((Matthew Omeruo continued from FC World A))
It was intensely striking to Matthew, the scenery around him, out on the plains.
Perhaps it was simply because he had spent several hours underground, and that was why the field of pale green grass around him and the cluster of trees into which they had been deposited from the tunnels seemed like such a paradise. There was, indeed, a very high chance that it was just a matter of comparisons which had led him to this feeling.
But he did not believe that was the entire reason for it. He had lived his entire life within Lagos, and in an area of the city that allowed him to live in comfort and stability. He had never left the borders of the city, not even to their closest neighbour. The furthest he had ever been in his life had been across the city, to play against a rival school in a football match. He had known only urban comforts, and the sprawl of the city, ever since he had been born.
This island - for that was where the map said that he, Artie, and all of the others had been placed - was so incredibly different to that. The fields were so wild and untamed, a completely different experience to the cultivated gardens within Freedom Park. The trees were unlike any he had ever seen with his eyes before, the sort of tropical plants that only existed inside picture books and encyclopedias. Even the air and the sky were different. Matthew had woken up in the early hours of the morning before, normally to provide comfort to Mark after he had experienced a nightmare, but the light in his room above the church had always been a dull orange colour, the streetlight outside not fully blocked by his curtains. This light, however, was like steel, a mixture of blue and grey in the sky, covering everything, as though the island was wrapped in a veil that was slowly being lifted.
And even for a place as wild and open as this, somebody had attempted to tame it, if the fencing made from wood and wire stretching across the field and the sight of buildings far off in the distance along the shore were to be believed. If anything, however, that simply made this whole experience even more stunning to him. He wondered what it would be like, waking up each morning to a sight such as this, with a breeze that stung his nostrils and carried the marketplace-smell of fish along the air. Would you ever get tired of such an atmosphere? Matthew, for his part, did not believe for a moment that you could.
He was not, of course, allowed to enjoy the experience to its fullest. Jack, and his followers, made certain of that.
Matthew did not know who Makaria Wang and Oscar Fatu were. He had never met them before, and now, he would never be able to do so on this Earth. They were teenagers, exactly like he was, he had to imagine. Teenagers who were undoubtedly very far away from home, away from their family and their loved ones. This island, this natural paradise, was a place of beauty. But it would also be a lonely and scary place to die.
He had prayed, then, as they had left the trees, for Oscar and for Makaria, that they would be looked after by whichever god they believed in now and for all eternity. And that, if they did not have a god in their hearts at all, that they would find whatever peace they believed in the most.
Matthew could not help, though, but continue to let every blade of grass and every swaying tree continue to catch his gaze, even with the announcement lingering within his mind. They had been walking through this field for quite some time now, keeping close to the fence, maintaining a pace that Artie was comfortable with. He was beginning to grow quite hungry, to be entirely truthful, but it did not seem like the safest idea to sit down in the middle of a field and begin a picnic right now. He would be able to wait until they found some area of shelter. He had waited a long time to get his bag; he could wait a little more than that.
They were approaching a bridge, now, made out of wood. Matthew made his way towards it, his trident serving as a walking stick alongside its many other functions. On first inspection, the bridge appeared to be built over some sort of trench, but as they walked closer, he could see that a small amount of water still remained within the riverbed. Had this island experienced a drought of some form? He had knowledge of such things himself; Central Lagos, in general, had a secure enough water supply that shortage of it was never a problem, but he had heard news articles on the radio about farmers in the outskirts of Lagos and in nearby towns, whose crops had been barren or flooded thanks to the weather conditions.
He placed one foot on the bridge, ready to see what lay beyond, when something caught his gaze and prevented him from moving further. There was a large hole in the center of the bridge; a jagged gap, as though some giant had punched right through the wooden planks, leaving them splintered and broken. There were a couple of pieces lying on the bridge itself, but Matthew felt his brow furrow, as he realised that they were far too small to comprise the entirety of the hole.
He stepped backwards, moving to the side of the bridge to look down into the river. His eyes followed the line down from the hole to the bed of the river.
Something gripped his heart and stole away his tongue, and his body lurched backwards, as his gaze fell open the body of Jevaun Barrett, cracked and broken.
Ad Astra Per Aspera
Tagging Condor, but otherwise open!
Moderator: SOTF International Staff
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CondorTalon
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((Artie Qiu continued from FC World A.))
The familiar clack-clack of the crutches that had accompanied Artie all throughout her walk in the cave had been replaced by a softer, thumpier sound as they transitioned from the hard rock floor of the tunnels to the grassy one they found themeselves in as they exited.
It was cleaner up here... well, maybe cleaner wasn't the right word, but it felt that way for Artie, who had nostly wanted to get away from the dankness of the cave. Her clothes had mostly dried by the time they had made it to what remained of the river, and Artie was absent-mindedly following Matthew, mostly paying attention to her surroundings that were anything not in front of her. Matthew had that covered after all.
Instead, her thoughts went to the announcement that had played a bit earlier. It was hard to really get the full impact of the names on the list if she didn't know any of them. And even when it would have been a good idea to memorize the names of the killers, She didn't have a face to put to them, anyway. All the announcement did was remind her that... well, she was on a clock of sorts. Well, that and what places to look out for and stay away from. They didn't seem to be anywhere near a fishing village though, so.
She managed to turn off her auto-pilot just in time to notice Matthew stop on the bridge. She slowed to a stop as she turned her head to follow Matthew, looking down to where he was looking.
Her eyes laid upon the dead body of... well, again someone she didn't know. But seeing the corpse felt way more real than any name on an announcement ever could. And this wasn't a dead body in a video game, either. There was always an element of unreality, of separation, to those. This was all too real.
"We should... we should," Artie tried to say, but her words died as she realized that didn't know what to follow it up with. What was there to say in this situation? Maybe it'd be best if they moved on, but Artie didn't say that yet.
The familiar clack-clack of the crutches that had accompanied Artie all throughout her walk in the cave had been replaced by a softer, thumpier sound as they transitioned from the hard rock floor of the tunnels to the grassy one they found themeselves in as they exited.
It was cleaner up here... well, maybe cleaner wasn't the right word, but it felt that way for Artie, who had nostly wanted to get away from the dankness of the cave. Her clothes had mostly dried by the time they had made it to what remained of the river, and Artie was absent-mindedly following Matthew, mostly paying attention to her surroundings that were anything not in front of her. Matthew had that covered after all.
Instead, her thoughts went to the announcement that had played a bit earlier. It was hard to really get the full impact of the names on the list if she didn't know any of them. And even when it would have been a good idea to memorize the names of the killers, She didn't have a face to put to them, anyway. All the announcement did was remind her that... well, she was on a clock of sorts. Well, that and what places to look out for and stay away from. They didn't seem to be anywhere near a fishing village though, so.
She managed to turn off her auto-pilot just in time to notice Matthew stop on the bridge. She slowed to a stop as she turned her head to follow Matthew, looking down to where he was looking.
Her eyes laid upon the dead body of... well, again someone she didn't know. But seeing the corpse felt way more real than any name on an announcement ever could. And this wasn't a dead body in a video game, either. There was always an element of unreality, of separation, to those. This was all too real.
"We should... we should," Artie tried to say, but her words died as she realized that didn't know what to follow it up with. What was there to say in this situation? Maybe it'd be best if they moved on, but Artie didn't say that yet.
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Primrosette
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((Austin Song continued from (Un)Happy Camping))
Austin had a branch in his hand as he had learned that it was better than nothing and he had made sure that the end of it was sharp enough. If he saw Fabiano again... He was gonna jam it right into the bastard's eye. No sympathy, no regrets, no nothing. Austin felt like he was justified in doing so, even if there was a small part in the back of his mind that was saying that it was wrong. He also had a blunt, small rock tucked in his hoodie's pocket, just in case the tree branch wouldn't be enough to use or if it broke during a fight or something.
Austin stepped out into the open, just a bit behind a boy and a girl. He honestly didn't think he would find anyone out here, but then if people wanted to be outside, it was none of his business.
He noticed that they were reacting to something as he watched the boy lurching backwards away from the bridge and the girl was stammering over what was down there. He realized then that it was likely a body and he felt a bit sorry for them if that was what it is.
"Hey."
Was all that he was managing, clearing his throat that was feeling a bit sore.
Austin had a branch in his hand as he had learned that it was better than nothing and he had made sure that the end of it was sharp enough. If he saw Fabiano again... He was gonna jam it right into the bastard's eye. No sympathy, no regrets, no nothing. Austin felt like he was justified in doing so, even if there was a small part in the back of his mind that was saying that it was wrong. He also had a blunt, small rock tucked in his hoodie's pocket, just in case the tree branch wouldn't be enough to use or if it broke during a fight or something.
Austin stepped out into the open, just a bit behind a boy and a girl. He honestly didn't think he would find anyone out here, but then if people wanted to be outside, it was none of his business.
He noticed that they were reacting to something as he watched the boy lurching backwards away from the bridge and the girl was stammering over what was down there. He realized then that it was likely a body and he felt a bit sorry for them if that was what it is.
"Hey."
Was all that he was managing, clearing his throat that was feeling a bit sore.
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Pippi
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It was very apparent that neither of them had any idea of what to do.
And why would they? Or, indeed perhaps, why should they? Artie appeared to be a similar age to him, a girl who was still learning and studying at secondary school. He had to be truthful, he did not know a great amount about her life, and who she was as a person; he had been planning on asking her some questions when they stopped to take a rest. So he did not know whether this island and its environments were familiar to her. Perhaps her home in Canada was surrounded by a field such as this one. Maybe she had enjoyed exploring caves, before the events of the incident which had put her on to crutches. There was even the possibility, although he truly hoped this was not the case, that she had experienced death before, in some regard.
From her stammered attempts at saying something, though, he could tell that if he had experienced it, it had been nothing like this.
Matthew himself had a closer relationship with death than a great number of his classmates, as much as he was aware. It was a situation which naturally occurred for a family who lived at a church. He was present, in some respect, for every funeral service which took place there, and he felt the same sensation, somehow both sombre and hopeful, each time. He could remember very clearly the sight of family members unable to hide their tears, as his father told the crowd that their ‘Dearly departed would now be spending eternity in the arms of God’. The graveyard of the church could be seen from the window in the bathroom. It was an oddly peaceful thing to witness.
Jevaun’s body could not be any further from that. It was as though it possessed some strange force, making Matthew look directly at it, even though he wanted to do the exact opposite. There was something unnerving and unnatural about the way in which it was lying, and the… marks placed upon it. They suggested that something more had occurred here than the boy falling through the hole in the bridge. Something that Matthew did not dare to say out loud, but which he was being forced to accept was going on around him, with every new piece of information.
He stepped backwards until the bottom of the river was out of sight. The question of what they should do next was still floating in the air, and Matthew did not have an answer for it. Should they go down and collect the body of the boy? The sides of the river had looked very steep; he did not think they would be able to climb back up very easily while holding him. And if they did make their way down there, what would they do with him then? Would they attempt to bury him, while lacking any sort of spades or other tools to dig a suitable grave?
No. They could not do that. More important than even that was the fact that they did not know how the boy wished for his body to be handled after his demise. He could have wanted to be cremated, or to be buried at sea, rather than placed in a grave. He may not have thought about such a thing at all! And what of his family? Would they not have preferred for him to be returned to them, so that he could be laid to rest in his own country?
It was a source of relief, to hear a voice from behind them, interrupting the constant and noisy flow of thoughts inside of Matthew’s head. He turned to look at the new boy, giving a short and shaky nod to greet him. He tried to avoid looking at the dark stains on the boy’s face, or at the frightening looking masked figure on his hooded jacket.
“Ah, hello,” he said, slowly. His voice was still quite soft and even. He was pleased to hear it. It was vital that they remain calm when they were dealing with the other people on this island.
“I am sorry. This is not a good place to be. Someone has lost their life here.”
And why would they? Or, indeed perhaps, why should they? Artie appeared to be a similar age to him, a girl who was still learning and studying at secondary school. He had to be truthful, he did not know a great amount about her life, and who she was as a person; he had been planning on asking her some questions when they stopped to take a rest. So he did not know whether this island and its environments were familiar to her. Perhaps her home in Canada was surrounded by a field such as this one. Maybe she had enjoyed exploring caves, before the events of the incident which had put her on to crutches. There was even the possibility, although he truly hoped this was not the case, that she had experienced death before, in some regard.
From her stammered attempts at saying something, though, he could tell that if he had experienced it, it had been nothing like this.
Matthew himself had a closer relationship with death than a great number of his classmates, as much as he was aware. It was a situation which naturally occurred for a family who lived at a church. He was present, in some respect, for every funeral service which took place there, and he felt the same sensation, somehow both sombre and hopeful, each time. He could remember very clearly the sight of family members unable to hide their tears, as his father told the crowd that their ‘Dearly departed would now be spending eternity in the arms of God’. The graveyard of the church could be seen from the window in the bathroom. It was an oddly peaceful thing to witness.
Jevaun’s body could not be any further from that. It was as though it possessed some strange force, making Matthew look directly at it, even though he wanted to do the exact opposite. There was something unnerving and unnatural about the way in which it was lying, and the… marks placed upon it. They suggested that something more had occurred here than the boy falling through the hole in the bridge. Something that Matthew did not dare to say out loud, but which he was being forced to accept was going on around him, with every new piece of information.
He stepped backwards until the bottom of the river was out of sight. The question of what they should do next was still floating in the air, and Matthew did not have an answer for it. Should they go down and collect the body of the boy? The sides of the river had looked very steep; he did not think they would be able to climb back up very easily while holding him. And if they did make their way down there, what would they do with him then? Would they attempt to bury him, while lacking any sort of spades or other tools to dig a suitable grave?
No. They could not do that. More important than even that was the fact that they did not know how the boy wished for his body to be handled after his demise. He could have wanted to be cremated, or to be buried at sea, rather than placed in a grave. He may not have thought about such a thing at all! And what of his family? Would they not have preferred for him to be returned to them, so that he could be laid to rest in his own country?
It was a source of relief, to hear a voice from behind them, interrupting the constant and noisy flow of thoughts inside of Matthew’s head. He turned to look at the new boy, giving a short and shaky nod to greet him. He tried to avoid looking at the dark stains on the boy’s face, or at the frightening looking masked figure on his hooded jacket.
“Ah, hello,” he said, slowly. His voice was still quite soft and even. He was pleased to hear it. It was vital that they remain calm when they were dealing with the other people on this island.
“I am sorry. This is not a good place to be. Someone has lost their life here.”
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CondorTalon
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Artie jumped a bit when the voice behind them made itself known. She turned her head, and her body slowly reoriented itself to face the new arrival. This did mean that she turned her back on the body which wasn't good, because... because just for a second, she was in a zombie apocalypse movie, and the drowned body would jump up and attack them.
And then she returned to reality. And turning away from the body meant she didn't have to look at it anymore.
She eyed the newcomer, her expression unreadable. She didn't know what to make of him. And although Matthew was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, judging by his words, Artie was... less so.
Something about the vibe was wrong. Or maybe she was more shaken about the dead body than she originally thought.
"...Who are you?"
And then she returned to reality. And turning away from the body meant she didn't have to look at it anymore.
She eyed the newcomer, her expression unreadable. She didn't know what to make of him. And although Matthew was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, judging by his words, Artie was... less so.
Something about the vibe was wrong. Or maybe she was more shaken about the dead body than she originally thought.
"...Who are you?"
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Primrosette
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Austin felt himself tapping the tree branch against the side of his upper leg and he could feel the slight weight of the rock in his hoodie's pocket. It didn't seem that these two were out to get anyone, but he could be wrong about that. People can be good actors.... Although, he guessed that them being cautious was a good thing. No, no. It was indeed.
It seemed like someone had died down there and Austin's curiosity wanted to make him see. But then he would have to get closer to the other two and he didn't want to make them freak out and lash out at him. Didn't want to have a reason to kill them if they did decide to attack him.
And the girl wanted to know who he was.
There was no point in lying. It wasn't going to get him anywhere.
"Austin Song." He said simply.
He was sure that he was hearing some rustling somewhere. Maybe an animal. Maybe a human. It didn't matter to him at that moment.
"Someone died, huh? Well...." He was quiet for a moment. "I saw a friend die in front of me. It wasn't a pretty sight. Yeah..."
A bird was singing somewhere in the distance.
"And you two are...?"
It seemed like someone had died down there and Austin's curiosity wanted to make him see. But then he would have to get closer to the other two and he didn't want to make them freak out and lash out at him. Didn't want to have a reason to kill them if they did decide to attack him.
And the girl wanted to know who he was.
There was no point in lying. It wasn't going to get him anywhere.
"Austin Song." He said simply.
He was sure that he was hearing some rustling somewhere. Maybe an animal. Maybe a human. It didn't matter to him at that moment.
"Someone died, huh? Well...." He was quiet for a moment. "I saw a friend die in front of me. It wasn't a pretty sight. Yeah..."
A bird was singing somewhere in the distance.
"And you two are...?"
((Harun Tee continued from (Un)Happy Camping))
While he couldn’t hear what any of them were saying, due to the distance and the distracting rain muffling their sounds even more, Harun could only guess what they were looking at with their uncomfortable gestures. Meanwhile, the soft rain felt nice. He didn’t mind it. He embraced it, but not as much as his ever-smiling octopus friend on his shirt.
The day was slowly coming to an end and feeling sort of proud that he had been able to follow Austin without him noticing, Harun stopped and hid behind luscious greens. Déjà vu or whatever. Why did the bird sound the same as well? At least it wasn’t as annoying as Jack’s voice when the announcement had made its debut. A gritty gesture for sure, a reminder that cruel things were happening right around them — he had stopped at that time and almost lost sight of Austin, but he appreciated the update even if he blocked out the majority of it.
Now, standing there, Harun wanted to take a different approach. Had to.
It was actually just then when he noticed and recognized the girl from the caves. He huffed unintentionally. He hadn’t expected a reunion that soon, not after the damage she had caused to his crotch. Undeserved, he thought, but who was he kidding? Harun knew what he was doing.
He sighed and crossed his arms for a moment, then after a pause, uncrossed them and slowly approached the scene from behind with a slow pace but confident stance.
While he couldn’t hear what any of them were saying, due to the distance and the distracting rain muffling their sounds even more, Harun could only guess what they were looking at with their uncomfortable gestures. Meanwhile, the soft rain felt nice. He didn’t mind it. He embraced it, but not as much as his ever-smiling octopus friend on his shirt.
The day was slowly coming to an end and feeling sort of proud that he had been able to follow Austin without him noticing, Harun stopped and hid behind luscious greens. Déjà vu or whatever. Why did the bird sound the same as well? At least it wasn’t as annoying as Jack’s voice when the announcement had made its debut. A gritty gesture for sure, a reminder that cruel things were happening right around them — he had stopped at that time and almost lost sight of Austin, but he appreciated the update even if he blocked out the majority of it.
Now, standing there, Harun wanted to take a different approach. Had to.
It was actually just then when he noticed and recognized the girl from the caves. He huffed unintentionally. He hadn’t expected a reunion that soon, not after the damage she had caused to his crotch. Undeserved, he thought, but who was he kidding? Harun knew what he was doing.
He sighed and crossed his arms for a moment, then after a pause, uncrossed them and slowly approached the scene from behind with a slow pace but confident stance.
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Pippi
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The name of the boy standing in front of them was Austin Song. Matthew set his mind back to the name listed on the announcement, the person who had killed Oscar Fatu. That name had been… Fabiano, if his memory was not mistaken. It had not been this boy who had committed such an act, then. Matthew felt as though his heart had lightened somewhat; it was not a pleasant feeling to have a sense of doubt towards your fellow man, but he knew that in the situation they were in, it was an unavoidable outcome. Especially now that he had been given visual confirmation that the plan of Jack and his cohorts was going ahead as intended.
Of course, there was always the possibility that more deaths had occurred since the announcement had played, as loud and piercing as an alarm clock sat right alongside his head. This body in the river, it may not necessarily belong to Oscar or to Makaria. He had no way of knowing what had occurred in the other locations on this island, not until the broadcasting of the next announcement. Perhaps when it did play, Austin would be on it, as the perpetrator of violence.
But he could not live in this manner, with this mindset. He could not be treating ‘possiblies’ and ‘maybes’ as definite facts. Yes, it was important to maintain a certain level of doubt in regards to everything he encountered on this island, but reacting to every single word that every single person spoke with suspicion and paranoia would be just as dangerous as doing the opposite.
If you treated everyone around you as though they were already your enemy, it would not take long before that became the very truth.
“My name is Matthew,” he said, giving Austin an earnest smile, which turned itself into one of sorrow. “I am… I am very sorry about your friend. I can only offer my apologies, and my hopes that he rests in peace.”
He had another question to ask Austin, something that he had started to wonder about due to the words of the other boy. But it seemed as though it was a question that would have to wait for a later time. There was now another boy approaching them. And on this occasion, viewing him with suspicion and doubt was an entirely justifiable approach.
“Hello again,” Matthew said, looking directly at Harun, his brows furrowing.
He could feel his fingers, not by his own choice but by some part of his brain that he could not control, tighten around the trident’s pole.
Of course, there was always the possibility that more deaths had occurred since the announcement had played, as loud and piercing as an alarm clock sat right alongside his head. This body in the river, it may not necessarily belong to Oscar or to Makaria. He had no way of knowing what had occurred in the other locations on this island, not until the broadcasting of the next announcement. Perhaps when it did play, Austin would be on it, as the perpetrator of violence.
But he could not live in this manner, with this mindset. He could not be treating ‘possiblies’ and ‘maybes’ as definite facts. Yes, it was important to maintain a certain level of doubt in regards to everything he encountered on this island, but reacting to every single word that every single person spoke with suspicion and paranoia would be just as dangerous as doing the opposite.
If you treated everyone around you as though they were already your enemy, it would not take long before that became the very truth.
“My name is Matthew,” he said, giving Austin an earnest smile, which turned itself into one of sorrow. “I am… I am very sorry about your friend. I can only offer my apologies, and my hopes that he rests in peace.”
He had another question to ask Austin, something that he had started to wonder about due to the words of the other boy. But it seemed as though it was a question that would have to wait for a later time. There was now another boy approaching them. And on this occasion, viewing him with suspicion and doubt was an entirely justifiable approach.
“Hello again,” Matthew said, looking directly at Harun, his brows furrowing.
He could feel his fingers, not by his own choice but by some part of his brain that he could not control, tighten around the trident’s pole.
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CondorTalon
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Austin Song. Dude's name wasn't on the announcement. Who knew what he'd done since then, though. He said he saw a friend die. Was it one of the names on the announcement? Maybe. Maybe not.
Matthew seemed to be giving the dude the benefit of the doubt, though, and... you know what? Sure. She guessed she could live with that. With her ankle still busted, it really felt like she didn't have the privilege of going against him. Or anyone.
That frustrated her, but she supposed she'd have to live with it, for however long that was.
So, sure. This guy's name is Austin, he wasn't on the announcements, he saw a friend die. We all up to speed here? We good?
Cool, because now here's another variable to account for.
Well, at least it was a variable Artie knew about, sort of. The boy coming toward them was unmistakable.
Nutboy.
"It's Nutboy."
Matthew seemed to be giving the dude the benefit of the doubt, though, and... you know what? Sure. She guessed she could live with that. With her ankle still busted, it really felt like she didn't have the privilege of going against him. Or anyone.
That frustrated her, but she supposed she'd have to live with it, for however long that was.
So, sure. This guy's name is Austin, he wasn't on the announcements, he saw a friend die. We all up to speed here? We good?
Cool, because now here's another variable to account for.
Well, at least it was a variable Artie knew about, sort of. The boy coming toward them was unmistakable.
Nutboy.
"It's Nutboy."
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Primrosette
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Austin blinked. And he blinked again.
"Nutboy?"
"Nutboy?"
A swift glance to the side made it clear to Harun that they were referring to him. Of course they were, at least Artie specifically, but no one had objected so far. The audacity.... the disrespect....—his crotch had suffered enough. It wasn’t the entrance he had pictured.
“Girl...," he started and stopped in his tracks, squinting as a drop of rain coming down from a strand of his hair hindered his vision for a second. It started to feel uncomfortably wet. “Why are you so obsessed with my nuts??” His tone came out more desperate than he had intended to, slightly aggressive too. He hadn’t recognized Matthew initially, but his voice revealed it was the same guy from the caves. Back then Harun hadn’t had the chance to take a proper look at him after his flashlight gave up.
“You know what? Alright. I’ll take it. And that too.” He nodded his chin at Matthew’s trident, showing his own empty palms. “It looks heavy. Do you want to put it down or are you handing it to me? I don’t want your arms to feel tired.”
“Girl...," he started and stopped in his tracks, squinting as a drop of rain coming down from a strand of his hair hindered his vision for a second. It started to feel uncomfortably wet. “Why are you so obsessed with my nuts??” His tone came out more desperate than he had intended to, slightly aggressive too. He hadn’t recognized Matthew initially, but his voice revealed it was the same guy from the caves. Back then Harun hadn’t had the chance to take a proper look at him after his flashlight gave up.
“You know what? Alright. I’ll take it. And that too.” He nodded his chin at Matthew’s trident, showing his own empty palms. “It looks heavy. Do you want to put it down or are you handing it to me? I don’t want your arms to feel tired.”
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Pippi
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Nut… boy?
Matthew took a glance towards Artie for a brief moment, before he looked back at… Nutboy, as he did not want to let him disappear from his vision for too long. Was that truly his actual name? It seemed particularly odd to Matthew, a point of view supported by the reaction from Austin, but he supposed it may have been perfectly normal in the country that he was from, and so it would be rude to judge it too harshly.
On the other hand, perhaps it was some form of derogatory nickname? That was what the reaction of the boy himself seemed to suggest. That would make a lot of sense, although he could not understand the reason behind the name itself. The boy did not seem to be in possession of any nuts, after all, and Matthew did not believe he would have been willing to share any sort of snacks, if his actions within the caves were a good mark to go by.
If he, himself, had been forced to choose a nickname for the boy, he would have perhaps suggested ‘Squid Boy’ instead. But now, of course, was not the time to try and consider such things.
He frowned at, for lack of a better name currently, Nutboy. He would have been unwilling to hand over any sort of weapon to this boy, even with his own distaste for them; his actions in the caves did not suggest that letting him take a weapon from them would be a wise idea. But he was particularly reluctant to part with the trident, to the boy or to anybody. He did not know if the boy would understand his reasoning for doing this. He was aware that the chances of this occurring would be low. But perhaps, if he did attempt to make him see his point of view, then this encounter would not have to turn unpleasant.
“I believe I am fully able to carry this, thank you,” Matthew said, speaking slowly, every single word carefully thought out before he spoke it. “If I need to take a rest in the future, I will do so, and lay it beside me. And, I do not have any plans of using this as a weapon, nor am I prepared to let anyone take it to do harm with. It is a symbol of strength, not a tool to cause death.”
He took a deep breath, and he felt his fingers tighten against the handle of the trident once more.
“If you are not able to accept this, then I do not think you will be welcome here.”
Matthew took a glance towards Artie for a brief moment, before he looked back at… Nutboy, as he did not want to let him disappear from his vision for too long. Was that truly his actual name? It seemed particularly odd to Matthew, a point of view supported by the reaction from Austin, but he supposed it may have been perfectly normal in the country that he was from, and so it would be rude to judge it too harshly.
On the other hand, perhaps it was some form of derogatory nickname? That was what the reaction of the boy himself seemed to suggest. That would make a lot of sense, although he could not understand the reason behind the name itself. The boy did not seem to be in possession of any nuts, after all, and Matthew did not believe he would have been willing to share any sort of snacks, if his actions within the caves were a good mark to go by.
If he, himself, had been forced to choose a nickname for the boy, he would have perhaps suggested ‘Squid Boy’ instead. But now, of course, was not the time to try and consider such things.
He frowned at, for lack of a better name currently, Nutboy. He would have been unwilling to hand over any sort of weapon to this boy, even with his own distaste for them; his actions in the caves did not suggest that letting him take a weapon from them would be a wise idea. But he was particularly reluctant to part with the trident, to the boy or to anybody. He did not know if the boy would understand his reasoning for doing this. He was aware that the chances of this occurring would be low. But perhaps, if he did attempt to make him see his point of view, then this encounter would not have to turn unpleasant.
“I believe I am fully able to carry this, thank you,” Matthew said, speaking slowly, every single word carefully thought out before he spoke it. “If I need to take a rest in the future, I will do so, and lay it beside me. And, I do not have any plans of using this as a weapon, nor am I prepared to let anyone take it to do harm with. It is a symbol of strength, not a tool to cause death.”
He took a deep breath, and he felt his fingers tighten against the handle of the trident once more.
“If you are not able to accept this, then I do not think you will be welcome here.”
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CondorTalon
- Posts: 459
- Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2018 1:22 am
This was probably the first time since back in the cave that Artie felt incredibly uneasy. Oh sure, there was always a low hum of uneasiness ever since she woke up. How couldn't there be? But the low hum was a low hum. There was a spike of uneasiness coming now, like a wave of not-quite-nausea rolling through her body.
And it was all caused by Nutboy and his obsession with their weapons.
And yeah. She was going to keep calling him Nutboy until the dude revealed his actual name. Because it was funny. And any sort of levity was appreciated in this situation.
Artie hung back, letting Matthew do the talking to Nutboy for them. She was, however, mentally preparing herself to act. If Nutboy kept approaching, kept posturing like that, well...
She had her one good foot and two good crutches. She was absolutely ready to turn Nutboy into Nutboy².
And it was all caused by Nutboy and his obsession with their weapons.
And yeah. She was going to keep calling him Nutboy until the dude revealed his actual name. Because it was funny. And any sort of levity was appreciated in this situation.
Artie hung back, letting Matthew do the talking to Nutboy for them. She was, however, mentally preparing herself to act. If Nutboy kept approaching, kept posturing like that, well...
She had her one good foot and two good crutches. She was absolutely ready to turn Nutboy into Nutboy².
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Primrosette
- Posts: 897
- Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 1:59 pm
- Location: In Her Dark Abyss
Austin almost felt the urge to roll his eyes as it seemed like he was involved in another complicated situation and it seemed that guy who had followed him seemed to cause trouble everywhere he went. He glanced at the trident in Matthew's hands and he knew that Matthew was wrong about it. A weapon of strength? No, no. It might have been something like that years ago, but now it was supposed to be used as a weapon of death here.
Not that he would said that aloud. He didn't want to make things worse than it already was.
Austin turned his head more towards Harun and he let out a small sigh, his face continuing not to change from a blankness stare. "Could you just not cause any trouble for five seconds?" He asked as a hint of a Welsh accent was slipping in as it does when he was feeling upset and unable to show it on his face. "Do you really want to make this another Oscar situation?"
He went silent for a bit.
"I rather you didn't."
Not that he would said that aloud. He didn't want to make things worse than it already was.
Austin turned his head more towards Harun and he let out a small sigh, his face continuing not to change from a blankness stare. "Could you just not cause any trouble for five seconds?" He asked as a hint of a Welsh accent was slipping in as it does when he was feeling upset and unable to show it on his face. "Do you really want to make this another Oscar situation?"
He went silent for a bit.
"I rather you didn't."
Nutboy’s patience was already running low. Even more so when he realized he was referring to himself as Nutboy in his mind. He gave a side glance towards Artie’s direction, tugging on his collar as if to test its strength. It seemed like his help was not needed here. The pretty words coming out of Matthew’s mouth that made the trident sound like some holy artifact made him raise an eyebrow. He was lucky that he had it. Harun got it.
He kept staring down at Matthew, ignoring Austin’s voice. Why was he bringing Oscar into this? The situation was nothing like that. Whatever others chose to do next wasn’t his problem.
Maybe it was time to test his own special weapon?
The book was resting inside Harun’s bag. He had taken a look inside before it started raining and read over some of the useless information. The title wasn’t lying; it was offensively useless. But given how ridiculous the whole situation was, the whole game, perhaps the game masters had been kind enough to put a spell on the book and curse whoever indulged in the facts.
“Now listen carefully, all of you;” Harun said. He chose this one because it fit the island vibe. “Did you know that...British sailors were called Limeys because they used to drink a lot of lime juice to prevent infections?”
He waited for an answer. Or for everyone to drop dead.
He kept staring down at Matthew, ignoring Austin’s voice. Why was he bringing Oscar into this? The situation was nothing like that. Whatever others chose to do next wasn’t his problem.
Maybe it was time to test his own special weapon?
The book was resting inside Harun’s bag. He had taken a look inside before it started raining and read over some of the useless information. The title wasn’t lying; it was offensively useless. But given how ridiculous the whole situation was, the whole game, perhaps the game masters had been kind enough to put a spell on the book and curse whoever indulged in the facts.
“Now listen carefully, all of you;” Harun said. He chose this one because it fit the island vibe. “Did you know that...British sailors were called Limeys because they used to drink a lot of lime juice to prevent infections?”
He waited for an answer. Or for everyone to drop dead.