((Kaya Robinson continued from Turtle Town))
They'd spent the afternoon walking towards the RocketBoat making small talk. Kaya had spent much of it making lighthearted, joking complaints. Her hair was going to get messed up by the saltwater and she'd been thinking it needed a trim, she hadn't shaved her legs recently, and her outfit was so cringe with the Karen Ruiz merch, so she'd put on the trenchcoat just to look less like a dork. She maintained a cheerful demeanor the whole time.
As they'd approached the RocketBoat, they'd heard sounds from within. Kaya had decided to spend time elsewhere and waiting for it to clear out, and so they'd camped out on the jetties around the boat. They'd set themselves up and eaten a little while before the announcement.
Kaya hadn't said much of anything after that. That evening, she'd kept first watch. All throughout, she'd had her legs crossed, rifle cradled in her lap, flashlight next to her free hand. Eventually, still holding the gun, she'd passed on the duty and gone to sleep.
As dawn began to creep into the horizon, Kaya was already awake, downing the last of a bottle of water as she sat cross-legged on the jetty. With an exaggerated groan, she stretched her arms above her head, yawning, before rising to her feet.
Excellent Choice
Buccaneers and Friends
((Emmett Purcell continued from Turtle Town))
Emmett's mood had soured somewhat since he'd been woken up for the last shift of the night.
For starters, whose dumb idea was it to camp on a goddamn jetty? Emmett was the last shift of the night and when he'd woken up he experienced a type of back pain that made him want to roll into the ocean. Of course, he couldn't, since he had one girl to watch out for and another two to keep alive.
Emmett had been biding his time for a reason. Well, not any actual reason. The announcements yesterday weren't exactly peachy to listen to, having lost one of their team and all in Abel. There was also Xander dying, which if Emmett had been informed of such before the whole thing started he would have been excited for, but he didn't feel as such. Why didn't he? Xander sucked. Oh well, onto the next twelve hours.
The end of those twelve hours was fast approaching and yet here Emmett sat, keeping watch in a shitty location where they could get picked off out of nowhere, just kinda hoping that in any case they aimed for the non-pink one first. Of course, he didn't really mean that, because it was important Amanda lived. Not as important as his two teammates right now, but still pretty important.
He still had to tell them all about the plan, though. The specific plan that pertained to Amanda, not the general one of "keep the Buccaneers safe".
Eventually, the girls woke up of their own accord, matching the rising dawn. He didn't fancy spending much time out here, given there was exactly zero protection from the sun, but he supposed he had to let them know what was going to go down now.
Emmett placed the bangstick in a place that wouldn't roll off if the tide changed, and began stretching his arms now that he was going to be moving again.
"Alright, so since we're all awake, I think it's about time we discussed what we're doing with Amanda, like in the big picture."
Once he finished stretching, Emmett picked up his weapon once more.
"I've got a plan."
They weren't going to like his plan.
Emmett's mood had soured somewhat since he'd been woken up for the last shift of the night.
For starters, whose dumb idea was it to camp on a goddamn jetty? Emmett was the last shift of the night and when he'd woken up he experienced a type of back pain that made him want to roll into the ocean. Of course, he couldn't, since he had one girl to watch out for and another two to keep alive.
Emmett had been biding his time for a reason. Well, not any actual reason. The announcements yesterday weren't exactly peachy to listen to, having lost one of their team and all in Abel. There was also Xander dying, which if Emmett had been informed of such before the whole thing started he would have been excited for, but he didn't feel as such. Why didn't he? Xander sucked. Oh well, onto the next twelve hours.
The end of those twelve hours was fast approaching and yet here Emmett sat, keeping watch in a shitty location where they could get picked off out of nowhere, just kinda hoping that in any case they aimed for the non-pink one first. Of course, he didn't really mean that, because it was important Amanda lived. Not as important as his two teammates right now, but still pretty important.
He still had to tell them all about the plan, though. The specific plan that pertained to Amanda, not the general one of "keep the Buccaneers safe".
Eventually, the girls woke up of their own accord, matching the rising dawn. He didn't fancy spending much time out here, given there was exactly zero protection from the sun, but he supposed he had to let them know what was going to go down now.
Emmett placed the bangstick in a place that wouldn't roll off if the tide changed, and began stretching his arms now that he was going to be moving again.
"Alright, so since we're all awake, I think it's about time we discussed what we're doing with Amanda, like in the big picture."
Once he finished stretching, Emmett picked up his weapon once more.
"I've got a plan."
They weren't going to like his plan.
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Pippi
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((Bethan Gayle continued from Turtle Town))
Y’know, all things considered, it wasn’t the worst place she’d ever fallen asleep!
Okay, so it wasn’t the best place either, not by a long shot. She would have much, much rather gotten some shuteye on a boat - preferably the RocketBoat but any boat would do in a pinch! - because you needed to have seating and stuff on a boat, right? And there would be like, tarpaulins and stuff that you could use as blankets, and the insides would probably be designed to keep out cold weather and sea spray so all the sailors would be a lot more comfortable, and the larger boats like the yacht or the cruise ship would probably have beds to sleep on if you did a little bit of searching!
Bethan had also not been totally opposed to just heading up to the RocketBoat anyway and seeing exactly who it was hanging out there, but she understood totally why they didn’t. They had just managed to mostly temper everyone’s stress and tension, so it prooooooooobably wouldn’t do to re-frazzle them by running into, um. You know! Vagabonds!
Buuuuuuuut it was an unfortunate fact of life that, if you spent a lot of time at house parties or warehouse parties or, well, just parties in general, at some point you were gonna spend the night there and end up sleeping somewhere very very uncomfortable! So even though she woke up slightly damp and with a bit of a sniffle and the imprint of the gaps in the boards that made up the jetty on her right-hand side…. It still beat sleepng on concrete! And besides, they were Buccaneers now! Adventurers! A little bit of sleeping rough was to be expected on an ocean expedition.
So Bethan’s good mood from the previous day had well and truly been retained, even with the aches in her arm and the suspicions of cramp in her body, and yes, even after the announcement had blared across the marina the previous day. She had come up with an ingenious way of dealing with that, though, a method called ‘Sticking her fingers in her ears and waiting for it to stop’. Which had worked a treat! She hadn’t heard a single thing!
She hoped none of the others had seen her do it, that would have been super embarrassing!
Bethan yawned and stretched, greeting the morning sun, sitting upright and rubbing her eyes as Emmett spoke to the rest of the Buccaneers. Her interest was piqued immediately, and as was always the case, as soon as something grabbed her attention, it grabbed it fully with both hands.
“Oooh, what’s the plan, Emmett?”
Y’know, all things considered, it wasn’t the worst place she’d ever fallen asleep!
Okay, so it wasn’t the best place either, not by a long shot. She would have much, much rather gotten some shuteye on a boat - preferably the RocketBoat but any boat would do in a pinch! - because you needed to have seating and stuff on a boat, right? And there would be like, tarpaulins and stuff that you could use as blankets, and the insides would probably be designed to keep out cold weather and sea spray so all the sailors would be a lot more comfortable, and the larger boats like the yacht or the cruise ship would probably have beds to sleep on if you did a little bit of searching!
Bethan had also not been totally opposed to just heading up to the RocketBoat anyway and seeing exactly who it was hanging out there, but she understood totally why they didn’t. They had just managed to mostly temper everyone’s stress and tension, so it prooooooooobably wouldn’t do to re-frazzle them by running into, um. You know! Vagabonds!
Buuuuuuuut it was an unfortunate fact of life that, if you spent a lot of time at house parties or warehouse parties or, well, just parties in general, at some point you were gonna spend the night there and end up sleeping somewhere very very uncomfortable! So even though she woke up slightly damp and with a bit of a sniffle and the imprint of the gaps in the boards that made up the jetty on her right-hand side…. It still beat sleepng on concrete! And besides, they were Buccaneers now! Adventurers! A little bit of sleeping rough was to be expected on an ocean expedition.
So Bethan’s good mood from the previous day had well and truly been retained, even with the aches in her arm and the suspicions of cramp in her body, and yes, even after the announcement had blared across the marina the previous day. She had come up with an ingenious way of dealing with that, though, a method called ‘Sticking her fingers in her ears and waiting for it to stop’. Which had worked a treat! She hadn’t heard a single thing!
She hoped none of the others had seen her do it, that would have been super embarrassing!
Bethan yawned and stretched, greeting the morning sun, sitting upright and rubbing her eyes as Emmett spoke to the rest of the Buccaneers. Her interest was piqued immediately, and as was always the case, as soon as something grabbed her attention, it grabbed it fully with both hands.
“Oooh, what’s the plan, Emmett?”
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Spindarene
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((Amanda Brooks continued from Turtle Town))
Amanda woke up, sore and cranky, on the Jetties. She thought it had been her teammates rustling around that woke her up. Not her teammates. She mentally kicked herself, shaking her head slightly to get rid of the thought. She stood up and stretched, along with the other girls, as Emmett addressed them. Amanda felt a stabbing sensation in her chest at his words: "I think it's about time we discussed what we're doing with Amanda..." She could barely hear the rest.
She should have known. All that talk about sticking together, being an honorary Buccaneer, meant nothing. She was the odd one out, the Loner, the one with no friends or teammates. Deadweight. She was the one who was going to either be abandoned or used as bait the minute the group came under attack. She had no friends, no allies, no one who would stick up for her or defend her. She was on her own.
Bethan's chirping voice cut through Amanda's mental haze of emotion, and Amanda felt a stab of anger at the other girl's perky tone. What the fuck did she have to be so goddammn excited about? Oh yes, Emmett's plan. Emmett's brilliant plan that was going to save Bethan's and Kaya's lives by sacrificing hers.
Turning toward Emmett, she stared into his eyes with an expression of defiance, an expression that would almost look playful if her eyes hadn't betrayed her anger.
"Yes, Emmett, what's the plan?" she asked, with more of a sarcastic bite to her voice than she'd intended. A small part of her told her that she should keep her anger in check, but she was barely listening to it. She just stared at Emmett, awaiting his response.
Amanda woke up, sore and cranky, on the Jetties. She thought it had been her teammates rustling around that woke her up. Not her teammates. She mentally kicked herself, shaking her head slightly to get rid of the thought. She stood up and stretched, along with the other girls, as Emmett addressed them. Amanda felt a stabbing sensation in her chest at his words: "I think it's about time we discussed what we're doing with Amanda..." She could barely hear the rest.
She should have known. All that talk about sticking together, being an honorary Buccaneer, meant nothing. She was the odd one out, the Loner, the one with no friends or teammates. Deadweight. She was the one who was going to either be abandoned or used as bait the minute the group came under attack. She had no friends, no allies, no one who would stick up for her or defend her. She was on her own.
Bethan's chirping voice cut through Amanda's mental haze of emotion, and Amanda felt a stab of anger at the other girl's perky tone. What the fuck did she have to be so goddammn excited about? Oh yes, Emmett's plan. Emmett's brilliant plan that was going to save Bethan's and Kaya's lives by sacrificing hers.
Turning toward Emmett, she stared into his eyes with an expression of defiance, an expression that would almost look playful if her eyes hadn't betrayed her anger.
"Yes, Emmett, what's the plan?" she asked, with more of a sarcastic bite to her voice than she'd intended. A small part of her told her that she should keep her anger in check, but she was barely listening to it. She just stared at Emmett, awaiting his response.
Kaya looked around at the gathered group. She shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, so sleeping on the ground? Nooooot my best call."
Kaya stood upright, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She took a brief glance over at Bethan, a trace of a frown crossing her expression, before she turned her attention to Amanda. She narrowed her gaze a little, but then smiled.
"It's okay 'Manda, let's just hear him out. We're all friends here, and we're not gonna do anything crazy, right?" She looked between the others. "Well, let's hear it." She crossed her arms expectantly.
Kaya stood upright, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She took a brief glance over at Bethan, a trace of a frown crossing her expression, before she turned her attention to Amanda. She narrowed her gaze a little, but then smiled.
"It's okay 'Manda, let's just hear him out. We're all friends here, and we're not gonna do anything crazy, right?" She looked between the others. "Well, let's hear it." She crossed her arms expectantly.
Emmett was just about to tell Amanda she could cut it with the attitude, bitch, because they were on her side, but Kaya got there first all diplomatically. Probably for the best, since she might have taken offense to that? In Emmett's experience women hated being called bitches, even if they were being bitches, which was so weird - why hate being called a bitch if you were being such a bitch? Such a mystery.
Either way, he sat himself down on one of the thigh-high posts surrounding the floating jetty and cleared his throat.
"Okay, so there's, uh, four ways of getting out of here, right? You get out by getting to the end by yourself or with your team, that's one. You kill ten people and get to go free, that's another. Someone else gets ten kills and chooses you to go free, that's three. And, uh, you find a way to escape. So if we all want to live, the only one we can all do together is the escape, but uh, they're hard. We can go for the team win, but that means Amanda can't live with us. So, um, if we want to all get out, there's a few other ways, and, like, combos I guess."
Far from being the charismatic speech-maker he'd seen in past seasons, Emmett stumbled through his words a bit, even though he got to the point he was trying to make. The Emmett of yesteryear was probably looking down in bewilderment at the fact he was such a shit speech person on SOTF, but that wall between real life and the show came crumbling down yesterday.
"So, uh, Amanda. Do you think you can get ten kills?"
Either way, he sat himself down on one of the thigh-high posts surrounding the floating jetty and cleared his throat.
"Okay, so there's, uh, four ways of getting out of here, right? You get out by getting to the end by yourself or with your team, that's one. You kill ten people and get to go free, that's another. Someone else gets ten kills and chooses you to go free, that's three. And, uh, you find a way to escape. So if we all want to live, the only one we can all do together is the escape, but uh, they're hard. We can go for the team win, but that means Amanda can't live with us. So, um, if we want to all get out, there's a few other ways, and, like, combos I guess."
Far from being the charismatic speech-maker he'd seen in past seasons, Emmett stumbled through his words a bit, even though he got to the point he was trying to make. The Emmett of yesteryear was probably looking down in bewilderment at the fact he was such a shit speech person on SOTF, but that wall between real life and the show came crumbling down yesterday.
"So, uh, Amanda. Do you think you can get ten kills?"
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Pippi
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Oh. She had… she had misread the situation again, hadn’t she?
Oh no.
Bethan’s eyes widened as she looked over at Amanda, head whipping around so fast she worried her neck might break. The girl’s words were dripping with barely disguised venom, not that the facade mattered much anyway. You didn’t have to be a master of interpreting facial expressions to see the disdain in her eyes.
Normally, the situations that Bethan misinterpreted weren’t quite as drastic as this. It was petty school drama, like not realising that two of her friends had just been through a messy breakup, or that she had gotten the complete wrong end of the stick when it came to a, like, geography assignment. Stuff like that! Not… y’know. Her teammates, her fellow buccaneers, plotting things in broad daylight, against their own honorary team members.
She began to replay Emmett’s words back in her head, and got as far as the words ‘doing with Amanda’ - although it wasn’t as though she needed to keep going any further, it was pretty obvious that was the phrase which had caused the alarm bells in the girl’s head to start ringing - when Emmett spoke up again, and her head snapped round to look at him instead.
It was… not the most fluent of speeches, not that Bethan had any right to talk, given how even the simplest of sentences turned into a multi-paragraph soliloquy when they came out of her mouth. But her freshly-awakened mind was struggling to keep up with the barrage of new information being launched at her.
Especially taking the subject matter into consideration.
There was a dull feeling in her body, swinging between her stomach and her chest, like something was swirling around, eating away at her insides. There had been pressure on her throat since she’d woken up the previous day, the metal of her collar constantly reminding her that it was very much still there, but now it felt like it was clamping down further, constricting her airwaves, choking her with every passing second.
She couldn’t speak, and she didn’t think she knew what to say even if she could. She slowly turned back to look at Amanda. All she could do was wait for the girl’s response. Wait, and hope against hope that it wasn’t the most horrifying possibility.
Oh no.
Bethan’s eyes widened as she looked over at Amanda, head whipping around so fast she worried her neck might break. The girl’s words were dripping with barely disguised venom, not that the facade mattered much anyway. You didn’t have to be a master of interpreting facial expressions to see the disdain in her eyes.
Normally, the situations that Bethan misinterpreted weren’t quite as drastic as this. It was petty school drama, like not realising that two of her friends had just been through a messy breakup, or that she had gotten the complete wrong end of the stick when it came to a, like, geography assignment. Stuff like that! Not… y’know. Her teammates, her fellow buccaneers, plotting things in broad daylight, against their own honorary team members.
She began to replay Emmett’s words back in her head, and got as far as the words ‘doing with Amanda’ - although it wasn’t as though she needed to keep going any further, it was pretty obvious that was the phrase which had caused the alarm bells in the girl’s head to start ringing - when Emmett spoke up again, and her head snapped round to look at him instead.
It was… not the most fluent of speeches, not that Bethan had any right to talk, given how even the simplest of sentences turned into a multi-paragraph soliloquy when they came out of her mouth. But her freshly-awakened mind was struggling to keep up with the barrage of new information being launched at her.
Especially taking the subject matter into consideration.
There was a dull feeling in her body, swinging between her stomach and her chest, like something was swirling around, eating away at her insides. There had been pressure on her throat since she’d woken up the previous day, the metal of her collar constantly reminding her that it was very much still there, but now it felt like it was clamping down further, constricting her airwaves, choking her with every passing second.
She couldn’t speak, and she didn’t think she knew what to say even if she could. She slowly turned back to look at Amanda. All she could do was wait for the girl’s response. Wait, and hope against hope that it wasn’t the most horrifying possibility.
((Skipping as a precaution for inactivity))
Kaya raised an eyebrow.
She said nothing, merely gazing at Emmett as he spoke. Her brow was furrowed, her lips pursed, but as he continued, she turned her gaze to Amanda. Then, folding her arms, she looked over at Bethan. She glanced aside at Emmett before gazing at Bethan.
She didn't turn away for a couple of moments. Then, she stepped over to Bethan and rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. She didn't say anything.
Instead, Kaya looked quizzically at Amanda.
Kaya raised an eyebrow.
She said nothing, merely gazing at Emmett as he spoke. Her brow was furrowed, her lips pursed, but as he continued, she turned her gaze to Amanda. Then, folding her arms, she looked over at Bethan. She glanced aside at Emmett before gazing at Bethan.
She didn't turn away for a couple of moments. Then, she stepped over to Bethan and rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. She didn't say anything.
Instead, Kaya looked quizzically at Amanda.
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Spindarene
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Amanda felt herself growing cold as Emmett laid out his plan. The plan didn't even surprise her, really; she'd had similar thoughts once or twice, but pushed them down almost immediately. Hearing him lay it out like that, though, made her feel uncomfortable. Her discomfort increased as he asked her the question directly, and she could almost feel everyone's eyes on her as they waited for a reply.
"I..." she murmured quietly, staring at the ground, trying to think, trying to push past the mental fog that was swirling inside her. "Um...I don't..." What? Was she really going to say I don't know? That wasn't really an option. This was the only way out. She knew it, and so did everyone else there. She was struck by how unfair this was, that she was the one who was singled out, the one who was being asked to become a mass murderer just to survive. But wasn't that what the showrunners had intended all along? Why else would they make her the loner? She felt anger at them beginning to boil inside her, but she pushed it down, telling herself she'd deal with it later. Right now, all that mattered were these three people in front of her.
She looked up, glancing at each of their faces before her eyes landed on Emmett, doing her best to look determined instead of scared. "Okay."
"I..." she murmured quietly, staring at the ground, trying to think, trying to push past the mental fog that was swirling inside her. "Um...I don't..." What? Was she really going to say I don't know? That wasn't really an option. This was the only way out. She knew it, and so did everyone else there. She was struck by how unfair this was, that she was the one who was singled out, the one who was being asked to become a mass murderer just to survive. But wasn't that what the showrunners had intended all along? Why else would they make her the loner? She felt anger at them beginning to boil inside her, but she pushed it down, telling herself she'd deal with it later. Right now, all that mattered were these three people in front of her.
She looked up, glancing at each of their faces before her eyes landed on Emmett, doing her best to look determined instead of scared. "Okay."
"'Okay.'"
Emmett repeated Amanda's words back at her, less an echo and more of a parrot. He wasn't trying to mock her, this time at least. There was a certain level of expectedness Emmett was riding along with in a conversation like this, and Amanda saying she could kill ten people wasn't in there. In fact, he was already trying to write the second speech for when she responded in the negative. Onto the bonfire that went.
"Alright, so..."
He turned to his team.
"Suppose that's the plan, then. We help Amanda get ten kills, help her get out, we go for the team win at the end. Grab some Nathan's after?"
And now all Emmett could think about, aside from the fact he was going to have to help Amanda kill ten people who weren't wearing pink bandanas, was the fact he was never going to be able to eat seafood again after this - he really just wanted some fucking hot dogs.
Emmett repeated Amanda's words back at her, less an echo and more of a parrot. He wasn't trying to mock her, this time at least. There was a certain level of expectedness Emmett was riding along with in a conversation like this, and Amanda saying she could kill ten people wasn't in there. In fact, he was already trying to write the second speech for when she responded in the negative. Onto the bonfire that went.
"Alright, so..."
He turned to his team.
"Suppose that's the plan, then. We help Amanda get ten kills, help her get out, we go for the team win at the end. Grab some Nathan's after?"
And now all Emmett could think about, aside from the fact he was going to have to help Amanda kill ten people who weren't wearing pink bandanas, was the fact he was never going to be able to eat seafood again after this - he really just wanted some fucking hot dogs.
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Pippi
- Posts: 1122
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Bethan felt like she was about to explode.
And she didn’t mean literally, although maybe actually she did, because the pressure around her neck was increasing with every passing second, and she couldn’t stop herself from believing that if it built up too much then the explosives in her collar would react and detonate and blow her to smithereens, and that really wasn’t helping her current mental state, one little tiny bit.
She wanted to cry. And she wanted to scream. And she wanted to throw up, even though she hadn’t eaten anything substantial since, like, two days ago, so she knew her body was too empty for that. And she wanted to press her hands into her face and her ears and block out all sight and sound once more, except she’d already heard every word of Emmett’s plan, and she’d heard Amanda agree to it, and now that knowledge of the Buccaneers’ plan was stuck in her head and it wouldn’t leave.
She jolted as Kaya’s hand squeezed her shoulder, a little squeak of panic escaping from her lips, the gesture of reassurance momentarily serving the exact opposite purpose. Frantically, she looked around, and up, at her unknown assailant. Her vision caught Kaya’s own.
For what felt like the first time in a while, Bethan felt herself breathing again.
Kaya could help. Kaya had always been there for her, Kaya had been the one to drag her out of her… her funk, on the first day. Bethan tried, not all too successfully, to slow herself down, to calm her heartrate. She just needed a moment. Or two. Just some time alone with Kaya. Just some reassurance. Just so she could confirm, exactly, what it was that The Buccaneers were all about.
“Um!” she said, and her brain momentarily froze, and the half baked words in her mouth refused to leave, and she was very very sure she’d shouted or at the very least spoken louder than necessary, and now everybody was almost certainly looking her and boring holes through her, even the cameras had probably all swivelled around to face her and…
“Kaya can we um, talk, maybe, for a little bit?” Bethan asked, locking eyes with the other girl again. “It’s nothing major, nothing serious, just need to clarify some things quickly is all.”
She tried to smile at the other two.
“Don’t worry, we won’t be long! Or go far!”
It wasn’t as though there was anywhere to hide, or to scurry away to, out here on the exposed jetties anyway.
And she didn’t mean literally, although maybe actually she did, because the pressure around her neck was increasing with every passing second, and she couldn’t stop herself from believing that if it built up too much then the explosives in her collar would react and detonate and blow her to smithereens, and that really wasn’t helping her current mental state, one little tiny bit.
She wanted to cry. And she wanted to scream. And she wanted to throw up, even though she hadn’t eaten anything substantial since, like, two days ago, so she knew her body was too empty for that. And she wanted to press her hands into her face and her ears and block out all sight and sound once more, except she’d already heard every word of Emmett’s plan, and she’d heard Amanda agree to it, and now that knowledge of the Buccaneers’ plan was stuck in her head and it wouldn’t leave.
She jolted as Kaya’s hand squeezed her shoulder, a little squeak of panic escaping from her lips, the gesture of reassurance momentarily serving the exact opposite purpose. Frantically, she looked around, and up, at her unknown assailant. Her vision caught Kaya’s own.
For what felt like the first time in a while, Bethan felt herself breathing again.
Kaya could help. Kaya had always been there for her, Kaya had been the one to drag her out of her… her funk, on the first day. Bethan tried, not all too successfully, to slow herself down, to calm her heartrate. She just needed a moment. Or two. Just some time alone with Kaya. Just some reassurance. Just so she could confirm, exactly, what it was that The Buccaneers were all about.
“Um!” she said, and her brain momentarily froze, and the half baked words in her mouth refused to leave, and she was very very sure she’d shouted or at the very least spoken louder than necessary, and now everybody was almost certainly looking her and boring holes through her, even the cameras had probably all swivelled around to face her and…
“Kaya can we um, talk, maybe, for a little bit?” Bethan asked, locking eyes with the other girl again. “It’s nothing major, nothing serious, just need to clarify some things quickly is all.”
She tried to smile at the other two.
“Don’t worry, we won’t be long! Or go far!”
It wasn’t as though there was anywhere to hide, or to scurry away to, out here on the exposed jetties anyway.
Kaya stared long and hard at Emmett and Amanda. She said nothing.
When Bethan spoke, though, she looked back at the other girl and nodded. "Okay, sure. You guys can figure out the specifics or whatever while we're gone, 'kay?" She flashed a grin at the other two.
Kaya took Bethan's hand into her own and followed her.
When Bethan spoke, though, she looked back at the other girl and nodded. "Okay, sure. You guys can figure out the specifics or whatever while we're gone, 'kay?" She flashed a grin at the other two.
Kaya took Bethan's hand into her own and followed her.
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Spindarene
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Amanda felt numb, like she was halfway between existence and emptiness. Everything she was perceiving felt unreal to her, like she was experiencing it through someone else's mind or like there was a thick, foggy layer of something between her and everyone else there, between her and her feelings. Her mind registered the fact that Bethan looked scared and was starting to freak out. Something emotional stirred in Amanda's chest, but something else pushed it down. With a blank look on her face, she watched Bethan and Kaya walk off together. Amanda felt a stab of remorse and shame, realizing that they were scared of her. They already saw her as a killer.
That thought threatened to bring her back to reality, to make her consciously reckon with what she was about to do. Instead, she tightened her jaw for a moment, then turned to Emmett, trying to be as business-like as possible.
"So...I guess we'll give them a minute, but we should probably go soon. I have a gun in my bag, but I don't really know how to use it. Can you help me figure it out?"
That thought threatened to bring her back to reality, to make her consciously reckon with what she was about to do. Instead, she tightened her jaw for a moment, then turned to Emmett, trying to be as business-like as possible.
"So...I guess we'll give them a minute, but we should probably go soon. I have a gun in my bag, but I don't really know how to use it. Can you help me figure it out?"
Emmett's eyes narrowed when Bethan and Kaya went off on their own. Hmm. Weird. If it wasn't for the fact that they were on the same team, if this were any other season, he would have been concerned at the fact that he was being left out on something. Weren't they supposed to be a team, working towards the same thing, that being them all living? Emmett was just trying to sweeten the deal for everyone, make sure everyone got the same luxuries.
But Emmett's worries scuttled behind the rock of his brain when Amanda asked about her gun.
He kind of knew guns, or at least enough to know what not to do. Finally, he could show what he was worth. He'd already done enough, making them work towards a common goal, now he had to go above and beyond to help the helpless.
"Alright, lets see what you've got," he replied, "Know a bit about guns from back home."
But Emmett's worries scuttled behind the rock of his brain when Amanda asked about her gun.
He kind of knew guns, or at least enough to know what not to do. Finally, he could show what he was worth. He'd already done enough, making them work towards a common goal, now he had to go above and beyond to help the helpless.
"Alright, lets see what you've got," he replied, "Know a bit about guns from back home."
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Pippi
- Posts: 1122
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:32 pm
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- Team Affiliation: Stephanie's Buccaneers
Kaya’s hand was warm. A good kind of warm, soothing and pleasant, like a bowl of soup or a fluffy blanket. Bethan squeezed it as she led the other girl a few metres away from their teammates, still well within eyeshot but just out of earshot. The warmth wasn’t quite enough to soothe her fully and eradicate all her fears, but it was like a constant pulse flowing into her, giving her enough strength to keep on moving, and not just… repeat the first day all over again.
She came to a stop, turning to face Kaya. She had been enjoying the sensation of a life on the open waves, up until last night; the smell of salt on the breeze, the sound of waves lapping against the jetties and the sides of the boats, the heavy clomp clomp clomp of her boots and the way the LEDs on the back reflected off the puddles and water-slicked decks.
Right now, though, it felt like there was a bubble surrounding her and Kaya, blocking off the rest of the outside world. Airtight. Soundproof. Suffocating, if it weren’t for that little pulse of warmth. Bethan, almost unconsciously, reached out with her other hand, slipping it into Kaya’s, their fingers lacing together.
“Kaya?”
She almost felt proud of herself for not letting the tremors in her heart seep into her voice.
“Kaya, I, um…”
Deep breath. Just let the words flow. Because she could trust Kaya implicitly. If anybody could help save her, it was Kaya. She couldn’t let her go. She couldn't be separated from her for a moment.
“They’re just, um… it’s just a figure of speech, right? The uh, 10 kills. It’s not… it won’t be real, will it? We’re not… we’re not a pack of murderers, we’re the Buccaneers, we’re out here in search of adventure, and if anyone does stand in our way for whatever reason then we just have to… push them away and beat them back and knock them down, and then… then the producers they’ll… that’s what counts as a kill, one of Amanda’s ten kills, right?”
She could tell herself as many things as she wanted, but she couldn’t make herself believe them until she heard them straight from someone else’s lips.
She came to a stop, turning to face Kaya. She had been enjoying the sensation of a life on the open waves, up until last night; the smell of salt on the breeze, the sound of waves lapping against the jetties and the sides of the boats, the heavy clomp clomp clomp of her boots and the way the LEDs on the back reflected off the puddles and water-slicked decks.
Right now, though, it felt like there was a bubble surrounding her and Kaya, blocking off the rest of the outside world. Airtight. Soundproof. Suffocating, if it weren’t for that little pulse of warmth. Bethan, almost unconsciously, reached out with her other hand, slipping it into Kaya’s, their fingers lacing together.
“Kaya?”
She almost felt proud of herself for not letting the tremors in her heart seep into her voice.
“Kaya, I, um…”
Deep breath. Just let the words flow. Because she could trust Kaya implicitly. If anybody could help save her, it was Kaya. She couldn’t let her go. She couldn't be separated from her for a moment.
“They’re just, um… it’s just a figure of speech, right? The uh, 10 kills. It’s not… it won’t be real, will it? We’re not… we’re not a pack of murderers, we’re the Buccaneers, we’re out here in search of adventure, and if anyone does stand in our way for whatever reason then we just have to… push them away and beat them back and knock them down, and then… then the producers they’ll… that’s what counts as a kill, one of Amanda’s ten kills, right?”
She could tell herself as many things as she wanted, but she couldn’t make herself believe them until she heard them straight from someone else’s lips.