The outer edge of the flotilla was primarily populated by a handful of smaller, run down old ships, a distinct contrast with the cruise ship at the center, dazzling in scale and brightness in the night, surpassing all of its neighbors. Here, one could feel a sense of loneliness, perhaps a sense that the production crew had simply neglected this corner of the arena, only for those thoughts to be wiped away as a camera would inevitably come into view.
However, the sense of emptiness that existed all around was contrasted by the sky above. In the absence of the lights of the larger ships, the moon and stars shone brightly in the night sky.
Amongst them, one could easily make out a number of constellations, mapped by men thousands of years ago as they attempted to mark patterns that they could recognize. In those twinkling lights, they saw warriors and weapons and monsters, titanic entities sketched in the sky.
Of course, such patterns were inventions, an order imposed upon them by people that were looking for them. The shapes formed in the human mind only existed due to Earth’s relative position to individual stars that all existed lightyears apart from one another. Before the constellations commonly accepted in the modern day became so prominent, other cultures and peoples drew their own patterns and told their own stories as they tried to make sense of the shape and scale of their universe.
Now, as Gabriela looked up at them, she couldn’t help but think of Carol Hong, and the way blood pooled around the girl’s neck and head as she died on the cruise ship.
((Gabriela Garcia-Campos continued from Loyalty: 2))
With night had come the announcements, naming Carol’s death among the many during the day. Most notable, though, was the reveal that Seo-yun had received three more kills, bringing her total to four.
Gabriela was surprised to find that the anger she’d felt with the past two sets of announcements hadn’t come this time. Instead came a rising anxiety, a sense that she really was going too slow. Sure, she’d finally managed to gain one of the necessary ten kills, but now shit was getting really serious. She was only one behind Eric Cunningham (probably having already gotten his second by the time she’d seen him at the boat) and Fisk Bateman, but how was she supposed to make up the gap between herself and Seo-yun?
“Let’s stop for a sec.” She spoke quietly, glancing back at Elliott as she did, before stepping onto what seemed to be an old fishing vessel, metal sides rusted through age and lack of maintenance. Gabriela made her way to the far side of the deck and leaned against the rail there, gazing outward as she held her pistol in her hands, fingers nervously fiddling with it while being careful not to flip the safety.
Carol’s death had ensured that the partnership she’d formed with Elliott wasn’t for nothing, but she wondered when he was going to just leave her, slipping off into the night now that she’d killed his teammate and continued to fall behind the game’s other players.
“Hey, um, don’t worry about the other Crabs, alright? If we see them again and they try some bullshit, I’ll handle it.”
There’s a Fire in the Sky That Only I Can See
Night following the Third Announcement, Private
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Catche Jagger
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RetroVenus
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((Elliott-Blair Østergaard continued from Loyalty: 2))
In 1995, a group of astronomers working on the Hubble Space Telescope took a series of photos and compiled them together in what would later be known as the Hubble Deep Field.
The idea was simple; pick a region in the sky where there were no stars, zoom Hubble in as far as it could go, and take a picture or two. Since Hubble didn't have to contest with any other source of light, all of the celestial sphere was laid before it. With every inch packed with stars, surely there would be few objects of interests in the nothingness in between, right?
They were wrong.
The photos came back with the supposed nothingness bursting with light. Stars tens of thousands of light years away danced with galaxies stretching off into infinity. Tens of billions of stars, all contained in within that tiny speck of nothing.
To think, beyond each and every star in the sky was an innumerable number of galaxies.
Elliott-Blair had things to worry about, of course. He hasn't been keeping track, but a Seo-yun's name was frequently mentioned during announcements. At least thrice during the last broadcast; by contrast, Gabriela only had one kill to her name. Could she catch up? She had to.
Maybe it was because he spent all of last night staying cooped up on the cruise ship, but here in this lonely corner of the flotilla, Elliott-Blair was in awe. The beauty of the night sky was on full display.
Gabriela mentioned something to him before stepping onto a rusting fishing vessel. Elliott-Blair nodded, following her onto the boat. After a thought, he slipped his daypack off and rummaged through it, fishing out the spyglass and swapping it with his shiv.
He gave the spyglass an experimental twist, feeling for each of it's grooves and crevices. It was all there, but he somehow expected it to be different. Glancing up, he noticed Gabriela was fiddling with her pistol. She must have been thinking the same thing.
Neither of them were going to be the same by the end of this game.
Gabriela told him not to worry about the other Crabs, and Elliott-Blair gave a small smile.
"...Thank you," he said before extending the spyglass and pointing it in a random direction.
It wasn't a proper telescope, sure, but it should suffice.
In 1995, a group of astronomers working on the Hubble Space Telescope took a series of photos and compiled them together in what would later be known as the Hubble Deep Field.
The idea was simple; pick a region in the sky where there were no stars, zoom Hubble in as far as it could go, and take a picture or two. Since Hubble didn't have to contest with any other source of light, all of the celestial sphere was laid before it. With every inch packed with stars, surely there would be few objects of interests in the nothingness in between, right?
They were wrong.
The photos came back with the supposed nothingness bursting with light. Stars tens of thousands of light years away danced with galaxies stretching off into infinity. Tens of billions of stars, all contained in within that tiny speck of nothing.
To think, beyond each and every star in the sky was an innumerable number of galaxies.
Elliott-Blair had things to worry about, of course. He hasn't been keeping track, but a Seo-yun's name was frequently mentioned during announcements. At least thrice during the last broadcast; by contrast, Gabriela only had one kill to her name. Could she catch up? She had to.
Maybe it was because he spent all of last night staying cooped up on the cruise ship, but here in this lonely corner of the flotilla, Elliott-Blair was in awe. The beauty of the night sky was on full display.
Gabriela mentioned something to him before stepping onto a rusting fishing vessel. Elliott-Blair nodded, following her onto the boat. After a thought, he slipped his daypack off and rummaged through it, fishing out the spyglass and swapping it with his shiv.
He gave the spyglass an experimental twist, feeling for each of it's grooves and crevices. It was all there, but he somehow expected it to be different. Glancing up, he noticed Gabriela was fiddling with her pistol. She must have been thinking the same thing.
Neither of them were going to be the same by the end of this game.
Gabriela told him not to worry about the other Crabs, and Elliott-Blair gave a small smile.
"...Thank you," he said before extending the spyglass and pointing it in a random direction.
It wasn't a proper telescope, sure, but it should suffice.
avatar by pan, sprite by the wonderful Yugikun
MM02: SARAH LILLIAN WHITLOCK – CONTINUED FROM ...and so we destroyed everything
Sarah ran with her head down, eyes on her feet to ensure that she didn’t make a misstep and suddenly find herself taking a swim in the dark. This far out in the flotilla the lights of the larger boats barely reached her and the dim glow of the distant cruise ship and the pale shine of the moon above were the only things stopping her from plunging into the cold, black waters surrounding her; all it would take would be a moment’s inattentiveness where she mistook the dark wood for the even darker sea.
She stopped running, lungs burning as she struggled to get enough air into them. Normally this much exertion wouldn’t have bothered her, but panic had made her breathing frantic and she found herself feeling light headed. Spots danced in front of her eyes.
A few minutes past and the only sounds she could hear were the gentle lapping of waves against the wooden hull of boats. No one had bothered to follow her from the ghost ship, it would seem. Most likely they didn’t see a need to; it wasn’t like Sarah was ever going to be a threat to them and they already had what they wanted, even if they couldn’t get everything.
Oh god, Lark.
Sarah hadn’t heard a gunshot from behind her as she ran, which was a blessing. She wasn’t sure she could handle it if she had such clear confirmation of the other girl’s death; her only ally in this horrible situation might be gone for good, but at least she didn’t have to bear witness to it. Cowardly as it might be to think that way, she was grateful for that.
Once she had her breathing under control, Sarah started moving again. Tiredness led her to seek out a place to spend the night, a boat with some kind of interior cabin where she could hide until morning, though it was hard to see anything of her surroundings at the moment. After a few minutes Sarah gave in and retrieved the flashlight from her bag, turning it on and shining it at the boats closest to her, all the while praying that the illumination wouldn’t draw attention.
Sarah ran with her head down, eyes on her feet to ensure that she didn’t make a misstep and suddenly find herself taking a swim in the dark. This far out in the flotilla the lights of the larger boats barely reached her and the dim glow of the distant cruise ship and the pale shine of the moon above were the only things stopping her from plunging into the cold, black waters surrounding her; all it would take would be a moment’s inattentiveness where she mistook the dark wood for the even darker sea.
She stopped running, lungs burning as she struggled to get enough air into them. Normally this much exertion wouldn’t have bothered her, but panic had made her breathing frantic and she found herself feeling light headed. Spots danced in front of her eyes.
A few minutes past and the only sounds she could hear were the gentle lapping of waves against the wooden hull of boats. No one had bothered to follow her from the ghost ship, it would seem. Most likely they didn’t see a need to; it wasn’t like Sarah was ever going to be a threat to them and they already had what they wanted, even if they couldn’t get everything.
Oh god, Lark.
Sarah hadn’t heard a gunshot from behind her as she ran, which was a blessing. She wasn’t sure she could handle it if she had such clear confirmation of the other girl’s death; her only ally in this horrible situation might be gone for good, but at least she didn’t have to bear witness to it. Cowardly as it might be to think that way, she was grateful for that.
Once she had her breathing under control, Sarah started moving again. Tiredness led her to seek out a place to spend the night, a boat with some kind of interior cabin where she could hide until morning, though it was hard to see anything of her surroundings at the moment. After a few minutes Sarah gave in and retrieved the flashlight from her bag, turning it on and shining it at the boats closest to her, all the while praying that the illumination wouldn’t draw attention.
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Catche Jagger
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Elliott took the moment of apparent peace and silence to pull out that stupid little spyglassof his and start peering around. Witnessing the act was oddly comforting for Gabriela. They may have gotten off to a slow start and things had gotten weird with Carol, but she could push through the end because she knew her shit and Elliott would be fine.
Something approaching a smile teased across her face, invisible in the dark of night.
The moment didn’t last, though, as she noticed a light briefly shine upon the boat where they stood and quickly spun around, flicking the safety of her pistol off as she attempted to identify the source.
“Who the fuck…?” She muttered, readying herself, but the light made it virtually impossible to identify whoever held it, keeping them shrouded in darkness while it left Gabriela and Elliott exposed.
Though she kept her weapon at the ready, Gabriela refrained from any direct action. It was possible that whoever this was had superior weapons, and that being a bit too eager would result in her or Elliott being quickly blasted away. It was similarly possible that this was one of the Crabs, in which case a fight would gain both parties absolutely fuck all.
“Hey! Who the fuck is that?” She called out, body tensing up once again.
Something approaching a smile teased across her face, invisible in the dark of night.
The moment didn’t last, though, as she noticed a light briefly shine upon the boat where they stood and quickly spun around, flicking the safety of her pistol off as she attempted to identify the source.
“Who the fuck…?” She muttered, readying herself, but the light made it virtually impossible to identify whoever held it, keeping them shrouded in darkness while it left Gabriela and Elliott exposed.
Though she kept her weapon at the ready, Gabriela refrained from any direct action. It was possible that whoever this was had superior weapons, and that being a bit too eager would result in her or Elliott being quickly blasted away. It was similarly possible that this was one of the Crabs, in which case a fight would gain both parties absolutely fuck all.
“Hey! Who the fuck is that?” She called out, body tensing up once again.
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RetroVenus
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The night sky was important to sailors from the days of yore.
Maps did exist back then, but they were often inconsistent and unreliable. So too did clocks, but those were often to large and unwieldy for ships.
So when night fell, sailors turned to the sky itself for time-keeping and cartography purposes.
The moon's arc told sailors what hour of the night it was, it's phase the day. The 48 constellations mapped out by the Greeks, alongside the planets, showed sailors there position on the seven seas.
It wasn't as if any of this information proved useful to Elliott-Blair, as he couldn't just use the boat he was on to leave. But at least he could find some solace in watching the stars.
To the west was Mars, it's bright red surface made quite apparent through the spyglass. Aldebaran of the constellation Taurus glimmered just below the red planet. The moon with it's scarred surface was currently in the middle of Gemini.
All of this was familiar. Too familiar, in fact. Checking the positions of a few other constellations confirmed to Elliott-Blair that the flotilla's sky map roughly matched the "one in southern Florida. Which means that wherever we are, it can't be too far from home."
He paused, having realized that he gave his inner monologue a voice. Normally a cause for embarrassment, in times like these it was oddly comforting. In a way, it reminded him about that trip to the Kennedy Space Center.
Any further thought he had was dashed when a light shone upon him.
Elliott-Blair immediately tried to duck from sight. With his shiv in his daypack, he was completely defenseless against whoever it was holding the flashlight. Gabriela had her pistol at the ready, but had yet to fire at the person. Peeking out over the edge, he could see why. The light from the flashlight obscured it's owner so completely that Gabriela couldn't aim properly.
Elliott-Blair returned to hiding while Gabriela called out at the person. He hoped that whoever it was, they were a Crab so that any hostility between them and her would be a net loss.
Maps did exist back then, but they were often inconsistent and unreliable. So too did clocks, but those were often to large and unwieldy for ships.
So when night fell, sailors turned to the sky itself for time-keeping and cartography purposes.
The moon's arc told sailors what hour of the night it was, it's phase the day. The 48 constellations mapped out by the Greeks, alongside the planets, showed sailors there position on the seven seas.
It wasn't as if any of this information proved useful to Elliott-Blair, as he couldn't just use the boat he was on to leave. But at least he could find some solace in watching the stars.
To the west was Mars, it's bright red surface made quite apparent through the spyglass. Aldebaran of the constellation Taurus glimmered just below the red planet. The moon with it's scarred surface was currently in the middle of Gemini.
All of this was familiar. Too familiar, in fact. Checking the positions of a few other constellations confirmed to Elliott-Blair that the flotilla's sky map roughly matched the "one in southern Florida. Which means that wherever we are, it can't be too far from home."
He paused, having realized that he gave his inner monologue a voice. Normally a cause for embarrassment, in times like these it was oddly comforting. In a way, it reminded him about that trip to the Kennedy Space Center.
Any further thought he had was dashed when a light shone upon him.
Elliott-Blair immediately tried to duck from sight. With his shiv in his daypack, he was completely defenseless against whoever it was holding the flashlight. Gabriela had her pistol at the ready, but had yet to fire at the person. Peeking out over the edge, he could see why. The light from the flashlight obscured it's owner so completely that Gabriela couldn't aim properly.
Elliott-Blair returned to hiding while Gabriela called out at the person. He hoped that whoever it was, they were a Crab so that any hostility between them and her would be a net loss.
avatar by pan, sprite by the wonderful Yugikun
The gaze of the flashlight fell upon the pair of Gabriela and Elliot for only a moment before Sarah jumped and gasped, the beam shaking erratically as she did so. She hurried to point the light away from their boat, at the jetty under her feet, before fumbling to turn it off with shaking hands. Their small corner of the flotilla was plunged into near darkness again, though the silhouettes of the pair were still visible against the slightly lighter night sky now that Sarah knew they were there.
When one of the pair yelled at her she ducked, quickly moving towards the nearest boat and hiding uselessly behind the prow. They knew she was here and could probably see her as well as she saw them. They had been highlighted for a moment, not long enough for her to recognise who they were, not enough to let her know who she was dealing with, but long enough to draw their attention to her.
That had been a mistake; she hadn’t meant to do that. She had only wanted to find a place to hide, if Sarah had known there was anyone nearby then she never would have risked using the light. “I… I’m sorry.”
What did she do? If they were friendly then there was no issue, but they didn’t sound particularly friendly. “I’m just looking for a place to stay.”
When one of the pair yelled at her she ducked, quickly moving towards the nearest boat and hiding uselessly behind the prow. They knew she was here and could probably see her as well as she saw them. They had been highlighted for a moment, not long enough for her to recognise who they were, not enough to let her know who she was dealing with, but long enough to draw their attention to her.
That had been a mistake; she hadn’t meant to do that. She had only wanted to find a place to hide, if Sarah had known there was anyone nearby then she never would have risked using the light. “I… I’m sorry.”
What did she do? If they were friendly then there was no issue, but they didn’t sound particularly friendly. “I’m just looking for a place to stay.”
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Catche Jagger
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Almost as soon as it came, the light disappeared from view while Elliott scurried off behind some cover. Gabriela shifted around quickly, trying to get some grip on where the stranger had gone, but no hint of a silhouette could be seen.
Luckily, whoever it was called out from somewhere nearby, making their presence clear once again. The voice seemed familiar to Gabriela, someone from school, but it wasn’t one she’d recognize without a face to tie it to.
She couldn’t tell whether or not the claim of “just wanting for a place to stay” was for real, or just some attempt to lure herself and Elliott into an ambush, not that it mattered much anyway. All that mattered was whether or not she was dealing with another one of the Crabs, whether or not the kill would count for anything.
“Hey asshole, I asked who you were! You didn't-!” Gabriela snapped before stopping herself, clenching her jaw. With the familiar stranger hidden away and likely behind cover, there was no way Gabriela could properly get a good shot at them. What the fuck was she supposed to do about that?
Slowly, Gabriela turned her head towards Elliott, hoping he might have the softer touch necessary to coax this person out into the open.
Luckily, whoever it was called out from somewhere nearby, making their presence clear once again. The voice seemed familiar to Gabriela, someone from school, but it wasn’t one she’d recognize without a face to tie it to.
She couldn’t tell whether or not the claim of “just wanting for a place to stay” was for real, or just some attempt to lure herself and Elliott into an ambush, not that it mattered much anyway. All that mattered was whether or not she was dealing with another one of the Crabs, whether or not the kill would count for anything.
“Hey asshole, I asked who you were! You didn't-!” Gabriela snapped before stopping herself, clenching her jaw. With the familiar stranger hidden away and likely behind cover, there was no way Gabriela could properly get a good shot at them. What the fuck was she supposed to do about that?
Slowly, Gabriela turned her head towards Elliott, hoping he might have the softer touch necessary to coax this person out into the open.
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RetroVenus
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Elliott-Blair waited until the light was no longer upon him before coming out of cover. Which, to the credit of whoever was holding the flashlight, was not that long of a wait.
At first glance, the intruder appeared to have left, leaving he and Gabriela room to breathe. But upon a more thorough inspection of the area, the silhouette the prow made looked distorted.
The distorted prow spoke. First, an apology. Then, claiming that they were just looking for a place to stay.
He knew that voice from somewhere, but couldn't quite pin it. A classmate? At any rate, the voice somehow sounded frightened. This was good. It means that whoever this was, their weapon was likely inferior to Gabriela's.
Maybe it was better if the voice wasn't a Crab. That way, Gabriela could gain her second kill and catch up to this Seo-yun.
Gabriela began to repeat her question, but cut herself short. Forcing someone out of cover worked for that blue haired boy, but it won't work for someone who had probably noticed the pistol in her hand. No, to get the voice to come out of cover, that all to familiar voice...wait—
"...Sarah?"
It could be her. It could not be. But that pitch and timbre were strikingly similar to hers.
"Sarah, you—uh, you can come out, we're all..." Elliott-Blair faltered for a moment, his eyes falling on Gabriela's gun. No, Sarah was a friend. Gabriela wasn't callous enough to shoot a friend.
"We're all friends here."
At first glance, the intruder appeared to have left, leaving he and Gabriela room to breathe. But upon a more thorough inspection of the area, the silhouette the prow made looked distorted.
The distorted prow spoke. First, an apology. Then, claiming that they were just looking for a place to stay.
He knew that voice from somewhere, but couldn't quite pin it. A classmate? At any rate, the voice somehow sounded frightened. This was good. It means that whoever this was, their weapon was likely inferior to Gabriela's.
Maybe it was better if the voice wasn't a Crab. That way, Gabriela could gain her second kill and catch up to this Seo-yun.
Gabriela began to repeat her question, but cut herself short. Forcing someone out of cover worked for that blue haired boy, but it won't work for someone who had probably noticed the pistol in her hand. No, to get the voice to come out of cover, that all to familiar voice...wait—
"...Sarah?"
It could be her. It could not be. But that pitch and timbre were strikingly similar to hers.
"Sarah, you—uh, you can come out, we're all..." Elliott-Blair faltered for a moment, his eyes falling on Gabriela's gun. No, Sarah was a friend. Gabriela wasn't callous enough to shoot a friend.
"We're all friends here."
avatar by pan, sprite by the wonderful Yugikun
“Elliot?” That was his voice right? Elliot was, well, not exactly a friend since she didn’t have any of those, but someone that she got along with back at school at least; an acquaintance. Whether or not that meant she could trust him now was another question but… this was Elliot right? He wasn’t scary. Sarah began to stand up straighter, poking her head just a little bit higher over the edge of her cover.
No.
She ducked down again. Elliot might be okay, but he wasn’t alone now. Lark had thought Mandy was okay as well and then she…
“Who’s with you?” Sarah’s hand began to drift back to her bag, slipping inside and carefully moving around until she found the plastic hilt of her knife with her fingertips. She never wanted to have to use it, not on a living person anyway, but she didn’t want to be defenceless if this took a turn either.
“Just let me leave okay?”
No.
She ducked down again. Elliot might be okay, but he wasn’t alone now. Lark had thought Mandy was okay as well and then she…
“Who’s with you?” Sarah’s hand began to drift back to her bag, slipping inside and carefully moving around until she found the plastic hilt of her knife with her fingertips. She never wanted to have to use it, not on a living person anyway, but she didn’t want to be defenceless if this took a turn either.
“Just let me leave okay?”
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Catche Jagger
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It was Sarah? Sarah Whitlock? Fuck.
“It’s Gabriela, Sarah.” Gabriela answered, her tone even, trying to give away as little as possible.
She hadn’t thought much of Sarah back at school, a weird kid even among the astronomy club, but it wasn’t as though she actively disliked the girl or anything. Elliott, however, had always seemed to get along fine with Sarah.
Well, that was the nature of the show, wasn’t it? There was a reason most seasons cast contestants that would have some previous relationships, to generate “drama” and emotional stakes for shippers to fixate upon at the expense of all other considerations.
All of it was a distraction, anyway. Getting too bound up in what came before was exactly what brought so many promising contestants down. Gabriela wasn’t like them. Gabriela knew how to win this game.
She gave Elliott another look as she took a couple slow steps towards the source of Sarah's voice, hoping that he'd continue to handle the talking. He'd been fine with Gabriela killing Carol, his own teammate, so logic would follow that he could cope with whatever happened here. People weren't prone to acting logically, though.
The pistol rested at Gabriela's side, her grip firm, but she made no move to raise it yet.
“It’s Gabriela, Sarah.” Gabriela answered, her tone even, trying to give away as little as possible.
She hadn’t thought much of Sarah back at school, a weird kid even among the astronomy club, but it wasn’t as though she actively disliked the girl or anything. Elliott, however, had always seemed to get along fine with Sarah.
Well, that was the nature of the show, wasn’t it? There was a reason most seasons cast contestants that would have some previous relationships, to generate “drama” and emotional stakes for shippers to fixate upon at the expense of all other considerations.
All of it was a distraction, anyway. Getting too bound up in what came before was exactly what brought so many promising contestants down. Gabriela wasn’t like them. Gabriela knew how to win this game.
She gave Elliott another look as she took a couple slow steps towards the source of Sarah's voice, hoping that he'd continue to handle the talking. He'd been fine with Gabriela killing Carol, his own teammate, so logic would follow that he could cope with whatever happened here. People weren't prone to acting logically, though.
The pistol rested at Gabriela's side, her grip firm, but she made no move to raise it yet.
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RetroVenus
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"Yeah. Yeah, it's me," Elliott-Blair said in response to Sarah's question.
So it really was Sarah. This was good. While he wasn't sure which team she was on, it didn't really matter. She was his friend, someone he could fall back on in an emergency. If she wasn't on his team, then all the better; he would then have two safety nets.
Still, as relived as he was to see someone he and Gabriela considered a friend, a part of him felt disappointed. Sarah was off-limits when it came to killing, for both sentimental and pragmatic reasons. But talking to her meant wasting time that could used be towards finding someone expendable and adding them to the ten. Since Gabriela had to shoot Carol, his own goddamn teammate, to gain a kill, that was as clear a sign as any that she was running out of time.
Of course, Gabriela could just kill Sarah, but—no no that was out of the question
A glimpse of Sarah's head appeared over the prow, seemingly interested in what Elliott-Blair had to say, then immediately ducked back down. Hm. Coaxing her out might be harder than he thought.
Sarah demanded to know who was with him, which Gabriela answered. He once again took a glance at the gun in Gabriela's hand. It was now resting at her side, though she still had a firm grip on it. This worked. Gabriela wasn't presenting herself as a threat, but the gun was ready in case Sarah did something...irrational.
Sarah then pleaded for them to let her leave. Logically, this would be the best course of action. The trio part ways, with Gabriela and him continuing their quest to gain ten kills while Sarah tries not to get herself killed. But he wanted to confirm something before she left.
"Okay, but—wait, wait. Before you go, I want to talk to you about something."
So it really was Sarah. This was good. While he wasn't sure which team she was on, it didn't really matter. She was his friend, someone he could fall back on in an emergency. If she wasn't on his team, then all the better; he would then have two safety nets.
Still, as relived as he was to see someone he and Gabriela considered a friend, a part of him felt disappointed. Sarah was off-limits when it came to killing, for both sentimental and pragmatic reasons. But talking to her meant wasting time that could used be towards finding someone expendable and adding them to the ten. Since Gabriela had to shoot Carol, his own goddamn teammate, to gain a kill, that was as clear a sign as any that she was running out of time.
Of course, Gabriela could just kill Sarah, but—no no that was out of the question
A glimpse of Sarah's head appeared over the prow, seemingly interested in what Elliott-Blair had to say, then immediately ducked back down. Hm. Coaxing her out might be harder than he thought.
Sarah demanded to know who was with him, which Gabriela answered. He once again took a glance at the gun in Gabriela's hand. It was now resting at her side, though she still had a firm grip on it. This worked. Gabriela wasn't presenting herself as a threat, but the gun was ready in case Sarah did something...irrational.
Sarah then pleaded for them to let her leave. Logically, this would be the best course of action. The trio part ways, with Gabriela and him continuing their quest to gain ten kills while Sarah tries not to get herself killed. But he wanted to confirm something before she left.
"Okay, but—wait, wait. Before you go, I want to talk to you about something."
avatar by pan, sprite by the wonderful Yugikun
Gabriela. The other person was Gabriela, okay, that was… neutral, she supposed. She wasn’t someone who Sarah could get along with like Elliot but she wasn’t someone who had been overly mean to her in the past either. Lark had been the same; Sarah couldn’t recall ever saying a word to the aloof girl before yesterday, but they’d been able to forge some kind of partnership nonetheless. It hadn’t led either of them anywhere good and it was over now, but it showed that past relationships didn’t have to mean anything here.
Except, Gabriela had been a little mean, at times; not at Sarah specifically but just… mean. Ill-tempered was probably the right description. Sarah had been a little intimidated by her, back at Mangrove. She was intimidated by her now, partly because she had been kind of scary in the past but mostly because she was currently moving in her direction.
Elliot was still talking to her, but she found it hard to concentrate on that when the other silhouette was walking towards her. Sarah squeezed down on the handle of the knife. “Um… wh-what about?”
Except, Gabriela had been a little mean, at times; not at Sarah specifically but just… mean. Ill-tempered was probably the right description. Sarah had been a little intimidated by her, back at Mangrove. She was intimidated by her now, partly because she had been kind of scary in the past but mostly because she was currently moving in her direction.
Elliot was still talking to her, but she found it hard to concentrate on that when the other silhouette was walking towards her. Sarah squeezed down on the handle of the knife. “Um… wh-what about?”
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RetroVenus
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Mon Nov 04, 2019 1:40 pm
- Location: isekai'd
- Team Affiliation: Malcolm's Mariners
Sarah asked what Elliott-Blair wanted to talk about, though she sounded rather distracted. At any rate, she wasn't making the movement to leave. Good. Good, that was a good thing.
"Okay," Elliott-Blair took a deep breath...
And drew a blank. What did he want to talk about?
He wanted to bring Sarah around to his side, of course, but she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Besides, Gabriela was there, and she wasn't so keen on forming an alliance with anyone other than him. That left no room from a quiet chat; it would be best for him to ask Sarah a single question, then let her go on her merry way.
It was here that Elliott-Blair noticed that Gabriela was no longer by his side, but a few paces away. In the direction of the prow.
The gun was still by her side.
He better make this quick.
"What team are you on?"
"Okay," Elliott-Blair took a deep breath...
And drew a blank. What did he want to talk about?
He wanted to bring Sarah around to his side, of course, but she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Besides, Gabriela was there, and she wasn't so keen on forming an alliance with anyone other than him. That left no room from a quiet chat; it would be best for him to ask Sarah a single question, then let her go on her merry way.
It was here that Elliott-Blair noticed that Gabriela was no longer by his side, but a few paces away. In the direction of the prow.
The gun was still by her side.
He better make this quick.
"What team are you on?"
avatar by pan, sprite by the wonderful Yugikun
“… does it matter?”
Sarah hadn’t given much thought to what team she was on; the bandana around her neck was blue and she hadn’t met anyone else with the same colour but that was pretty much it. The teams were something that hadn’t made any difference to her plan and she’d been lucky enough that the people she’d met hadn’t given it much consideration either so she’d almost forgotten it was a thing. Up until now she hadn’t even heard from or spoken to her mentor once which, come to think of it, might have been a mistake.
Hadn’t he been someone who worked on the show? Most of the briefing was a blur, she had been so panicked at the time, but that sounded right. Would he have been able to give her information, if she asked for it? Stuff about the collars?
She couldn’t even remember what his name was.
The teams only seemed to matter when it came to keeping track of who killed who or who could survive together at the end and Sarah wasn’t thinking about either. Elliot was, apparently. Her answer here mattered.
“Blue… uh, Mariners, I think.”
Sarah hadn’t given much thought to what team she was on; the bandana around her neck was blue and she hadn’t met anyone else with the same colour but that was pretty much it. The teams were something that hadn’t made any difference to her plan and she’d been lucky enough that the people she’d met hadn’t given it much consideration either so she’d almost forgotten it was a thing. Up until now she hadn’t even heard from or spoken to her mentor once which, come to think of it, might have been a mistake.
Hadn’t he been someone who worked on the show? Most of the briefing was a blur, she had been so panicked at the time, but that sounded right. Would he have been able to give her information, if she asked for it? Stuff about the collars?
She couldn’t even remember what his name was.
The teams only seemed to matter when it came to keeping track of who killed who or who could survive together at the end and Sarah wasn’t thinking about either. Elliot was, apparently. Her answer here mattered.
“Blue… uh, Mariners, I think.”
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 743
- Joined: Tue May 28, 2019 7:40 pm
- Team Affiliation: Ben's Crabs
Of course it was the Mariners again, which meant that Sarah was not only on decent personal terms with Elliott, but was yet another teammate that had come to the pair. Just fucking perfect.
The thought crossed Gabriela’s mind to just let this one go, that it was too big a risk on too many levels. Sarah was acting cautious, which made it hard to get up close for the easy shot, an issue compounded by the darkness that cast her as nothing but a silhouette at the boat’s edge.
And yet the last set of announcements had made it clear that Gabriela was already three behind in the race to ten kills. She couldn’t afford to let an opportunity slip by. Besides, Elliott had let the business with Carol slide without much of a comment. If he got upset, Gabriela would be able to convince him to stay.
She was helping him, after all.
Gabriela had managed to get close to the boat’s edge, just a few steps from the ramp which connected the battered vessel to the jetty. From that spot, she had the best angle she could get on Sarah, who was peeking up from behind the prow and hopefully focused on Elliott, a greater portion of her shadowy torso visible to Gabriela from her current position.
“That’s great. We’re all on the same team then.” Gabriela spoke in as flat a tone as she could muster.
Another moment passed before Gabriela aimed her pistol towards Sarah and pulled the trigger once, twice, three times in rapid succession.
The thought crossed Gabriela’s mind to just let this one go, that it was too big a risk on too many levels. Sarah was acting cautious, which made it hard to get up close for the easy shot, an issue compounded by the darkness that cast her as nothing but a silhouette at the boat’s edge.
And yet the last set of announcements had made it clear that Gabriela was already three behind in the race to ten kills. She couldn’t afford to let an opportunity slip by. Besides, Elliott had let the business with Carol slide without much of a comment. If he got upset, Gabriela would be able to convince him to stay.
She was helping him, after all.
Gabriela had managed to get close to the boat’s edge, just a few steps from the ramp which connected the battered vessel to the jetty. From that spot, she had the best angle she could get on Sarah, who was peeking up from behind the prow and hopefully focused on Elliott, a greater portion of her shadowy torso visible to Gabriela from her current position.
“That’s great. We’re all on the same team then.” Gabriela spoke in as flat a tone as she could muster.
Another moment passed before Gabriela aimed her pistol towards Sarah and pulled the trigger once, twice, three times in rapid succession.