(Rhonda Rollins continued from Giselle's Sea World Tour)
Rhonda had been on the move for a few hours since she and Ivan split ways, and it hadn't been an eventful few hours. She hadn't linked up with anyone else, much less an escape crew, and felt like she was just aimlessly wandering. Shit, maybe she needed a better plan before she kicked off with this escape thing. Her only positives so far were the fact that she was still alive, and she still had her shotgun.
Wait, wouldn't Ivan have probably wanted the shotgun if he was hunting Fisk and his buddies? Wait, don't think about that, it's in the past now. Besides, he can probably find something else for himself. Rhonda wanted to get out, yeah, but she had to defend herself long enough to do that, so the gun still served a purpose.
As she kept walking, she noticed her surroundings slowly start to change. What were once well-stocked boardwalks and nice-looking boats were turning less impressive by the minute. Now she was in a part of the docks that she wasn't sure anyone was hanging around. There were only a couple of boats around, and they were all dinghies, tiny boats, or just junky-looking. She wondered if the producers just stopped giving a shit when it came to this part of the arena, because it was so bare. It felt kind of like she had glitched out of bounds in a video game and wound up in some background area that wasn't meant to be explored.
She hid inside one of the few shelters that was available, a crummy-looking fishing boat that made her worry about tetanus the instant she stepped onboard, and peeked out the entrance. There was no one around, so she thought that she could afford herself a couple of minutes to rest. This was where she would have gone over her plans, but she didn't have anyone else to talk to. They were all either dead or Ivan, and Ivan wasn't there.
She did have one other option, but thinking about it made her cringe inside. She had a direct link to Claudia Ghoul around her neck, but by using it, she would be taking the massive leap in logic that Claudia would be in any way interested in helping her escape. She had already assisted with the last season, and been so unaffected by what she saw that she started intertwining that shit in her act. Rhonda's expectations for her mentor were so far at rock bottom, she had barely even thought about her since roasting her with Xander earlier.
But at the same time, she wasn't really spoiled with options right now.
With an annoyed sigh, Rhonda put her head down and spoke into her collar. "Yo Claudia, you there? Sure would be nice to have a mentor right about now."
May I Have Your Attention Please?
Mentorshot
There's a long pause then a voice comes from Rhonda's collar.
"Yeah, I'm here, what's up?"
"Yeah, I'm here, what's up?"
"Oh shit." Rhonda muttered, surprised to get an actual reply. She was expecting to either get ghosted, or have Claudia do some performative bullshit instead of actually giving her advice. But hey, she wasn't gonna pass on an opportunity. Since she had her on the line, she was jumping in with both feet.
"Okay, I know you're watching, so you know that everything's basically gone to shit in the past day, yeah?" She said directly. "Xander's dead, I got stabbed, I got no allies left, and I'm somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Since you're my mentor, I'm pretty sure that it's your job to try to help me stay alive, right?" She spoke into her collar. "So if you've got anything rolling around that head of yours that can help me get my ass home, then I wanna hear it."
"Okay, I know you're watching, so you know that everything's basically gone to shit in the past day, yeah?" She said directly. "Xander's dead, I got stabbed, I got no allies left, and I'm somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Since you're my mentor, I'm pretty sure that it's your job to try to help me stay alive, right?" She spoke into her collar. "So if you've got anything rolling around that head of yours that can help me get my ass home, then I wanna hear it."
"Alright, well good news is you've still got the shotgun, team kill notwithstanding you can at least use that. My plan would still be for you to meet up with the rest of the team, they're around and already in a group so that's your best bet."
Rhonda looked down at the shotgun by her side. True, it was probably one of the strongest weapons in the pool, at least unless someone was running around with high explosives. She hadn't heard anything blowing up yet, but she wasn't going to take that as a sign of anything one way or the other. But still, if she needed a last resort, she had one.
She zeroed in on the later half of Claudia's advice. "A bunch of my teammates, together?" She pointed to the bandanna on her arm. "You're not fucking with me because of the thing with Xander, are you?"
She zeroed in on the later half of Claudia's advice. "A bunch of my teammates, together?" She pointed to the bandanna on her arm. "You're not fucking with me because of the thing with Xander, are you?"
"Well, I mean, don't get me wrong it was fucked and we could've done without it but no, I'm not. But if you could also not do that again, that'd be great."
"Well, if everything goes right, then I won't even have to shoot anyone before I get out of this nautical hell." She peeked over the side of the boat to make sure that no one else was around, then ducked back down. "I am getting the hell out of here. Fuck sitting around, waiting for everyone to kill each other, I'm out."
There's a pause before a low muttering and a sigh can be heard.
"Goddamnit."
After another pause, Claudia continues.
"I'd prefer you not do that since y'know, it'll probably end badly.
"Goddamnit."
After another pause, Claudia continues.
"I'd prefer you not do that since y'know, it'll probably end badly.
"And how do you think me sticking around here would end, exactly? Everyone's just gonna keep dying until only one team's left, and I'm not dumb enough to think that we're gonna have a miracle run to the end." She snapped back with a huff. "If I get out, then I stay alive. That's my best shot for an actually decent ending here."
She shifted to the corner, crouched in a ready position. "Besides, this seems like the kind of theatrical shit you'd die for. A wild run against all odds to escape."
She shifted to the corner, crouched in a ready position. "Besides, this seems like the kind of theatrical shit you'd die for. A wild run against all odds to escape."
"What I'd like is..."
A pause.
"I'm annoyed but you're actually right. I do love that shit."
A pause.
"I'm annoyed but you're actually right. I do love that shit."
Rhonda smirked. She got her. "See? And just so we're clear, you ain't talking me out of it, so don't even try." Her shoulders relaxed now that she had stated her plans. At least that little bit of stress was off her back. "I'll swim away from this goddamn fleet if I have to." She held her shotgun ready as she peeked out again. She had to get back on the move again soon. The more time she wasted, the less she had to find her way out.
"So yeah, that's pretty much all I got. Anything else you wanna tell me?"
"So yeah, that's pretty much all I got. Anything else you wanna tell me?"
"Nah you're good.
We probably can't speak again for a while but make sure you contact me."
There's a brief silence.
"Oh also! The shotgun is your friend, don't be afraid of it."
We probably can't speak again for a while but make sure you contact me."
There's a brief silence.
"Oh also! The shotgun is your friend, don't be afraid of it."
Rhonda nodded with confidence. "All right. Y'know Ghoul, I think I actually did change my mind about something." She casually leaned against the side of the boat. "Once I get out of here, I'm not gonna kick your ass." She didn't get a response, but continued unbothered. She double-checked her shotgun, and it was still the way she liked to keep it, one shell in the chamber with the safety on.
She stepped out of the old boat to find the boardwalk as barren as it was before, but she wasn't going to bet on it staying that way much longer. The game was gonna keep moving, and people would be arriving at the old boats before too long. And with so little cover out here, she needed to moveout before she got to see how many people had the same idea to head down there. At least she had a little more knowledge than before, and she knew that some of her teammates were working together. Were they working to escape, or as a team of players? She didn't get far enough to tell
For now, Rhonda was going to continue her mission in progress. Just keep her head down and find a way out. That's all she had to do. She left the old boatyard leaving only footsteps in her wake.
(Rhonda Rollins continued elsewhere...)
She stepped out of the old boat to find the boardwalk as barren as it was before, but she wasn't going to bet on it staying that way much longer. The game was gonna keep moving, and people would be arriving at the old boats before too long. And with so little cover out here, she needed to moveout before she got to see how many people had the same idea to head down there. At least she had a little more knowledge than before, and she knew that some of her teammates were working together. Were they working to escape, or as a team of players? She didn't get far enough to tell
For now, Rhonda was going to continue her mission in progress. Just keep her head down and find a way out. That's all she had to do. She left the old boatyard leaving only footsteps in her wake.
(Rhonda Rollins continued elsewhere...)