[Lili Williams continued from Everything's In Solitude Except Character]
The two settled down in the building across where she'd met Ben and his friend. It brought back some feelings of regret, a vague sense of wondering what could have been, but no matter. Lili was part of something bigger than herself now. It was resistance. It was hope. It was company. A company that needed somewhere to set up shop. She vaguely remembered that the Housing Block had already been a danger zone once, so it was somewhat unlikely, in her mind, that it would be one again soon. A good place to rest in any case.
They hadn't seen either of the people Kissy mentioned on the way through the empty field that separated the rough circle of buildings leading up to the Block, and hadn't found anyone inside the building either, even if it was somewhat clear that there had been people there at one point. All the beer cans on the floor and the random chairs thrown into the walls reminded Lili of her own episode flinging suitcases at a chandelier. When she had met Darius a day back. Now he was dead, and she was alive. Walking, breathing. Did she deserve it? Not her judgement to make.
At one point, Lili was looking through the building for a room not covered in bird shit. The first door she tried, she found a corpse wrapped up on a bed and stinking up the room. Sure, she couldn't quite see the body, but she'd smelled death before - very closely, in fact, the memories of lugging the body across the bridge coming back, along with more thoughts of Darius. Did she suddenly feel...bad for him? He was somewhere else now, rotting just like this body on the bed, and she was alive and walking. Again the question arose in her mind: did she deserve to be alive?
She slept on it, a quick and dreamless sleep.
The announcements woke her up. She rolled over and listened, sparing a few glances over at Kissy. She was quiet, head in her hands most of the time. Lili joined in her quiet mourning, eyes on her shoes as she heard some of the more gruesome deaths. At the very least, some of the killers had taken to tearing each other apart. That would make their job a bit easier. Less people to contest with. Scout was still alive, managed to kill one of the bigger names out there. She surprised herself with just how much she had paid attention in the past few days, enough to have a good sense of what was going on.
Some idiot got shot by his own best friend. Kissy wouldn't turn out like that, right? She wouldn't hurt a fly, and in the event that something did go wrong, Lili held all the cards.
The other Lily had killed. She'd taken to travelling with some other girl, Isabella-something. Killed her own cousin? Dramatic. Lili shook her head at that one.
Her head kept shaking. She opened one of her bags and pulled out some more bread to chew on.
The sound of her teeth tearing through her breakfast was enough to dull the question song spinning into infinity in her head.
Drawn To The Blood
The Flight of a One Winged Dove
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MethodicalSlacker
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General Goose
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(Kiziah Saraki continued from Everything's In Solitude Except Character)
Lili seemed to know her way around. Seemed to have a sort of grasp of this place. A sentimental attachment, Kizi thought, briefly, for a stupid fleeting second. That was a silly assumption. Probably a place that bore some horrific memory, that was what the island bred.
But Lili led them here anyway, and seemed to do it without visible distress. Probably some cold strategic decisionmaking. Kizi respected that. They all needed some of that right now. If they were going to fight this thing.
And it was much like the other days. An orderly, oddly serene night, governed by the logic of keeping watch, any sleep obtained precarious and fragile. Kept the body from collapsing, but little else. She too had no dreams. Or if she did, she didn't remember them. She had stirred a lot during the night apparently. Upon awakening, she had rolled over, from clinging the wall to perilously teetering on the edge of the bed, and had apparently changed from pointing her feet at the door to the opposite position.
She found herself not caring. Her body was intact, her stuff was unpilfered, Lili remained alive and reliable. If there were any interesting night time revelations in a forgotten sleep talk monologue, then her family would hear of them. Any close night-time calls, her family would celebrate them. Any tragedies that she narrowly evaded, her family would be grateful that she had not exposed to the extra trauma.
It was oddly comforting, knowing they were watching. That may have been selfish of her - and goodness knows she could imagine why a classmate could bemoan that very same reality - but she felt they were watching over her, in some way.
She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Still, it got her through the announcements. That, and Clarice and Bart did not come up. They survived. More people she knew did get their names called out. More people she cared about had died. But, though she was forcing herself to not be numbed, she found it a harder and harder task to give them all their due. She made sure to cling to each ounce of sadness or pity she felt. It would keep her human. Honour their memories. Shine through in her behaviour.
She even made sure to produce a respectful nod for Nancy. Whether it was backed by genuine remorse for the girl's demise, she did not know. It was a benefit of the pace of the announcements, and the irreverent tone. It allowed one to move on from the thoughts that threatened to fester.
Nancy had been killed by Kimiko. There was surely some comment to be had there. Kizi would let others make it.
But with Clarice and Bart, she would have felt a degree of culpability, of moral responsibility, for any harm that had befallen them. Would have reenacted the events in her mind, repeatedly, nitpicking the details to perhaps find a decision she could have made that would have averted any tragedy. But no, for now, it hadn't come to that.
Kizi joined Lili in idly chewing on some bread. It had been a monotonous ration at first. Now, it was the closest thing she had to a reminder of normalcy. She kept on eating. "Well. Clarice and Bart made it out of the library. That's good."
Lili seemed to know her way around. Seemed to have a sort of grasp of this place. A sentimental attachment, Kizi thought, briefly, for a stupid fleeting second. That was a silly assumption. Probably a place that bore some horrific memory, that was what the island bred.
But Lili led them here anyway, and seemed to do it without visible distress. Probably some cold strategic decisionmaking. Kizi respected that. They all needed some of that right now. If they were going to fight this thing.
And it was much like the other days. An orderly, oddly serene night, governed by the logic of keeping watch, any sleep obtained precarious and fragile. Kept the body from collapsing, but little else. She too had no dreams. Or if she did, she didn't remember them. She had stirred a lot during the night apparently. Upon awakening, she had rolled over, from clinging the wall to perilously teetering on the edge of the bed, and had apparently changed from pointing her feet at the door to the opposite position.
She found herself not caring. Her body was intact, her stuff was unpilfered, Lili remained alive and reliable. If there were any interesting night time revelations in a forgotten sleep talk monologue, then her family would hear of them. Any close night-time calls, her family would celebrate them. Any tragedies that she narrowly evaded, her family would be grateful that she had not exposed to the extra trauma.
It was oddly comforting, knowing they were watching. That may have been selfish of her - and goodness knows she could imagine why a classmate could bemoan that very same reality - but she felt they were watching over her, in some way.
She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Still, it got her through the announcements. That, and Clarice and Bart did not come up. They survived. More people she knew did get their names called out. More people she cared about had died. But, though she was forcing herself to not be numbed, she found it a harder and harder task to give them all their due. She made sure to cling to each ounce of sadness or pity she felt. It would keep her human. Honour their memories. Shine through in her behaviour.
She even made sure to produce a respectful nod for Nancy. Whether it was backed by genuine remorse for the girl's demise, she did not know. It was a benefit of the pace of the announcements, and the irreverent tone. It allowed one to move on from the thoughts that threatened to fester.
Nancy had been killed by Kimiko. There was surely some comment to be had there. Kizi would let others make it.
But with Clarice and Bart, she would have felt a degree of culpability, of moral responsibility, for any harm that had befallen them. Would have reenacted the events in her mind, repeatedly, nitpicking the details to perhaps find a decision she could have made that would have averted any tragedy. But no, for now, it hadn't come to that.
Kizi joined Lili in idly chewing on some bread. It had been a monotonous ration at first. Now, it was the closest thing she had to a reminder of normalcy. She kept on eating. "Well. Clarice and Bart made it out of the library. That's good."
The buzz of the camera was by now a familiar companion, with whom Ben shared tight-lipped silence.
((Ben Fields continued from Haemolacria))
It was only with explicit permission that he was investigating separately from Penelope and Raina. They were within earshot of each other. Either party hollered whatever was left of their vocal chords the other party would be the cavalry. Ben was a clunky loudass anyways, half tripping over the clink and crunch of broken bottles with a careful gait and efficiency to his step.
Even as announcements droned on and on in that ever familiar insipid tone the entire damn island could probably hear his ass and all the killers would be flocking at his corpse like vultures within the hour.
Killers. Jerry. Alex. So much for hoping. Their names remained forfeit, and Ben should have known better than to pray otherwise. Apparently Alvaro was dead. Maybe not such a bad thing, but it didn't matter. Wasn't a body on that island that was still alive, warm or cold or whatever. Didn't take an outsider perspective to know that the men and women of Cochise had solemnly marched themselves to hell the day they'd allowed themselves to hand over their class list to the terrorists, goddamn names and numbers and hopes and dreams and all.
He hadn't thought on it too long. Had to force himself to stay alert, fit, or however much of those things he still counted for.
He was at least alert enough to respond quickly when he saw what was on the other side of the door he'd chosen out of the firing squad lineup.
"Hey. Been a while."
Well they'd found somebody they'd been maybe looking for. Ben kept himself on his side of the door frame, sparing a brief glance for Penelope and Raina before he remembered he had good company and returned his gaze to them. Lili, Kizi. Awesome sorta folk. They deserved a respectful nod. They also deserved more than Ben could offer them with what was left of his decaying, girlish form.
((Ben Fields continued from Haemolacria))
It was only with explicit permission that he was investigating separately from Penelope and Raina. They were within earshot of each other. Either party hollered whatever was left of their vocal chords the other party would be the cavalry. Ben was a clunky loudass anyways, half tripping over the clink and crunch of broken bottles with a careful gait and efficiency to his step.
Even as announcements droned on and on in that ever familiar insipid tone the entire damn island could probably hear his ass and all the killers would be flocking at his corpse like vultures within the hour.
Killers. Jerry. Alex. So much for hoping. Their names remained forfeit, and Ben should have known better than to pray otherwise. Apparently Alvaro was dead. Maybe not such a bad thing, but it didn't matter. Wasn't a body on that island that was still alive, warm or cold or whatever. Didn't take an outsider perspective to know that the men and women of Cochise had solemnly marched themselves to hell the day they'd allowed themselves to hand over their class list to the terrorists, goddamn names and numbers and hopes and dreams and all.
He hadn't thought on it too long. Had to force himself to stay alert, fit, or however much of those things he still counted for.
He was at least alert enough to respond quickly when he saw what was on the other side of the door he'd chosen out of the firing squad lineup.
"Hey. Been a while."
Well they'd found somebody they'd been maybe looking for. Ben kept himself on his side of the door frame, sparing a brief glance for Penelope and Raina before he remembered he had good company and returned his gaze to them. Lili, Kizi. Awesome sorta folk. They deserved a respectful nod. They also deserved more than Ben could offer them with what was left of his decaying, girlish form.
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VoltTurtle
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((Penelope Fitzgerald continued from Haemolacria))
Penelope leaned up against the wall, covering her ears with her hands to drown out the announcements.
It didn't take long after they came on for Penelope to regret even trying to listen to them. All it took was hearing that Astrid was dead for the tears to start and the agony to come back. Astrid had been an idiot, but she didn't deserve to die. None of them deserved to die.
So she didn't want to hear them, she didn't want to know who had died. As much as it hurt her to acknowledge it, the dead didn't matter anymore. They were gone, and there was nothing that she could do about it. Having a mental breakdown every time she heard a name she knew would just hurt her productivity and make her too preoccupied with things that she could never change.
She bit her lip, doing her best to suppress the tears as the muffled announcements stopped playing. Tentatively taking her hands off of her ears, Penelope sniffled once, before wiping her tears away. She needed to be strong, for the sake of everyone. They were all standing at the precipice of oblivion, and she needed to find anything at all that she could latch on to.
She leaned further into the wall before glancing over at Raina. They hadn't been able to find Johnny in the warehouse, or anywhere nearby for that matter. He had apparently just disappeared entirely, and while Raina had seemingly taken it relatively well, she was still worried for her friend's mental well being.
She sighed, rubbing her eyes again, before turning the corner to see where Ben had run off to.
Perched in a door frame, Ben met her gaze and eyed into the room he was standing just outside of. She cautiously leaned over into the doorway, only for a smile to grow on her lips.
"Lili! Kizi! The fuck are you two nerds doing here?"
Penelope leaned up against the wall, covering her ears with her hands to drown out the announcements.
It didn't take long after they came on for Penelope to regret even trying to listen to them. All it took was hearing that Astrid was dead for the tears to start and the agony to come back. Astrid had been an idiot, but she didn't deserve to die. None of them deserved to die.
So she didn't want to hear them, she didn't want to know who had died. As much as it hurt her to acknowledge it, the dead didn't matter anymore. They were gone, and there was nothing that she could do about it. Having a mental breakdown every time she heard a name she knew would just hurt her productivity and make her too preoccupied with things that she could never change.
She bit her lip, doing her best to suppress the tears as the muffled announcements stopped playing. Tentatively taking her hands off of her ears, Penelope sniffled once, before wiping her tears away. She needed to be strong, for the sake of everyone. They were all standing at the precipice of oblivion, and she needed to find anything at all that she could latch on to.
She leaned further into the wall before glancing over at Raina. They hadn't been able to find Johnny in the warehouse, or anywhere nearby for that matter. He had apparently just disappeared entirely, and while Raina had seemingly taken it relatively well, she was still worried for her friend's mental well being.
She sighed, rubbing her eyes again, before turning the corner to see where Ben had run off to.
Perched in a door frame, Ben met her gaze and eyed into the room he was standing just outside of. She cautiously leaned over into the doorway, only for a smile to grow on her lips.
"Lili! Kizi! The fuck are you two nerds doing here?"
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MethodicalSlacker
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Clarice. Bart. Those were the names. Right, Kissy had probably said something to that effect on the walk over. Lili nodded in agreement, pleased that at the very least Kissy's friends were still alive and kicking.
"They're probably doing just fine," she said. There was nothing that told her that they were fine, and Kissy looked happy enough just to not hear their names without Lili's input, but she felt a pull towards those five words for a reason she couldn't quite explain. She thought back to how it felt to hold her friend and be there to comfort her. It was quite possibly the nicest thing she had felt during her stay in Spiderland. Come to think of it, her time with Kissy had been the best out of any time she'd spent with any of her other friends. She could really see them getting along in the future, given that they lasted long enough-
"Hey."
Lili's head turned so fast she could hear the satisfying snap of her crackling joints through her inner ear.
"Been a while."
It was Ben. No, not the Ben she'd seen earlier and left behind, but the other Ben, the one she'd woken up wondering about on her first day. He was here, right in front of her, standing in the door looking pale and skinnier than she remembered but he was alive and that was all that really mattered. Lili smiled brightly and sat up straighter, leaning away from Kissy so that she could get a better look at his face, the distance between the two of them being just enough to make his eyes and more fine features blurry to her hindered sight.
"Too fuckin' long, man!"
She'd put a hand on the floor to push off of, to get herself standing, but was interrupted when yet another familiar face looked into the room. Penelope, a girl around her age. Yet another friendly face. If Lili didn't know better, she'd have her suspicions that she was hallucinating the whole thing. Two of her friends showing up when she had barely seen half that amount in the past few days? Just too big of a coincidence. But Penelope addressed Kissy too. With a hard 'Z' sound. Was it Kizzy, then? It made a little more sense than Kissy, simply because it sounded a little bit more like a name, but it was still a bit out there. A bit far.
The actual girl Kizzy had actually gotten a bit far, too, by way of Lili unconsciously moving away in excitement. Noticing the small gap she put between the two of them, she scooted back over to her, getting just a little too close - their shoulders were touching.
Lili opened her mouth to come up with some kind of playful comeback to Penelope's little jab, but came up empty.
"Breathing," she eventually said, "And happily, too."
"They're probably doing just fine," she said. There was nothing that told her that they were fine, and Kissy looked happy enough just to not hear their names without Lili's input, but she felt a pull towards those five words for a reason she couldn't quite explain. She thought back to how it felt to hold her friend and be there to comfort her. It was quite possibly the nicest thing she had felt during her stay in Spiderland. Come to think of it, her time with Kissy had been the best out of any time she'd spent with any of her other friends. She could really see them getting along in the future, given that they lasted long enough-
"Hey."
Lili's head turned so fast she could hear the satisfying snap of her crackling joints through her inner ear.
"Been a while."
It was Ben. No, not the Ben she'd seen earlier and left behind, but the other Ben, the one she'd woken up wondering about on her first day. He was here, right in front of her, standing in the door looking pale and skinnier than she remembered but he was alive and that was all that really mattered. Lili smiled brightly and sat up straighter, leaning away from Kissy so that she could get a better look at his face, the distance between the two of them being just enough to make his eyes and more fine features blurry to her hindered sight.
"Too fuckin' long, man!"
She'd put a hand on the floor to push off of, to get herself standing, but was interrupted when yet another familiar face looked into the room. Penelope, a girl around her age. Yet another friendly face. If Lili didn't know better, she'd have her suspicions that she was hallucinating the whole thing. Two of her friends showing up when she had barely seen half that amount in the past few days? Just too big of a coincidence. But Penelope addressed Kissy too. With a hard 'Z' sound. Was it Kizzy, then? It made a little more sense than Kissy, simply because it sounded a little bit more like a name, but it was still a bit out there. A bit far.
The actual girl Kizzy had actually gotten a bit far, too, by way of Lili unconsciously moving away in excitement. Noticing the small gap she put between the two of them, she scooted back over to her, getting just a little too close - their shoulders were touching.
Lili opened her mouth to come up with some kind of playful comeback to Penelope's little jab, but came up empty.
"Breathing," she eventually said, "And happily, too."
((Raina Rose continued from Haemolacria))
Everything was turning up... somebody not Johnny. Which was to say that Johnny wasn't turning up. He was probably hidden away somewhere, Raina told herself. He had been pretty content to hide out back in the asylum once they found a somewhat comfortable place. It made sense that he would do so again left on his own.
So where the hell was he? They had checked out every semi-welcoming structure they came across, and he wasn't there. He wasn't dead, obviously, they would have announced it if he was, but...
Well. What did Raina care that much anyway, if he decided that he was just going to crawl into a hole and hide? It wasn't like they were really friends or anything. Johnny could do what he wanted and she wasn't going to stop him.
Her actual best friend was losing it. Raina had been watching Penelope with growing uneasiness throughout the last day. Those mood swings weren't normal. Talking about killing yourself and taking everyone with you wasn't normal. Penelope wasn't made for this kind of stress, and it was increasingly obvious with every new encounter and failure.
Raina didn't say anything about it as she watched Penelope go from tears to a grin as she greeted Kiziah and Lili, but she certainly couldn't match the cheer, whether it was real or not. She offered the other two girls a wan smile. Kizi was someone she knew somewhat, but not well. Lili seemed to be doing alright since the last Raina had seen of her. Not too torn up about Darius, obviously.
"Hey," she said. "You, uh, got your stuff back, huh?"
Everything was turning up... somebody not Johnny. Which was to say that Johnny wasn't turning up. He was probably hidden away somewhere, Raina told herself. He had been pretty content to hide out back in the asylum once they found a somewhat comfortable place. It made sense that he would do so again left on his own.
So where the hell was he? They had checked out every semi-welcoming structure they came across, and he wasn't there. He wasn't dead, obviously, they would have announced it if he was, but...
Well. What did Raina care that much anyway, if he decided that he was just going to crawl into a hole and hide? It wasn't like they were really friends or anything. Johnny could do what he wanted and she wasn't going to stop him.
Her actual best friend was losing it. Raina had been watching Penelope with growing uneasiness throughout the last day. Those mood swings weren't normal. Talking about killing yourself and taking everyone with you wasn't normal. Penelope wasn't made for this kind of stress, and it was increasingly obvious with every new encounter and failure.
Raina didn't say anything about it as she watched Penelope go from tears to a grin as she greeted Kiziah and Lili, but she certainly couldn't match the cheer, whether it was real or not. She offered the other two girls a wan smile. Kizi was someone she knew somewhat, but not well. Lili seemed to be doing alright since the last Raina had seen of her. Not too torn up about Darius, obviously.
"Hey," she said. "You, uh, got your stuff back, huh?"
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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General Goose
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Okay. Awesome.
Friends. Friendly folk. Not as close a friend as Clarice or Bart (well, she couldn't even remember how close she was to Bart before all this), but still, good faces. No blood on their hands. A genial attitude. She raised her head, allowed a warm smile to break onto her features, and internally decided that, hey, it was worth sharing her idea here.
"Hey guys." She tried enforcing some kind of happy energy into her tone, injecting her timbre with some vehement glee, like Lili had done, but the effort failed. Lili probably had stronger attachments here, it seemed. Again, she knew all of those people, but not super-duper-well. Most of them were in the year below her, after all.
Like, she recognised Lili's face from Kingman, but she wasn't at the level of friendship with Penelope or Ben or Raina to be aware of her status as a mutual friend to all of them. Again, she was friends with everyone here, but not to the degree of knowing their mutual friends. They were obviously at the level for jovial insults - effing nerds, and the like - which Kizi was fine with, but yeah, not yet at the mutual friendship awareness.
Still, though.
Ancient history now.
"Hi everyone, good to see you're all doing okay." She almost said 'well', but changed to okay at the last minute. Because 'well' just would be mockingly inaccurate. "Lili and I just escaped from the library fire. Which was not fun."
Friends. Friendly folk. Not as close a friend as Clarice or Bart (well, she couldn't even remember how close she was to Bart before all this), but still, good faces. No blood on their hands. A genial attitude. She raised her head, allowed a warm smile to break onto her features, and internally decided that, hey, it was worth sharing her idea here.
"Hey guys." She tried enforcing some kind of happy energy into her tone, injecting her timbre with some vehement glee, like Lili had done, but the effort failed. Lili probably had stronger attachments here, it seemed. Again, she knew all of those people, but not super-duper-well. Most of them were in the year below her, after all.
Like, she recognised Lili's face from Kingman, but she wasn't at the level of friendship with Penelope or Ben or Raina to be aware of her status as a mutual friend to all of them. Again, she was friends with everyone here, but not to the degree of knowing their mutual friends. They were obviously at the level for jovial insults - effing nerds, and the like - which Kizi was fine with, but yeah, not yet at the mutual friendship awareness.
Still, though.
Ancient history now.
"Hi everyone, good to see you're all doing okay." She almost said 'well', but changed to okay at the last minute. Because 'well' just would be mockingly inaccurate. "Lili and I just escaped from the library fire. Which was not fun."
Ben cautiously stepped forward, keeping space for Raina and Penelope to barge past him and handle the meeting with actual competence at their leisure. It was the sort of reverence necessary for entering a friend's home, in short, awkward deference and bumbling about.
He had to wonder what Lili and Kizi were seeing when they saw him, he had no sort of recent history with them, unlike his storied relationship with the camera. Raina and Penelope still looked fine, at least when the latter wasn't silently suffering a suit of vulnerability that she wore so well. In contrast Ben was probably bones and sticks on wheels. Lili in particular seemed enthusiastic to see him, and he couldn't possibly imagine why. Only a real hero, a real man, deserved a heroes welcome.
"Happily," Ben repeated.
Good to see someone hadn't let the miasma of the island become the stalker in their own shadow. He was able to force out a smile on Lili's behalf, she deserved that acknowledgement.
"Pretty fucking glad to hear that, Li."
Kizi, on the other hand, seemed to be more hesitant with her language with all the right in the world to be. The gun by her side also silently contributed to the conversation. Figured he'd finally spotted one when it least mattered and with the last person he would have expected. "Shit, I thought we might have seen plumes in the distance." He bit at a dry lip, trying to massage what moisture wasn't left in his body into the crumbling facade. "Glad you guys are okay... The hell happened out there?"
He had to wonder what Lili and Kizi were seeing when they saw him, he had no sort of recent history with them, unlike his storied relationship with the camera. Raina and Penelope still looked fine, at least when the latter wasn't silently suffering a suit of vulnerability that she wore so well. In contrast Ben was probably bones and sticks on wheels. Lili in particular seemed enthusiastic to see him, and he couldn't possibly imagine why. Only a real hero, a real man, deserved a heroes welcome.
"Happily," Ben repeated.
Good to see someone hadn't let the miasma of the island become the stalker in their own shadow. He was able to force out a smile on Lili's behalf, she deserved that acknowledgement.
"Pretty fucking glad to hear that, Li."
Kizi, on the other hand, seemed to be more hesitant with her language with all the right in the world to be. The gun by her side also silently contributed to the conversation. Figured he'd finally spotted one when it least mattered and with the last person he would have expected. "Shit, I thought we might have seen plumes in the distance." He bit at a dry lip, trying to massage what moisture wasn't left in his body into the crumbling facade. "Glad you guys are okay... The hell happened out there?"
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MethodicalSlacker
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Lili turned her eyes toward the newest voice in the room. Raina, from the warehouse. But hadn't she been with Johnny? How'd she end up with Ben and Pen, anyhow? Ben inquired after the fire -he'd seen it from afar - a line of pursuit dovetailing nicely with Raina's inquiry. She'd answer them both in one fell swoop, she decided, and explain just what it was they had been doing earlier.
"I found my stuff, still at the library," Lili explained, "Darius hadn't gotten to it, but Kizzy and two of her friends were standing guard over the place. They let me get my stuff - welcomed me in, actually - but soon after a fire started in the front of the library. No clue how it happened, since I was with Kizzy away from the door, but we made it out okay. The other two did too, we didn't hear their names earlier. They must be fine."
Clarice. Bart. She'd leave it to Kizzy if she wanted to say those names.
"They were trying to do something cool, too," Lili added, "Y'know, make a little safe haven here, round up all the good people, like us, and just...stop participating."
A pause. A beat of silence louder than the crashing of waves on the shore.
"...I'm all for that, personally."
"I found my stuff, still at the library," Lili explained, "Darius hadn't gotten to it, but Kizzy and two of her friends were standing guard over the place. They let me get my stuff - welcomed me in, actually - but soon after a fire started in the front of the library. No clue how it happened, since I was with Kizzy away from the door, but we made it out okay. The other two did too, we didn't hear their names earlier. They must be fine."
Clarice. Bart. She'd leave it to Kizzy if she wanted to say those names.
"They were trying to do something cool, too," Lili added, "Y'know, make a little safe haven here, round up all the good people, like us, and just...stop participating."
A pause. A beat of silence louder than the crashing of waves on the shore.
"...I'm all for that, personally."
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VoltTurtle
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- Location: Dreamland
Penelope couldn't contain her excitement as Lili finished talking, letting a small, enthusiastic noise escape her lips as Lili finished talking.
"That's... exactly what I wanted to do!" She said, before energetically barging her way into the room and sitting down next to Lili, stirring dust into the air. "Like basically," she began, her voice tinged with energy, "I wanted... I wanted everyone to get together and then... stop fighting completely until they... kill us all."
Penelope rubbed the back of her head, unsure of how to continue. "It... never sounds as good out loud as it does in my head, but like... the idea is in a normal terrorist attack, we would have all died instantly." She paused, dust particles floating past her vision. "We would all... we'd already be dead. And I think that we should all be able to just... accept that."
She gently took hold of her left arm and averted her gaze, the usual awkwardness of the situation becoming steadily apparent. "It sucks, I know it does. But it happens. We aren't any more special than anyone else. We don't deserve to live more than anyone else." She swallowed, her words almost certainly being difficult to internalize. "We'd need to be strong though, and accept that not everyone gets to live a long, happy life. And that at least if it's us, it means that someone else doesn't have to suffer in our place."
Penelope paused, briefly teething her bottom lip before continuing. "All of that perspective is important, and I think we'd be able to convince plenty of people if we just talked things out with them."
She looked back up, glancing at Raina before smiling. "And of course, if we could escape, that's the better option. Right, Raina?"
"That's... exactly what I wanted to do!" She said, before energetically barging her way into the room and sitting down next to Lili, stirring dust into the air. "Like basically," she began, her voice tinged with energy, "I wanted... I wanted everyone to get together and then... stop fighting completely until they... kill us all."
Penelope rubbed the back of her head, unsure of how to continue. "It... never sounds as good out loud as it does in my head, but like... the idea is in a normal terrorist attack, we would have all died instantly." She paused, dust particles floating past her vision. "We would all... we'd already be dead. And I think that we should all be able to just... accept that."
She gently took hold of her left arm and averted her gaze, the usual awkwardness of the situation becoming steadily apparent. "It sucks, I know it does. But it happens. We aren't any more special than anyone else. We don't deserve to live more than anyone else." She swallowed, her words almost certainly being difficult to internalize. "We'd need to be strong though, and accept that not everyone gets to live a long, happy life. And that at least if it's us, it means that someone else doesn't have to suffer in our place."
Penelope paused, briefly teething her bottom lip before continuing. "All of that perspective is important, and I think we'd be able to convince plenty of people if we just talked things out with them."
She looked back up, glancing at Raina before smiling. "And of course, if we could escape, that's the better option. Right, Raina?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Of course." Raina was distracted. She wasn't sure what Lili and Kizi would think of the whole suicide plot; it didn't sound like exactly what they had in mind. Wasn't exactly what she had in mind either though, and she went along with it to keep friction at a minimum, to buy herself more time. Maybe they would do the same. They were smart, reasonable people.
"A fire, huh?" She mused. They had heard the announcement the previous day, of course, and steered clear of the area accordingly. They had seen the smoke. Lili seemed clueless about the cause of the fire, but Raina doubted it had been an accident. There was no electricity in this place, and no storm yesterday for a convenient lightning strike. Either someone Lili and Kiziah had been with had tried to score an easy, hands-off kill, or...
Or maybe Lili was playing dumb to protect someone.
They had all read Lord of the Flies (or at least been told to read it) in English class. They had all gone over the symbolism of the fire, how it stood for humanity, et cetera, et cetera. Raina was more concerned with the practical aspects now that she thought about it.
Maybe she had been overthinking everything all this time.
"Sounds dangerous," she said, realizing that she had been silent for too long. She crossed her arms and carefully kept her expression neutral, but her heart was starting to race. They all had lighters in those first-aid kits. Most of the buildings on the island were made of wood and though they had been left to a damp sea environment for decades, they were still full of flammable material. They could burn, as the library had demonstrated. And Raina had a grenade and enough common sense to realize what would happen when you put fire and explosives together.
Wasn't there a library in the asylum too?
Raina dug her fingernails into her arm and forced another smile. "Glad you guys made it out okay - and I'm sure your friends did too. Maybe we'll run into them. We've been looking for Johnny since yesterday. He and I split up for a bit and we haven't been able to track him down."
"A fire, huh?" She mused. They had heard the announcement the previous day, of course, and steered clear of the area accordingly. They had seen the smoke. Lili seemed clueless about the cause of the fire, but Raina doubted it had been an accident. There was no electricity in this place, and no storm yesterday for a convenient lightning strike. Either someone Lili and Kiziah had been with had tried to score an easy, hands-off kill, or...
Or maybe Lili was playing dumb to protect someone.
They had all read Lord of the Flies (or at least been told to read it) in English class. They had all gone over the symbolism of the fire, how it stood for humanity, et cetera, et cetera. Raina was more concerned with the practical aspects now that she thought about it.
Maybe she had been overthinking everything all this time.
"Sounds dangerous," she said, realizing that she had been silent for too long. She crossed her arms and carefully kept her expression neutral, but her heart was starting to race. They all had lighters in those first-aid kits. Most of the buildings on the island were made of wood and though they had been left to a damp sea environment for decades, they were still full of flammable material. They could burn, as the library had demonstrated. And Raina had a grenade and enough common sense to realize what would happen when you put fire and explosives together.
Wasn't there a library in the asylum too?
Raina dug her fingernails into her arm and forced another smile. "Glad you guys made it out okay - and I'm sure your friends did too. Maybe we'll run into them. We've been looking for Johnny since yesterday. He and I split up for a bit and we haven't been able to track him down."
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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General Goose
- Posts: 731
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:02 pm
Lili was doing most of the talking. The explaining, the conversing, all the making sure everyone was on the same page and no misunderstandings were occurring. Kizi was okay with that. She needed a few moments to get her thoughts in order. To just absorb the presence of the new arrivals. Relish in the irrefutable evidence before her that there were others who hadn't yet compromised their humanity.
They all seemed pretty courteous. Reasonable. Gregarious. Goodhearted. As good as could be expected, considering the horrors of the island.
Kizi had been lucky, she felt, compared to many of her peers. Perhaps the newcomers had seen far worse things. Endured far greater atrocities. Been confronted with much more palpable evils. In which case, their resilience and fortitude was all the more commendable.
Raina was quiet. Ben seemed happy to stand back. "Thanks, guys," was all she said to their well wishing. It was all that needed to be said.
Penelope, though, she seemed the most eager to talk.
And so Kizi turned to her.
"Yeah, that sounds just about right." Except it wasn't. Not even close to her end goal, really. Similar methods, but there was a divergence. "I mean, it'd certainly deal them a massive blow if their whole 'every teenager's a monster' narrative was disproven, certainly." She clicked her tongue, to hold the floor. It was certainly a far more favourable outcome, one that could deal better long-term consequences, than what the terrorists had in mind. So, on that front, she was telling the truth.
But something - honesty, buoyant optimism, social obliviousness - made her continue to talk. "I mean, I don't think we'd be able to bring the killing to a stop. To a complete standstill. That'd take a few days, y'know? But if we slow it down, if we bring it down to a trickle and have a safe zone for everyone who doesn't want to play...then yeah." She blinked. "The terrorists'll either be forced to intervene, and then we get the moral victory..." Which was basically Penelope's plan.
"Or we drag this out long enough that eventually rescue'll be happen. And then they'll probably pop the collars anyway," she added, realising that grim inevitability with a grim punch, "but hey, we still get the moral victory. Point is, they can't keep us here forever. Not without destroying their 'everyone's evil' mentality." She assumed that was their mindset. The evidence seemed to point to it.
Kizi didn't mean to disparage the worth of a moral victory. Still, though, the ideal moral outcome was still rescue. And all they could do was drag things out.
"And either way, the terrorists lose!" She threw in an extra smile, hoping that would gloss over any differences in levels of optimism. That sort of fundamental philosophical debate was not exactly what interested her at that time. Her voice sped up, her tone perking up, as she turned to the details she had quietly reflected on. "So, I think probably the first thing we'd need to sort out is some sort of safe zone - and because of the whole danger zone thing, it'd need to be flexible, with backups and the like. And, y'know, posters around the island telling people what to expect."
They all seemed pretty courteous. Reasonable. Gregarious. Goodhearted. As good as could be expected, considering the horrors of the island.
Kizi had been lucky, she felt, compared to many of her peers. Perhaps the newcomers had seen far worse things. Endured far greater atrocities. Been confronted with much more palpable evils. In which case, their resilience and fortitude was all the more commendable.
Raina was quiet. Ben seemed happy to stand back. "Thanks, guys," was all she said to their well wishing. It was all that needed to be said.
Penelope, though, she seemed the most eager to talk.
And so Kizi turned to her.
"Yeah, that sounds just about right." Except it wasn't. Not even close to her end goal, really. Similar methods, but there was a divergence. "I mean, it'd certainly deal them a massive blow if their whole 'every teenager's a monster' narrative was disproven, certainly." She clicked her tongue, to hold the floor. It was certainly a far more favourable outcome, one that could deal better long-term consequences, than what the terrorists had in mind. So, on that front, she was telling the truth.
But something - honesty, buoyant optimism, social obliviousness - made her continue to talk. "I mean, I don't think we'd be able to bring the killing to a stop. To a complete standstill. That'd take a few days, y'know? But if we slow it down, if we bring it down to a trickle and have a safe zone for everyone who doesn't want to play...then yeah." She blinked. "The terrorists'll either be forced to intervene, and then we get the moral victory..." Which was basically Penelope's plan.
"Or we drag this out long enough that eventually rescue'll be happen. And then they'll probably pop the collars anyway," she added, realising that grim inevitability with a grim punch, "but hey, we still get the moral victory. Point is, they can't keep us here forever. Not without destroying their 'everyone's evil' mentality." She assumed that was their mindset. The evidence seemed to point to it.
Kizi didn't mean to disparage the worth of a moral victory. Still, though, the ideal moral outcome was still rescue. And all they could do was drag things out.
"And either way, the terrorists lose!" She threw in an extra smile, hoping that would gloss over any differences in levels of optimism. That sort of fundamental philosophical debate was not exactly what interested her at that time. Her voice sped up, her tone perking up, as she turned to the details she had quietly reflected on. "So, I think probably the first thing we'd need to sort out is some sort of safe zone - and because of the whole danger zone thing, it'd need to be flexible, with backups and the like. And, y'know, posters around the island telling people what to expect."
Ben nodded along for nobody's benefit, least of all his own.
Maybe he'd never expected Penelope's plan to work out, it could have been a weighted cross to bear as a martyr as easily. But Lili and Kizi proved that Ben's distrust and disgust in his classmates, as much as it had become the blood that curdled in his veins, was still not entirely founded. For once it felt great to be proven wrong. Well. Great was a strong word but shit, he'd take it.
Ben didn't have anything to say. He could merely enjoy the new energy that had revitalized their group, familiar like the parched burning of the Kingman sun. He could stand there on his bow-legged flat-footed ass and silently take it all in like a creep. It all sounded good, great even. Ben had to give a shout out to that dude up in the sky, much as he'd deigned to forget Him over the past few days. Something this convenient was the kind of plan that God got old dudes to preach about to his flocks, or however it was the shepherd metaphor was supposed to work.
One thing did distract him though. Drew his eyes probably bulging right out of his head all dumb and oafish, drool bubble slithering out of his mouth strictly optional.
"We're going to need..." Ben jerked his thumb at the gun Kizi had to her terrorist-unsullied name. "I hate to say it, but we need insurance. Security."
A pause, too damn long, and Ben felt the spine crawl of incompetence for being useless enough to hold up the flow of some good ass conversation and planning between people far his superior.
"I know the basics on how to shoot. An old... a friend. A friend taught me how to dare," he finished, lamely as the crutches he probably belonged in.
Maybe he'd never expected Penelope's plan to work out, it could have been a weighted cross to bear as a martyr as easily. But Lili and Kizi proved that Ben's distrust and disgust in his classmates, as much as it had become the blood that curdled in his veins, was still not entirely founded. For once it felt great to be proven wrong. Well. Great was a strong word but shit, he'd take it.
Ben didn't have anything to say. He could merely enjoy the new energy that had revitalized their group, familiar like the parched burning of the Kingman sun. He could stand there on his bow-legged flat-footed ass and silently take it all in like a creep. It all sounded good, great even. Ben had to give a shout out to that dude up in the sky, much as he'd deigned to forget Him over the past few days. Something this convenient was the kind of plan that God got old dudes to preach about to his flocks, or however it was the shepherd metaphor was supposed to work.
One thing did distract him though. Drew his eyes probably bulging right out of his head all dumb and oafish, drool bubble slithering out of his mouth strictly optional.
"We're going to need..." Ben jerked his thumb at the gun Kizi had to her terrorist-unsullied name. "I hate to say it, but we need insurance. Security."
A pause, too damn long, and Ben felt the spine crawl of incompetence for being useless enough to hold up the flow of some good ass conversation and planning between people far his superior.
"I know the basics on how to shoot. An old... a friend. A friend taught me how to dare," he finished, lamely as the crutches he probably belonged in.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
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MethodicalSlacker
- Posts: 1231
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 2:18 am
- Location: Here And There Along The Echo
- Contact:
Lili was surprised that Penelope had been following a similar line of thinking. Not particularly because of the thought and who it was coming from, but from the circumstance alone. She mentioned escape, which reminded Lili of Darius. Which reminded her of wasted time. That managed to kill her enthusiasm a little bit, enough to be appropriately apologetic about Raina losing Johnny. Kizzy and Penelope talked about more of the plans, and Lili sat and nodded along. She was liking where this was going. Then, at some point, Ben pointed to Kizzy's gun, and Lili felt a bit quieter again.
"I mean, hopefully we never need to shoot it," Lili said optimistically.
It went without saying. Not only would it probably result in someone getting hurt if they had to shoot the gun, but it would also be very loud. People would hear the noise, and stay away from their safe space, or even worse, the wrong people would come over to check it out. More people to shoot. Lili didn't want that. She'd had enough of corpses.
She didn't quite feel like she had much else to contribute, so she pulled a bottle of water from her bag and took a few sips. What were Kizzy and Penelope talking about? Locations?
"We could try the bell tower," Lili said, "We'd have a good vantage point, a distress signal if things were going to shit, and we wouldn't have to fight our way out of a building if we were made into a danger zone."
Lili paused and took another sip of water.
"I dunno 'bout posters though."
"I mean, hopefully we never need to shoot it," Lili said optimistically.
It went without saying. Not only would it probably result in someone getting hurt if they had to shoot the gun, but it would also be very loud. People would hear the noise, and stay away from their safe space, or even worse, the wrong people would come over to check it out. More people to shoot. Lili didn't want that. She'd had enough of corpses.
She didn't quite feel like she had much else to contribute, so she pulled a bottle of water from her bag and took a few sips. What were Kizzy and Penelope talking about? Locations?
"We could try the bell tower," Lili said, "We'd have a good vantage point, a distress signal if things were going to shit, and we wouldn't have to fight our way out of a building if we were made into a danger zone."
Lili paused and took another sip of water.
"I dunno 'bout posters though."
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 801
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
"Yeah posters might be a... bit hard to come by."
Penelope tapped her chin absentmindedly, eyes darting around the room between the various occupants. "The bell tower though..."
She smiled, her excitement growing even stronger. "I was thinking we could go there too! At least we were planning on going there after we found Johnny but..." She shook her head, quieting her anxiety. "I'm sure he's okay, though. And maybe if we head to the bell tower and start making a big fuss, he might show up!" She said, her voice tinged with its usual constant hope. "And then if we get a large enough group together then maybe..."
Her eyes cast downwards, her speech stopping as she remembered her dream the other day. "...who knows. Maybe my dumb plan of essentially peacefully protesting ourselves into oblivion won't ever have to come into play. Maybe nobody else will have to die."
She curled her arms together, resting them on her lap as she reflexively brought her knees slightly upward. Her thoughts strayed towards Kimiko, to Alessio, to that Isabel girl. Could she really convince people who already took the plunge to come back from that? Even people she knew and trusted decided to kill. Even seemingly reasonable people like Kimiko weren't above killing someone as sweet as Cristo. How could they possibly be brought back from that?
More importantly, what would she do if she couldn't manage it?
Her voice quieted down, remaining barely above a whisper. "Maybe... maybe not, though."
Penelope tapped her chin absentmindedly, eyes darting around the room between the various occupants. "The bell tower though..."
She smiled, her excitement growing even stronger. "I was thinking we could go there too! At least we were planning on going there after we found Johnny but..." She shook her head, quieting her anxiety. "I'm sure he's okay, though. And maybe if we head to the bell tower and start making a big fuss, he might show up!" She said, her voice tinged with its usual constant hope. "And then if we get a large enough group together then maybe..."
Her eyes cast downwards, her speech stopping as she remembered her dream the other day. "...who knows. Maybe my dumb plan of essentially peacefully protesting ourselves into oblivion won't ever have to come into play. Maybe nobody else will have to die."
She curled her arms together, resting them on her lap as she reflexively brought her knees slightly upward. Her thoughts strayed towards Kimiko, to Alessio, to that Isabel girl. Could she really convince people who already took the plunge to come back from that? Even people she knew and trusted decided to kill. Even seemingly reasonable people like Kimiko weren't above killing someone as sweet as Cristo. How could they possibly be brought back from that?
More importantly, what would she do if she couldn't manage it?
Her voice quieted down, remaining barely above a whisper. "Maybe... maybe not, though."