We're Here Because We're Here

[Grim Wolf]

Lizzie shook her head at Jordan's question.  "Sorry," she said.  "I was just...sleeping.  I didn't..."  She gestured around at what electronics there were.  "Also, I'm...I'm pretty dumb about electrical stuff, so..."

It seemed this strange gathering was already beginning to go its separate ways, and Lizzie felt a strange stab of guilt.  She had been frightened, panicked, grieving.  She still was, really.  There were killers loose on the island.  She'd given one of them her sword.  Had he used it to kill Rea?  Would he have killed Lizzie?  Would he have killed Tara?

So many questions she didn't know the answers to.  So many dead who shouldn't be dead.  Lettie.  Tina.  Jesus.

"Thank you!" she called, as Jae faded away with Hazel.  And she meant it.  Because knowing that in the moment of pain, you weren't alone...that meant something.  That was real in a way so few things were.  Because they reminded her that, whatever horrors had been unleashed in this place, there was still good to be found.

Lettie.  Tina.

She could not escape their ghosts, however much she might want to.  However much her hands might tremble, whatever tears might swell in her eyes.  They were with her now.  They would be with her for a long time to come.  She reached for her bag, but...

But now was not the time.  That time would come.  Now was a different time.

She stood straight, breathing deep, trying not to cry.  She smiled at the few people left in the room.  Smiled particularly at Vanessa.

"Tyler and Harold met up," she said.  "Harold told him that...that he didn't have to be alone.  That they'd find a way to win."  Her smile flickered, but did not fade.  "Thank you," she said  "I'm glad I wasn't alone."

She adjusted her bag, and moved to the door.  "But he shouldn't be, either."

(Lizzie Luz continued in Last Days)

[randomness]

They were useless, huh? Getting his hopes up a little seemed like a bit of downer now and past him was going to have to squarely take the blame for that.

"Yeah, moving sounds good."

No point staying here if nothing worked anyway.

He followed after the pair, Jae still limping badly and leaning against Hazel for support. He was half-expecting everyone else to follow suit, but Lizzie had decided that she'd be looking for Ty. Vanessa was also going elsewhere to find her friends. Probably her band members, he could have sworn seeing some of them on the bus.

It wouldn't be his first choice, splitting up like this, but he couldn't blame them. They had people that they wanted to find, talk to, and share experiences for what might be the last time. But for him? Was there anyone he'd really wanted to find? The people from drama were cool and all but there wasn't anyone that'd he'd really consider a particularly close friend. Definitely no one he'd want to spend so much time and energy to search for.

He didn't have any plans now. Not now. Three days ago all he'd been worried about was scripts and classes and now all of that had been left behind in Kingman, together with his dreams of making it big and getting out.

Maybe if he was a little more twisted, the same could apply here. Make it big, and get out.

He wasn't. He wouldn't.

Was he okay with that?

((Jordan Green continued in We're in This Together))

[Slam]

Vanessa just went along with it as Lizzie thanked her for the company. She didn't think offering her fairly shallow 'there there's' would've been that helpful, but hey, if it made Lizzie feel better about everything then it was a net win, she supposed.

She also went along with Min-Jae and his romantic reunion. She didn't know that Jae had a girlfriend, but then she hadn't known all that much about him before yesterday anyway. Was that a twinge of disappointment she felt when the two hugged? Well, it was whatever anyway.

So then he shot off (well, limped off), and she was left alone with just Jordan. Unlike the last time she'd had a one-on-one with a stranger, no-one had beaten Jordan's face in, nor did he have a busted leg, so Vanessa had much less incentive to stick around.

"Sooo if he's going off with her, and I'm guessing you're sticking with her too, I'll just bail to find Cams? Cool? Cool, peace."

She flicked a casual V-gesture to emphasise her farewell, then picked up her things and headed off. Jae was in good hands, and now she could get to searching at full speed. Between making someone a little less distraught and reuniting some star-crossed lovers, she was being pretty damn productive this morning.

((Vanessa Stone continued in Sunset Boulevard))