There was a certain amount of disappointment Ashanti felt when two of the people left, but she couldn't place it into thoughts.
Part of it was the small, stupid offense she took when Gabriela didn't return her wave.
The other part of it was the look she and Elliott exchanged just before he left, because now all she could think of was that stupid fight that meant next to nothing now and she couldn't even do what she was about to do to Matias because now Elliott was gone.
Matias himself, having spent the entire time trying to convince the one remaining person that a team win was a good win, eventually rounded on her.
She took a pause, thoughts turning in her head. Still couldn't quite meet Matias's eyes.
Eventually, she spoke again.
"I need to talk to you. Important."
She almost left it there, but she looked once again at the non-Matias boy on the scene. She used her thumb to rub the side of her index finger, absentmindedly, before remembering her only line of communication.
"Is he going to stay? If you need to stop him from leaving-"
She knew a pause wasn't important for anyone here, so on she charged.
"That's more important than me."
Loyalty: 2
After second announcement, mid-day, open
Nobody liked a sore loser.
Eric just waited, staring, as Matias ranted and raved about all those random people Eric didn't know and how he could apparently trust them with his life. As if. They weren't worth a damn thing to Eric. Eventually, he pulled out one of his many bottles of water and chugged it. He exhaled, shoving the empty bottle back into his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.
"I'll win however I need to. I don't need your help, or anyone else's, to do it, not the way I'm doing this." Eric said. "I'll figure out what to do if the 'ten thing' falls through, but until then, I know what I'm doing." He crossed his arms.
"If that's all, then good luck I guess? I don't know. Try not to die."
Eric took one last look over his shoulder as he descended the ramp, then set off to find a less noisy place to set up.
((Eric Cunningham continued in Final Draft))
Eric just waited, staring, as Matias ranted and raved about all those random people Eric didn't know and how he could apparently trust them with his life. As if. They weren't worth a damn thing to Eric. Eventually, he pulled out one of his many bottles of water and chugged it. He exhaled, shoving the empty bottle back into his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.
"I'll win however I need to. I don't need your help, or anyone else's, to do it, not the way I'm doing this." Eric said. "I'll figure out what to do if the 'ten thing' falls through, but until then, I know what I'm doing." He crossed his arms.
"If that's all, then good luck I guess? I don't know. Try not to die."
Eric took one last look over his shoulder as he descended the ramp, then set off to find a less noisy place to set up.
((Eric Cunningham continued in Final Draft))
He didn't need her permission. He'd make Eric stay however he needed to—
What was he saying?
Don't need your help, he said?
Matias' eye twitched. His neck muscles tensed.
Was this fat fuck just leaving them?
He was just— he'd laid out probably the best argument he'd ever laid in his life, he'd given him literally every reason to stay here, and he was just leaving them? This fucker wanted to leave to, what, just to be his own little Jewel Evans?
Matias wanted to—
He wanted to—
He wanted to lay him out on the deck.
He wanted to break his smug little nose, break his smug little face.
He wanted to lay him out on the jetties below, maybe break his stout little neck in the process.
He wanted to find him dying, bleeding out, after his little attempt at the ten failed, he wanted to laugh in his face as he died.
He wanted—
He wanted a million ways to show him wrong, a million ways to make him regret being wrong, and yet none of those things would happen because Eric had already climbed down, walked onto the jetties, and joined the rest of the shits-for-brains that apparently populated his team.
They all. Left him.
So he summoned all this needless mindless useless anger, ran to the railings facing Eric, and let out one long shout, going until his throat almost tore.
He hunched over the railing a bit, arms, body trembling, deep, quick breaths leaving, entering his body. He needed time to calm down. Just. He always needed time, after episodes like these. That was how it'd always been. He'd be— he'd be back to normal after a while.
He remembered, after a minute or two, that Ashanti had asked him something. Wanted to talk to him. There was literally nothing else that interested him less. But.
Ashanti had told him, the night prior, that the only reason she was staying with him was because she needed him. He was all she got.
He really, really fucking hated that the reverse was true for him too.
She was all he had.
He turned around, somewhat drained.
"WHAT? TALK - NOW."
What was he saying?
Don't need your help, he said?
Matias' eye twitched. His neck muscles tensed.
Was this fat fuck just leaving them?
He was just— he'd laid out probably the best argument he'd ever laid in his life, he'd given him literally every reason to stay here, and he was just leaving them? This fucker wanted to leave to, what, just to be his own little Jewel Evans?
Matias wanted to—
He wanted to—
He wanted to lay him out on the deck.
He wanted to break his smug little nose, break his smug little face.
He wanted to lay him out on the jetties below, maybe break his stout little neck in the process.
He wanted to find him dying, bleeding out, after his little attempt at the ten failed, he wanted to laugh in his face as he died.
He wanted—
He wanted a million ways to show him wrong, a million ways to make him regret being wrong, and yet none of those things would happen because Eric had already climbed down, walked onto the jetties, and joined the rest of the shits-for-brains that apparently populated his team.
They all. Left him.
So he summoned all this needless mindless useless anger, ran to the railings facing Eric, and let out one long shout, going until his throat almost tore.
He hunched over the railing a bit, arms, body trembling, deep, quick breaths leaving, entering his body. He needed time to calm down. Just. He always needed time, after episodes like these. That was how it'd always been. He'd be— he'd be back to normal after a while.
He remembered, after a minute or two, that Ashanti had asked him something. Wanted to talk to him. There was literally nothing else that interested him less. But.
Ashanti had told him, the night prior, that the only reason she was staying with him was because she needed him. He was all she got.
He really, really fucking hated that the reverse was true for him too.
She was all he had.
He turned around, somewhat drained.
"WHAT? TALK - NOW."
SC3:
Matias Juarez is fed up. He is currently walking home.
Pregame: now that you are broken by the seas, in the depths of the waters,
Memories: Vamô Detonar essa Porra!
Diego Larrosa is lost. pls give my kids friends tv3 version
Stephanie's Cuckaneers Today at 12:29 AM
maraoone was a mistake - cicada 2021
Matias Juarez is fed up. He is currently walking home.
Pregame: now that you are broken by the seas, in the depths of the waters,
Memories: Vamô Detonar essa Porra!
Diego Larrosa is lost. pls give my kids friends tv3 version
Stephanie's Cuckaneers Today at 12:29 AM
maraoone was a mistake - cicada 2021
Their other team member disappeared as well, and just as it always was, it came back down to Matias & Ashanti.
Things were different, now, of course. By the words and the gestures and the looks he was giving her, he was clearly still thinking about the awful things she'd said yesterday. She'd rationalised it at the time, rationalized it in a different way later, and now here was her chance to say what she needed to.
"I have to tell you some things. A lot of things, actually. And apologize."
Maybe there was a way she could buffer it and think about the right words, more clearly and carefully this time.
"But first, I need help getting the-"
Shit, she still couldn't remember the word.
"-J-E-T-P-A-C-K-"
Ashanti still didn't feel any less like a child the more she did that, in fact the opposite was probably true.
"-back upstairs."
Maybe her apologizing would go better.
((Ashanti Baker continued elsewhere))
Things were different, now, of course. By the words and the gestures and the looks he was giving her, he was clearly still thinking about the awful things she'd said yesterday. She'd rationalised it at the time, rationalized it in a different way later, and now here was her chance to say what she needed to.
"I have to tell you some things. A lot of things, actually. And apologize."
Maybe there was a way she could buffer it and think about the right words, more clearly and carefully this time.
"But first, I need help getting the-"
Shit, she still couldn't remember the word.
"-J-E-T-P-A-C-K-"
Ashanti still didn't feel any less like a child the more she did that, in fact the opposite was probably true.
"-back upstairs."
Maybe her apologizing would go better.
((Ashanti Baker continued elsewhere))
He was so fucking tired.
He would go with her because there was nothing else to do, and that was it. That was the only reason why.
An apology wouldn't take back what she'd said. It wouldn't take back the memory of her basically shouting it in his face.
It wouldn't change the fact that the one person who'd stuck by him was the one person he could've done with out. As if that was all he was good for. All he deserved.
Wouldn't change the fact that he was apparently pretty fucking bad at this whole team thing.
It was just—
It was just that. An apology.
A fuckin' band-aid on a gunshot wound.
But there was nothing else to do. Nowhere else to go. So, after a few long, long seconds of silence, he signed "SURE" at her, nodded.
Thought a moment.
"WAIT."
He walked across the boat one last time. Towards the corpse. Towards the body. Leslie's body. Towards him.
Stuck his hand into his bag. Fiddled around with paper. Helped calm him down somewhat.
He looked down at Leslie's body. Swallowed a lump.
Looked at the last paper boat in his hand, unfolded, uncrumpled.
Hovered it over him.
"Hope you're having a better time of it than I am.
"Miss you, bud."
He let go, and the last paper boat floated its way down.
((Matias Juarez continues in If I ever acquire wisdom, I suppose I'll be wise enough to know what to do with it))
He would go with her because there was nothing else to do, and that was it. That was the only reason why.
An apology wouldn't take back what she'd said. It wouldn't take back the memory of her basically shouting it in his face.
It wouldn't change the fact that the one person who'd stuck by him was the one person he could've done with out. As if that was all he was good for. All he deserved.
Wouldn't change the fact that he was apparently pretty fucking bad at this whole team thing.
It was just—
It was just that. An apology.
A fuckin' band-aid on a gunshot wound.
But there was nothing else to do. Nowhere else to go. So, after a few long, long seconds of silence, he signed "SURE" at her, nodded.
Thought a moment.
"WAIT."
He walked across the boat one last time. Towards the corpse. Towards the body. Leslie's body. Towards him.
Stuck his hand into his bag. Fiddled around with paper. Helped calm him down somewhat.
He looked down at Leslie's body. Swallowed a lump.
Looked at the last paper boat in his hand, unfolded, uncrumpled.
Hovered it over him.
"Hope you're having a better time of it than I am.
"Miss you, bud."
He let go, and the last paper boat floated its way down.
((Matias Juarez continues in If I ever acquire wisdom, I suppose I'll be wise enough to know what to do with it))
SC3:
Matias Juarez is fed up. He is currently walking home.
Pregame: now that you are broken by the seas, in the depths of the waters,
Memories: Vamô Detonar essa Porra!
Diego Larrosa is lost. pls give my kids friends tv3 version
Stephanie's Cuckaneers Today at 12:29 AM
maraoone was a mistake - cicada 2021
Matias Juarez is fed up. He is currently walking home.
Pregame: now that you are broken by the seas, in the depths of the waters,
Memories: Vamô Detonar essa Porra!
Diego Larrosa is lost. pls give my kids friends tv3 version
Stephanie's Cuckaneers Today at 12:29 AM
maraoone was a mistake - cicada 2021