethan had been acting without knowing the truth, then that might mean her kindness would come to an end very shortly. Seo-yun took a deep breath, and braced herself. Since she might need to run and gun at any moment, she couldn't let her legs fall out from under her again. Before that, though, words might be able to buy her a stay of execution.
"This is real, Bethan," she said gently, quietly. "Everyone that has died is gone. I've killed some of them. Watched them writhe in their own blood and then lay still. Each one has taken something from me that I won't get back."
Her dignity, her image, her peace, her ear, her eye. Her self.
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
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Pippi
- Posts: 1121
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:32 pm
- Location: I'm Pip!
- Team Affiliation: Stephanie's Buccaneers
She was in a trembling huddle on the floor again.
There was a creeping, sinking sense of deja vu spreading through her, seeping into the edges of her consciousness as her head and her heart thudded a sickening rhythm inside of her. She was back inside the shop boat all over again, her weapons and belongings lying next to her, tears and makeup running down her face in streaks. The only difference was that the underside of a desk was now replaced by a metal stairwell, but they both served the same purpose. An illusion of shelter, a place to briefly rest and hide away from what was truly going on in the flotilla around her.
It was such a simple lie, such an easy lie for Bethan to believe, because she would have instantly believed anything Kaya told her, no matter what. She had looked after her and taken care of her at her lowest ebb, she had promised her safety and security, she had assuaged her terror about this horrible game she had been put in. She had saved her. And so all she needed to do to maintain the lie was keep her a safe distance away from any bodies and repeat the falsehoods - that the blood was fake, that the guns were props - that had kept Bethan at ease.
All topped off by the fact that Bethan had been desperate to accept any alternative to the truth.
But now it was staring her in the face, and she couldn’t run from it anymore, not mentally and not physically, her legs felt like they’d been turned to jelly underneath her, and she stared right through Kaya, her eyes wide and unfocused, looking towards her friend, her ally, her teammate, forcing herself to process that she had killed someone, murdered a boy right in front of her, dumped his body right into the ocean, and she had just smiled and shrugged it off like it was nothing and God, oh God, no wonder Amy had been so upset, watching someone laughing and joking while standing just a few feet away from the body of her friend and
And she was just a few feet away from Seo-yun, she’d just tried to help and heal Seo-yun, the girl who had killed so many people already, so many classmates and friends, she could have had a knife or a gun hidden up her sleeve and she could have just, just, and
And there were bodies upstairs, there were bodies on the deck above her, actual dead bodies, not fakes, not mannequins, the real thing, she was surrounded by them, they had to be on every single boat, there was nowhere to run, and she wanted to hide, she needed to hide, but she couldn’t escape, couldn’t escape from her own mind
She felt sick. She was going to be sick. Her throat was full of bile and vomit. If she tried to stand, she would throw up. Maybe it was a good thing she couldn’t move. A good thing she could barely breathe. A good thing she was barely human, that she wasn’t there, a ghost in human skin. Her voice, quiet, strained, escaped without her permission.
“No, no, no no no no no no…”
There was a creeping, sinking sense of deja vu spreading through her, seeping into the edges of her consciousness as her head and her heart thudded a sickening rhythm inside of her. She was back inside the shop boat all over again, her weapons and belongings lying next to her, tears and makeup running down her face in streaks. The only difference was that the underside of a desk was now replaced by a metal stairwell, but they both served the same purpose. An illusion of shelter, a place to briefly rest and hide away from what was truly going on in the flotilla around her.
It was such a simple lie, such an easy lie for Bethan to believe, because she would have instantly believed anything Kaya told her, no matter what. She had looked after her and taken care of her at her lowest ebb, she had promised her safety and security, she had assuaged her terror about this horrible game she had been put in. She had saved her. And so all she needed to do to maintain the lie was keep her a safe distance away from any bodies and repeat the falsehoods - that the blood was fake, that the guns were props - that had kept Bethan at ease.
All topped off by the fact that Bethan had been desperate to accept any alternative to the truth.
But now it was staring her in the face, and she couldn’t run from it anymore, not mentally and not physically, her legs felt like they’d been turned to jelly underneath her, and she stared right through Kaya, her eyes wide and unfocused, looking towards her friend, her ally, her teammate, forcing herself to process that she had killed someone, murdered a boy right in front of her, dumped his body right into the ocean, and she had just smiled and shrugged it off like it was nothing and God, oh God, no wonder Amy had been so upset, watching someone laughing and joking while standing just a few feet away from the body of her friend and
And she was just a few feet away from Seo-yun, she’d just tried to help and heal Seo-yun, the girl who had killed so many people already, so many classmates and friends, she could have had a knife or a gun hidden up her sleeve and she could have just, just, and
And there were bodies upstairs, there were bodies on the deck above her, actual dead bodies, not fakes, not mannequins, the real thing, she was surrounded by them, they had to be on every single boat, there was nowhere to run, and she wanted to hide, she needed to hide, but she couldn’t escape, couldn’t escape from her own mind
She felt sick. She was going to be sick. Her throat was full of bile and vomit. If she tried to stand, she would throw up. Maybe it was a good thing she couldn’t move. A good thing she could barely breathe. A good thing she was barely human, that she wasn’t there, a ghost in human skin. Her voice, quiet, strained, escaped without her permission.
“No, no, no no no no no no…”