((A few hours passed, their conversation long over.))
Seo-yun stared out an open window port on the ghost ship, at the starry sky above, the smell of salt tickling her nostrils.
Stardom was all about being above everyone else. Being more important than everyone else, more known than everyone else. Historical figures, great poets, long suffering artists, world famous actors, they were all stars. Their names were known, their stories told, some were even loved long after their deaths, but all of them were remembered. That's why they were called stars, because like the stars in the night sky, they were eternal.
She wanted to be up there with them.
The only problem was that they were so far away.
"Say, Mandy," she said, turning her head to look at her companion and the room they were hiding out in, "I wanted to ask-"
There was an audible pause, a silence hanging in the air. In the absence of sound, she felt the itch start to creep back in, slowly but surely. She wasn't quite sure what she was saying, or where she was going. For a moment, she had let her guard down, and she just started to talk without thinking. She couldn't have that, she needed to be perfect. She didn't need another incident like her breakdown the day before, but perhaps she could still salvage this.
"I told you before I was going to be a star one day, but did you know that I said that because I've secretly always wanted to be famous?"
Mandy deserved to know a little more about her. A little more of the real her. They were partners after all, and more to the point, she trusted Mandy far more than anyone else. Maybe the audience would like to know more about her, too. Though, strangely, for once that wasn't her main concern.
"It's true, ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted it more than anything," she murmured, looking back out the view port as she was reminded of the ache in her ear. "So I guess it's funny that I'm here now. The worst thing that ever happened to me has given me a chance to get everything I've ever wanted."
As she said that, she began to reflect everything that had happened so far, and how she had committed four murders in less than 48 hours. She thought back to the sight of the gore and blood, to the smell of sulfur and copper, the constant ringing in her ears, and she thought she understood the itch, in light of that.
That itch was just the representation of how she didn't like what she was doing, and how she was killing people. It didn't actually bother her all that much either, which was maybe a bit concerning now that she was thinking about it, but nevermind that. The point was that she was only doing it because she wanted to win and get the fame and fortune, to be among the stars. She was still operating herself in a way that she thought others would like, regardless of how she felt about it.
She had always thought of it as being a necessary evil. She would never really try to enjoy herself in the present day. Instead, she always hoped that if she continued pretending, she would get the approval she so desperately craved, and then she would be fulfilled, and she could finally stop being fake.
Except, all the enjoyment she got from faking kindness and being beloved by so many people at Mangrove Garden was fleeting. It never really lasted, and she always found herself seeking more and more. Standing here where she was now, she knew that she was getting more recognition than ever before, and yet she didn't feel any different at all.
Would that change once she was finally out of here, once she saw her crowds of adoring fans? Would that be enough to finally satisfy her? Or would she be like this forever, always chasing more, always pretending to be whatever she thought would get her the attention she yearned for?
Was that what stardom meant? The chase, never ending?
She hoped not.
...No, no it wouldn't be, it couldn't be. Even if it was that way for some people, it wouldn't be that way for her, because she was Seo-yun.
And those stars up in the sky were nothing compared to her.
"It's scary in a way, but it's also exciting," she concluded, after a period of silence. "Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity."
...and so we destroyed everything
We burned like fevers under carriage hats, hid behind Venetian masks... (Private)
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VoltTurtle
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MurderWeasel
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((Mandy Gross continued from 눈에서 멀어지면, 마음에서도 멀어진다))
"Huh," Mandy said. "I never thought of that."
A while had passed, but she was feeling better than ever, if more than a bit sleepy. It was hard to stay totally awake and present in here, with the heavy air and the gentle rocking and the slosh-slosh of water and the pale light that was just enough to see by but not enough to trigger that part of her brain that told her she should be awake because there was stuff to look at.
She was sitting on the crate, now, cross-legged in a way that would've been pretty awkward if she wasn't decently flexible, and she was hunched over with one elbow propped on her thigh and her head leaning on her hand. From time to time, if they'd been quiet for a while, her eyes would start drifting closed and she'd start tilting, only to suddenly jolt back awake as either her head slipped off her hand and gave her a moment of terrifying freefall, or enough spit pooled in the corner of her mouth to make her feel like she was about to drool all over her hand and arm (which had only happened once so far, but that was more than enough).
Mandy had taken her hat off and stuck it and the gun in her pack on the barrel and brushed her hair as best she could with her fingers an hour or two ago, mostly in an effort to occupy her mind and stay awake. She'd sort of loosely toyed with maybe suggesting Seo-yun help her braid it, but hadn't worked up the courage yet. It just felt more personal in this weird way, like helping kill their classmates was basically an expectation of their circumstances, but doing something so normal would mean that this all really meant something besides. And, for all Mandy wanted it to, she wasn't sure. She knew Seo-yun would almost certainly play along, because she was kind like that, but Mandy didn't want charity. It was sincerity she was after.
"For me it's, I don't know, it's just scary mostly," Mandy said. "I guess I sort of wanted to be famous but I didn't think it could happen, so I didn't try at all."
She straightened up and shifted around a bit. Her feet were starting to fall asleep because of the odd position, especially her right with how her elbow was also digging into that leg. She adjusted, letting her feet rest on the ground, and wiggled her toes in her boots to feel the tingling sparks run up and down her ankles.
"It's really amazing that you knew what you wanted all that time and went after it, though," she continued.
Mandy totally believed Seo-yun, too. The girl had always moved with this air like she was being watched, and she knew it, and—and this was the really impressive part—she actually liked it. That explained how she was always ready with the perfect comeback, the right gesture of affection, the proper expression of thanks.
Abruptly, a notion struck Mandy, and she sat up straighter still, the residual sleepiness all gone. She was beaming.
"Hey," she said, "I'm talking to a famous person. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Huh," Mandy said. "I never thought of that."
A while had passed, but she was feeling better than ever, if more than a bit sleepy. It was hard to stay totally awake and present in here, with the heavy air and the gentle rocking and the slosh-slosh of water and the pale light that was just enough to see by but not enough to trigger that part of her brain that told her she should be awake because there was stuff to look at.
She was sitting on the crate, now, cross-legged in a way that would've been pretty awkward if she wasn't decently flexible, and she was hunched over with one elbow propped on her thigh and her head leaning on her hand. From time to time, if they'd been quiet for a while, her eyes would start drifting closed and she'd start tilting, only to suddenly jolt back awake as either her head slipped off her hand and gave her a moment of terrifying freefall, or enough spit pooled in the corner of her mouth to make her feel like she was about to drool all over her hand and arm (which had only happened once so far, but that was more than enough).
Mandy had taken her hat off and stuck it and the gun in her pack on the barrel and brushed her hair as best she could with her fingers an hour or two ago, mostly in an effort to occupy her mind and stay awake. She'd sort of loosely toyed with maybe suggesting Seo-yun help her braid it, but hadn't worked up the courage yet. It just felt more personal in this weird way, like helping kill their classmates was basically an expectation of their circumstances, but doing something so normal would mean that this all really meant something besides. And, for all Mandy wanted it to, she wasn't sure. She knew Seo-yun would almost certainly play along, because she was kind like that, but Mandy didn't want charity. It was sincerity she was after.
"For me it's, I don't know, it's just scary mostly," Mandy said. "I guess I sort of wanted to be famous but I didn't think it could happen, so I didn't try at all."
She straightened up and shifted around a bit. Her feet were starting to fall asleep because of the odd position, especially her right with how her elbow was also digging into that leg. She adjusted, letting her feet rest on the ground, and wiggled her toes in her boots to feel the tingling sparks run up and down her ankles.
"It's really amazing that you knew what you wanted all that time and went after it, though," she continued.
Mandy totally believed Seo-yun, too. The girl had always moved with this air like she was being watched, and she knew it, and—and this was the really impressive part—she actually liked it. That explained how she was always ready with the perfect comeback, the right gesture of affection, the proper expression of thanks.
Abruptly, a notion struck Mandy, and she sat up straighter still, the residual sleepiness all gone. She was beaming.
"Hey," she said, "I'm talking to a famous person. Pretty cool, huh?"
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delicateMachine
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((The night sky was still beautiful, and Lark wondered how many stars were already dead.))
Through some inscrutable whim of the universe, if every single one of them had burnt out at once - would they know? How long until they could even suspect it? She pictured a bleak horizon, lit by ghosts that blinked away one by one. They saw space as it had been decades ago, or during the rise of the Roman Empire, or even before the first life crawled out of the ocean.
If even those stars in the sky weren’t eternal - what did that make them?
In a month, someone will press ‘play’ on their remote, and Lark will turn her head to make sure that Sarah is still next to her as they carefully walk across the jetties. She will pause for a moment, and that someone will not know that she’s worrying about what would happen if either of them slipped into the midnight waves. They will know the finite amount of time between that moment and the end of the footage. Someone will glance at that number and wonder if they can watch her die before they have to leave for work.
Someone could press rewind, retrace her steps all the way back to that morning.
Lark had slept fitfully, using her hat to cover her face. She had always been vaguely unsettled by the thought of falling asleep next to someone, the unconscious intimacy of one-way perception. Worse if they were an insomniac - they’d spend hours looking at the curves of your back while you dreamt. One time Lark’s mom had taken a picture of her sleeping, with her cat snuggled up adorably right against her face, and she spent the next week being on-and-off consumed by the proof that there was a ‘her’ that everyone except her could see.
How could she sleep now, knowing that there were thousands of people glancing at her every second before they moved on to more interesting scenes? How could she sleep, knowing there were a guaranteed few who’d watch?
The answer was: poorly. It set the tone for the rest of the day. She and Sarah failed to keep their quasi-recruits around, and they failed to come up with a better experiment than the one that had ruined Sarah’s shirt. On the brighter side, Sarah had also failed to bleed to death, so at least Lark would get a passing grade as a battlefield medic.
“So! Ghost ship!” She said, hours later, walking across the dark jetties. “Probably some metal stuff in there we can use, right? If nothing else, we can get our haunting practice started early.”
Lark would appreciate the irony, but only the timestamp knew that there would be irony to appreciate.
Through some inscrutable whim of the universe, if every single one of them had burnt out at once - would they know? How long until they could even suspect it? She pictured a bleak horizon, lit by ghosts that blinked away one by one. They saw space as it had been decades ago, or during the rise of the Roman Empire, or even before the first life crawled out of the ocean.
If even those stars in the sky weren’t eternal - what did that make them?
In a month, someone will press ‘play’ on their remote, and Lark will turn her head to make sure that Sarah is still next to her as they carefully walk across the jetties. She will pause for a moment, and that someone will not know that she’s worrying about what would happen if either of them slipped into the midnight waves. They will know the finite amount of time between that moment and the end of the footage. Someone will glance at that number and wonder if they can watch her die before they have to leave for work.
Someone could press rewind, retrace her steps all the way back to that morning.
Lark had slept fitfully, using her hat to cover her face. She had always been vaguely unsettled by the thought of falling asleep next to someone, the unconscious intimacy of one-way perception. Worse if they were an insomniac - they’d spend hours looking at the curves of your back while you dreamt. One time Lark’s mom had taken a picture of her sleeping, with her cat snuggled up adorably right against her face, and she spent the next week being on-and-off consumed by the proof that there was a ‘her’ that everyone except her could see.
How could she sleep now, knowing that there were thousands of people glancing at her every second before they moved on to more interesting scenes? How could she sleep, knowing there were a guaranteed few who’d watch?
The answer was: poorly. It set the tone for the rest of the day. She and Sarah failed to keep their quasi-recruits around, and they failed to come up with a better experiment than the one that had ruined Sarah’s shirt. On the brighter side, Sarah had also failed to bleed to death, so at least Lark would get a passing grade as a battlefield medic.
“So! Ghost ship!” She said, hours later, walking across the dark jetties. “Probably some metal stuff in there we can use, right? If nothing else, we can get our haunting practice started early.”
Lark would appreciate the irony, but only the timestamp knew that there would be irony to appreciate.
MM02: SARAH LILLIAN WHITLOCK – CONTINUED FROM Adrift in a Little Shop of Horrors
When Sarah had been a little girl she had wanted to be an astronomer. It was one of those things that kids said they wanted to be when they were young that sounded so big and exciting without really understanding what it was those people did; some children want to be fire-fighters so they can ride the big red truck, some want to be palaeontologists because they think dinosaurs are cool, others want to be pop stars because they liked singing along to their favourite songs and a few want to be famous with no idea of what they will be famous for. Silly reasons, borne by an uncomplicated view of the world.
Sarah wanted to be an astronomer because she thought space was this amazing thing and she wanted to look at stars all day. She wanted a fantasy job that didn’t exist because she didn’t know any better.
When she was a few years older the wonders of space had lost their hold over her and she’d given up on that fantasy, as so many children did when they grew up. Life conspired to bring her back to space eventually, but for a while Sarah hadn’t had any goals at all; she’d only been concerned with the now. For all the problems her abduction, the first one, had caused her she should probably be grateful for it letting her be passionate about something again.
When Sarah graduated high school she wanted to be an astronomer.
It was strange, though. When she was younger and she told people what she wanted to be they would smile and say it was a great idea, but when Sarah said it now people would roll their eyes and tell her to stop fantasising when realistically she was much closer to that dream now than she was back then. People took a child with stars in their eyes more seriously than a near-adult with an acceptance letter to a top university.
Was anyone taking her seriously now? Did people watch that moment on the rocket boat where she told the others she was thinking of escape and humour her like a starry eyed child or did they roll their eyes like she was a seventeen year old who should know better?
She wanted people to take her as seriously as she took herself. Even if this was all a lie, it was a lie she was taking seriously. It was a lie she had risked her life to maintain and she wanted people to recognise that. Out of the corner of her eye Sarah saw Lark turn to look at her. It was unclear whether or not Lark took her seriously; Sarah thought the answer was no, but the other girl had decided to stick with her anyway for one reason or another, and she was glad for that. Things would have been a lot more unbearable if she had to do this alone.
“We can’t go to the cruise ship anymore, so here’s as good as anywhere.” More hours of walking, more hours of avoiding people had led them here. Sarah didn’t know what to expect from a ‘ghost ship’, but it didn’t sound like the kind of place you would find tools. “Maybe we can try the ferry after this?”
When Sarah had been a little girl she had wanted to be an astronomer. It was one of those things that kids said they wanted to be when they were young that sounded so big and exciting without really understanding what it was those people did; some children want to be fire-fighters so they can ride the big red truck, some want to be palaeontologists because they think dinosaurs are cool, others want to be pop stars because they liked singing along to their favourite songs and a few want to be famous with no idea of what they will be famous for. Silly reasons, borne by an uncomplicated view of the world.
Sarah wanted to be an astronomer because she thought space was this amazing thing and she wanted to look at stars all day. She wanted a fantasy job that didn’t exist because she didn’t know any better.
When she was a few years older the wonders of space had lost their hold over her and she’d given up on that fantasy, as so many children did when they grew up. Life conspired to bring her back to space eventually, but for a while Sarah hadn’t had any goals at all; she’d only been concerned with the now. For all the problems her abduction, the first one, had caused her she should probably be grateful for it letting her be passionate about something again.
When Sarah graduated high school she wanted to be an astronomer.
It was strange, though. When she was younger and she told people what she wanted to be they would smile and say it was a great idea, but when Sarah said it now people would roll their eyes and tell her to stop fantasising when realistically she was much closer to that dream now than she was back then. People took a child with stars in their eyes more seriously than a near-adult with an acceptance letter to a top university.
Was anyone taking her seriously now? Did people watch that moment on the rocket boat where she told the others she was thinking of escape and humour her like a starry eyed child or did they roll their eyes like she was a seventeen year old who should know better?
She wanted people to take her as seriously as she took herself. Even if this was all a lie, it was a lie she was taking seriously. It was a lie she had risked her life to maintain and she wanted people to recognise that. Out of the corner of her eye Sarah saw Lark turn to look at her. It was unclear whether or not Lark took her seriously; Sarah thought the answer was no, but the other girl had decided to stick with her anyway for one reason or another, and she was glad for that. Things would have been a lot more unbearable if she had to do this alone.
“We can’t go to the cruise ship anymore, so here’s as good as anywhere.” More hours of walking, more hours of avoiding people had led them here. Sarah didn’t know what to expect from a ‘ghost ship’, but it didn’t sound like the kind of place you would find tools. “Maybe we can try the ferry after this?”
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VoltTurtle
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Seo-yun froze.
Muffled voices, from the deck of the ship above, not far outside where the duo were tucked away.
She brought the shotgun up to bear, primed and ready to spill blood.
It sounded like two, with the possibility of more on their way. No idea if they were armed, or if they were on either of their teams.
She couldn't show her face to check. Everyone knew who she was, and she was enemy number one.
There was a look exchanged with Mandy, her tired eyes and curled lips pleading 'you go first'.
Just six more, and then she'd be free.
Muffled voices, from the deck of the ship above, not far outside where the duo were tucked away.
She brought the shotgun up to bear, primed and ready to spill blood.
It sounded like two, with the possibility of more on their way. No idea if they were armed, or if they were on either of their teams.
She couldn't show her face to check. Everyone knew who she was, and she was enemy number one.
There was a look exchanged with Mandy, her tired eyes and curled lips pleading 'you go first'.
Just six more, and then she'd be free.
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MurderWeasel
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A nod in return.
Just like that, Mandy snapped from her fanciful musings into full wakefulness, ready to move and do her part. It was, okay, still sorta weird what precisely her part was. Since they were done pretending, she could just lay it out: she hadn't been on the announcements, and she didn't look like a threat, so she could go run ahead and see who it was. If it was someone on the blue team or the red team, she'd leave them alone probably. If not?
Seo-yun lurked below, armed to the teeth and only needing six more. Mandy just had to be the pied piper.
Okay, that was definitely kinda uncomfortable to think about so bluntly. But what could she do? It's what they needed, it was the plan, and however icky it made her feel, it beat the alternatives.
She looked at her pack on the barrel, looked at where her hat lay on top of the gun, and didn't grab either. She wouldn't need a weapon, right? This plan would only work if she was seen as harmless, and any kills she picked up would work against that, and besides, Ritzy might flat out tell everyone she was working with Seo-yun and that would completely wreck their schemes. It would be fine. Mandy was pretty good at staying out of trouble so far—granted she'd been kicked hard by Amy and in every other case Seo-yun had killed and/or maimed anyone else present before they even had the chance to do much to Mandy, but it was a decently large sample size, right?
She took off across the floor, wincing just a bit as she caught the goblet with her foot and sent it rolling again, trying to keep her breathing steady and to not stumble face-first into a mouthful of artificial cobwebs. At least with the time they'd had, Mandy had gotten to pace around a bit and figure the best ways around. She knew which staircase was old and actually kind of rotted and collapsed, and she went to the one on the other side that was more intact, maybe twenty feet from their little hideout, down a corridor so narrow she could drag her hands along both sides at once if she wanted.
That was definitely voices. Mandy was getting nervous as she tiptoed up the stairs, clinging to the handrail. The light here was a ghastly red, like it was already a murder scene. It washed everything out and messed with her depth perception, but for once she didn't stumble. And, just to be safe, she called out before popping above deck.
"Hello?" Her voice was hesitant, and she wasn't even faking, just taking those last few slow steps into the cool evening air. "It's Mandy. Is someone out there?"
Just like that, Mandy snapped from her fanciful musings into full wakefulness, ready to move and do her part. It was, okay, still sorta weird what precisely her part was. Since they were done pretending, she could just lay it out: she hadn't been on the announcements, and she didn't look like a threat, so she could go run ahead and see who it was. If it was someone on the blue team or the red team, she'd leave them alone probably. If not?
Seo-yun lurked below, armed to the teeth and only needing six more. Mandy just had to be the pied piper.
Okay, that was definitely kinda uncomfortable to think about so bluntly. But what could she do? It's what they needed, it was the plan, and however icky it made her feel, it beat the alternatives.
She looked at her pack on the barrel, looked at where her hat lay on top of the gun, and didn't grab either. She wouldn't need a weapon, right? This plan would only work if she was seen as harmless, and any kills she picked up would work against that, and besides, Ritzy might flat out tell everyone she was working with Seo-yun and that would completely wreck their schemes. It would be fine. Mandy was pretty good at staying out of trouble so far—granted she'd been kicked hard by Amy and in every other case Seo-yun had killed and/or maimed anyone else present before they even had the chance to do much to Mandy, but it was a decently large sample size, right?
She took off across the floor, wincing just a bit as she caught the goblet with her foot and sent it rolling again, trying to keep her breathing steady and to not stumble face-first into a mouthful of artificial cobwebs. At least with the time they'd had, Mandy had gotten to pace around a bit and figure the best ways around. She knew which staircase was old and actually kind of rotted and collapsed, and she went to the one on the other side that was more intact, maybe twenty feet from their little hideout, down a corridor so narrow she could drag her hands along both sides at once if she wanted.
That was definitely voices. Mandy was getting nervous as she tiptoed up the stairs, clinging to the handrail. The light here was a ghastly red, like it was already a murder scene. It washed everything out and messed with her depth perception, but for once she didn't stumble. And, just to be safe, she called out before popping above deck.
"Hello?" Her voice was hesitant, and she wasn't even faking, just taking those last few slow steps into the cool evening air. "It's Mandy. Is someone out there?"
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delicateMachine
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And thus it took Lark and Sarah about twenty seconds of agreement to seal their fates.
The ghost ship looked like it was a moment’s notice away from sinking, but as it’d lasted two entire days Lark figured that was all just a facade. EIther that or she’d step inside and fall through a rotting floorboard and get impaled on something rusty, but she gave herself pretty decent odds. Maybe its ominous exterior would keep the tourists away, maybe it’d be a magnet for murder tourists; either way they needed to find a toolbox and a safe place to sleep.
Suddenly, there was a voice, and Lark’s annoyance at the fact that someone had heard them coming was quickly squashed as Mandy identified herself. For once, Lark actually knew the person who could end up murdering her, which was very refreshing. They were friends, maybe, if you were loose with the definition.
Mandy very transparently clung to those she saw as older and cooler than her, and she often hovered around Lark when the more popular crowd inevitably got sick of humoring her. (Lark didn’t think of herself as cool, of course; but she knew how to smile and hold a conversation, which was helpful for being seen as interesting and aloof rather than a pariah. Asocial vs. antisocial, maybe?)
Despite everything, Lark genuinely liked Mandy. She was cute in a ‘puppy that followed you home’ kind of way, and she usually didn’t hang around for long enough to get on the nerves. Someone bothering to bother her at lunch was rare enough for it to be a pleasant surprise.
“Hey, it’s Lark and Sarah! We’re trying to escape, you want in?” No reason not to get straight to the point, for all the good that did the last time they tried to gather a few minions. Well, the last time Lark tried, at least. Sarah seemed a bit more hesitant about it, but Lark was sure she’d be grateful when they managed to talk someone else into getting blown up for them.
“I mean, assuming you aren’t actually a ghost or something.”
The ghost ship looked like it was a moment’s notice away from sinking, but as it’d lasted two entire days Lark figured that was all just a facade. EIther that or she’d step inside and fall through a rotting floorboard and get impaled on something rusty, but she gave herself pretty decent odds. Maybe its ominous exterior would keep the tourists away, maybe it’d be a magnet for murder tourists; either way they needed to find a toolbox and a safe place to sleep.
Suddenly, there was a voice, and Lark’s annoyance at the fact that someone had heard them coming was quickly squashed as Mandy identified herself. For once, Lark actually knew the person who could end up murdering her, which was very refreshing. They were friends, maybe, if you were loose with the definition.
Mandy very transparently clung to those she saw as older and cooler than her, and she often hovered around Lark when the more popular crowd inevitably got sick of humoring her. (Lark didn’t think of herself as cool, of course; but she knew how to smile and hold a conversation, which was helpful for being seen as interesting and aloof rather than a pariah. Asocial vs. antisocial, maybe?)
Despite everything, Lark genuinely liked Mandy. She was cute in a ‘puppy that followed you home’ kind of way, and she usually didn’t hang around for long enough to get on the nerves. Someone bothering to bother her at lunch was rare enough for it to be a pleasant surprise.
“Hey, it’s Lark and Sarah! We’re trying to escape, you want in?” No reason not to get straight to the point, for all the good that did the last time they tried to gather a few minions. Well, the last time Lark tried, at least. Sarah seemed a bit more hesitant about it, but Lark was sure she’d be grateful when they managed to talk someone else into getting blown up for them.
“I mean, assuming you aren’t actually a ghost or something.”
Okay, let’s try this again.
“Um, yeah. Hi.” Unlike Lark, Sarah didn’t know what to make of Mandy. They’d never really spoken before this, at least she didn’t think she had, but the underclassman had always seemed friendly.
From a distance.
They’d run in very different social circles so she didn’t have much to go on other than Lark’s approach to the situation, which so far seemed positive. Of course, Lark had been that way with everyone so far and Sarah didn’t think that she was on friendly terms with all of them back at Mangrove. All they could do was hope that Mandy was friendly and that their luck of avoiding trouble up until now continued to hold up. ”We’re looking for tools; something to break through the collars? Anything like that.”
“Um, yeah. Hi.” Unlike Lark, Sarah didn’t know what to make of Mandy. They’d never really spoken before this, at least she didn’t think she had, but the underclassman had always seemed friendly.
From a distance.
They’d run in very different social circles so she didn’t have much to go on other than Lark’s approach to the situation, which so far seemed positive. Of course, Lark had been that way with everyone so far and Sarah didn’t think that she was on friendly terms with all of them back at Mangrove. All they could do was hope that Mandy was friendly and that their luck of avoiding trouble up until now continued to hold up. ”We’re looking for tools; something to break through the collars? Anything like that.”
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VoltTurtle
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Seo-yun lurked just below deck, just out of sight.
She had felt the slightest bit of stress letting Mandy go forward without her, so she opted instead to remain close behind. Mandy wasn't exactly an imposing threat on her own, and if their guests had been of the less than savory type, she wouldn't last very long in an actual fight. Thus, Seo-yun remained by her side, for her own safety. It was better that way.
Thankfully at least, the future victims above didn't seem to pose that much of a threat. She heard the word 'escape' and knew all she needed to know about them. A bunch of fools, thinking they could outsmart grown adults with considerable funding, without Seo-yun on their team to help them do so. She would even go so far laugh at the notion if she wasn't trying to skulk around like the monster she was.
Importantly though, if they wanted to escape, that meant that they weren't actively looking for kills. Mandy was safe for the time being, but that didn't mean they were inconsequential. They were still capable of defending themselves if need be, and she couldn't see what weapons they had from where she was hiding.
Her mangled ear burned. Best not to take the chance, just yet.
Mandy would know best how to proceed from here. So instead of taking matters into her own hands, Seo-yun waited, watched, and listened.
She had felt the slightest bit of stress letting Mandy go forward without her, so she opted instead to remain close behind. Mandy wasn't exactly an imposing threat on her own, and if their guests had been of the less than savory type, she wouldn't last very long in an actual fight. Thus, Seo-yun remained by her side, for her own safety. It was better that way.
Thankfully at least, the future victims above didn't seem to pose that much of a threat. She heard the word 'escape' and knew all she needed to know about them. A bunch of fools, thinking they could outsmart grown adults with considerable funding, without Seo-yun on their team to help them do so. She would even go so far laugh at the notion if she wasn't trying to skulk around like the monster she was.
Importantly though, if they wanted to escape, that meant that they weren't actively looking for kills. Mandy was safe for the time being, but that didn't mean they were inconsequential. They were still capable of defending themselves if need be, and she couldn't see what weapons they had from where she was hiding.
Her mangled ear burned. Best not to take the chance, just yet.
Mandy would know best how to proceed from here. So instead of taking matters into her own hands, Seo-yun waited, watched, and listened.
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3442
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"Oh," Mandy said. Her voice jumped up high and then fell back to normal almost as quickly. "Hi, Lark. Hi, Sarah."
This was okay, right? She stepped up the stairs and into better view, and she looked at the girls, and she felt her heartbeat speeding up. Right, it was okay. It would be okay.
Lark and Sarah. Sarah and Lark. Lark was somebody Mandy was pretty fond of. She was cool in this odd, aloof way, where nothing much seemed to faze her even while she made other people kind of on edge. Sometimes, when other people weren't in the mood to have Mandy hanging around, and were making that clear to her, she'd go find Lark and hang out there instead. They weren't incredibly close, but there was an understanding of a sort? Mandy thought well of her, at least. And seeing her here, with the huge, improbable hat, it felt real in an unreal way. Of course Lark would have something like that. Of course she'd have a direction already, and one that didn't line up with what anyone was supposed to do. That was just how she was
Sarah, meanwhile, was a total weirdo. Mandy was in the loop enough with the seniors to know some rumors about the alien thing, and she hadn't really tried to get too close after that, because everyone knew about it and getting actually personally involved might get the scent of that whole situation on you and that was social poison.
Sarah was precisely the sort of person Mandy would feel, well, less bad about luring to her demise. Lark was not.
"Escape sounds great," Mandy continued. She was talking kind of fast. Her eyes were still adjusting to the natural, non-tinted lighting up here, such as it was, and she was a little distracted by the props and barrels and holes in the deck and such, but Sarah looked sort of messed up. What had happened there? Not that it mattered. The girls were still wearing their collars, so they hadn't figured it out yet. This wasn't an invitation to a free ride home, but an opportunity to gamble her life in yet another way, and one that historically had questionable odds. Obviously, if things were all set to just go, Mandy would jump straight in, and she'd make sure they took Seo-yun along too. Whatever the girl had done, it wouldn't matter anymore at that point. But they weren't at that point, and they never would be.
How mad would Lark be if Mandy coaxed the two of them down below and then Seo-yun shot Sarah and then they told Lark she could go after? That seemed like the sort of thing that might be pretty upsetting, but Lark didn't react normally to a lot of things, so maybe it'd be okay? And it wasn't like she'd have that much room to complain. And she and Sarah weren't even on the same team besides, and not on Blue or Red either.
"There's all sorts of things down here," Mandy said. "Me and—I mean, I can show you, if you want? There's a room where I've been hiding out."
She took a step back down the staircase, smiling. The red light was washing over her feet, spilling out, illuminating her from below in a dull unearthly glow.
"I think most of it's junk but there's some heavy stuff."
This was okay, right? She stepped up the stairs and into better view, and she looked at the girls, and she felt her heartbeat speeding up. Right, it was okay. It would be okay.
Lark and Sarah. Sarah and Lark. Lark was somebody Mandy was pretty fond of. She was cool in this odd, aloof way, where nothing much seemed to faze her even while she made other people kind of on edge. Sometimes, when other people weren't in the mood to have Mandy hanging around, and were making that clear to her, she'd go find Lark and hang out there instead. They weren't incredibly close, but there was an understanding of a sort? Mandy thought well of her, at least. And seeing her here, with the huge, improbable hat, it felt real in an unreal way. Of course Lark would have something like that. Of course she'd have a direction already, and one that didn't line up with what anyone was supposed to do. That was just how she was
Sarah, meanwhile, was a total weirdo. Mandy was in the loop enough with the seniors to know some rumors about the alien thing, and she hadn't really tried to get too close after that, because everyone knew about it and getting actually personally involved might get the scent of that whole situation on you and that was social poison.
Sarah was precisely the sort of person Mandy would feel, well, less bad about luring to her demise. Lark was not.
"Escape sounds great," Mandy continued. She was talking kind of fast. Her eyes were still adjusting to the natural, non-tinted lighting up here, such as it was, and she was a little distracted by the props and barrels and holes in the deck and such, but Sarah looked sort of messed up. What had happened there? Not that it mattered. The girls were still wearing their collars, so they hadn't figured it out yet. This wasn't an invitation to a free ride home, but an opportunity to gamble her life in yet another way, and one that historically had questionable odds. Obviously, if things were all set to just go, Mandy would jump straight in, and she'd make sure they took Seo-yun along too. Whatever the girl had done, it wouldn't matter anymore at that point. But they weren't at that point, and they never would be.
How mad would Lark be if Mandy coaxed the two of them down below and then Seo-yun shot Sarah and then they told Lark she could go after? That seemed like the sort of thing that might be pretty upsetting, but Lark didn't react normally to a lot of things, so maybe it'd be okay? And it wasn't like she'd have that much room to complain. And she and Sarah weren't even on the same team besides, and not on Blue or Red either.
"There's all sorts of things down here," Mandy said. "Me and—I mean, I can show you, if you want? There's a room where I've been hiding out."
She took a step back down the staircase, smiling. The red light was washing over her feet, spilling out, illuminating her from below in a dull unearthly glow.
"I think most of it's junk but there's some heavy stuff."
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delicateMachine
- Posts: 295
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:26 pm
- Location: void
Mandy seemed normal enough. The line between being ‘peppy’ and ‘frantic’ was already a little blurry with her, even before their new televised home where every interaction was tinged with ambient anxiety, so Lark didn’t pay much attention to her tripping over her words. Maybe the novelty of someone looking (almost) glad to see her made her feel more comfortable than was sane, but after a day full of failure she’d take what she could get.
“And, hey. There might be some good stuff in that junk,” Lark said, walking over to Mandy’s staircase with a smile. “We can’t really afford to overlook anything, right?”
That was a nice way of putting ‘we’re so desperate for any sort of lead that we’ll gladly dig through a bunch of trash,’ but she’d prefer not to scare Mandy away with their complete incompetence. A little confidence could go a long way to getting her on their side
Which was a thought that suddenly bothered Lark. Would Mandy really be alone? Mandy, of all people? Curled up hidden in the belly of a ghost ship without latching onto a single teammate, or friend, or even any passerby with a charismatic idea? Lark’s inner monologue was maybe a little uncharitable towards the girl, but she had a hard time believing that she was that lacking in initiative.
Still, it was just a thought, and not enough reason to retreat into a night that was full of distant, shadowy figures that would probably shoot her on sight. She’d keep her guard up but hope for the best. She took her first step down the staircase.
“Nice lighting! Feels like we’re going down into Hell or something.” Lark was being genuine - the harsh red glow was almost relaxing in its honesty. Nothing good was going to happen anywhere in the fleet, so their surroundings might as well look the part.
“And, hey. There might be some good stuff in that junk,” Lark said, walking over to Mandy’s staircase with a smile. “We can’t really afford to overlook anything, right?”
That was a nice way of putting ‘we’re so desperate for any sort of lead that we’ll gladly dig through a bunch of trash,’ but she’d prefer not to scare Mandy away with their complete incompetence. A little confidence could go a long way to getting her on their side
Which was a thought that suddenly bothered Lark. Would Mandy really be alone? Mandy, of all people? Curled up hidden in the belly of a ghost ship without latching onto a single teammate, or friend, or even any passerby with a charismatic idea? Lark’s inner monologue was maybe a little uncharitable towards the girl, but she had a hard time believing that she was that lacking in initiative.
Still, it was just a thought, and not enough reason to retreat into a night that was full of distant, shadowy figures that would probably shoot her on sight. She’d keep her guard up but hope for the best. She took her first step down the staircase.
“Nice lighting! Feels like we’re going down into Hell or something.” Lark was being genuine - the harsh red glow was almost relaxing in its honesty. Nothing good was going to happen anywhere in the fleet, so their surroundings might as well look the part.
“Right… can’t overlook anything.” Sarah didn’t immediately follow when Lark bounded forward; a little more hesitant, a little less quick to trust. It was tempting to just follow her companion’s lead here, when she seemed so confident things were okay, but something about Mandy’s voice was off in a way that had her on edge.
It wasn’t the same kind of unease she had felt around Zach at first though, or the discomfort she had experienced back at the shop boat around the body; she didn’t feel threatened by Mandy. Her voice just had a kind of forced politeness to it that Sarah was used to hearing; the sound of someone who hadn’t been expecting her, didn’t really want to deal with her, but didn’t have a good excuse to ignore her. The voice of someone who was uncomfortable around her.
Right, Sarah and Mandy didn’t know each other and the younger girl had never been one of the ones to make fun of her, but she hung out with the kind of people who had; she must have heard the rumours. Once she realised that it made sense; Lark was welcome here, Sarah was less so. It was an unpleasant reminder, but she could deal if that’s all it was.
“Are you the only one here?”
Sarah turned away from Mandy to look down the stairs, but saw nothing but a small part of the ships interior bathed in red light; it looked ominous in a haunted house kind of way, but it also looked promising. Interior lighting was already more than she had expected from this place.
It wasn’t the same kind of unease she had felt around Zach at first though, or the discomfort she had experienced back at the shop boat around the body; she didn’t feel threatened by Mandy. Her voice just had a kind of forced politeness to it that Sarah was used to hearing; the sound of someone who hadn’t been expecting her, didn’t really want to deal with her, but didn’t have a good excuse to ignore her. The voice of someone who was uncomfortable around her.
Right, Sarah and Mandy didn’t know each other and the younger girl had never been one of the ones to make fun of her, but she hung out with the kind of people who had; she must have heard the rumours. Once she realised that it made sense; Lark was welcome here, Sarah was less so. It was an unpleasant reminder, but she could deal if that’s all it was.
“Are you the only one here?”
Sarah turned away from Mandy to look down the stairs, but saw nothing but a small part of the ships interior bathed in red light; it looked ominous in a haunted house kind of way, but it also looked promising. Interior lighting was already more than she had expected from this place.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Lark didn't realize just how right she was.
Seo-yun remained in the shadows, her visage obscured, the shotgun already pointed at Lark's chest. Mandy had done well, bringing one of the two down. Unfortunately, though, it seemed the other one—Sarah, she thought she heard—was being a bit more cautious. Perhaps she had the good sense not to trust the first random person that she ran into in a death game, common sense that Lark seemed to be lacking.
She debated whether or not to reveal herself. On the one hand, waiting for Sarah to come down could net her an easy double, but if one or both of them was carrying a gun, they'd have time between her shots to return fire. On the other hand, it was only a matter of time before she was spotted, and the last thing she wanted was a panic. Panic could lead to shooting, and shooting could lead to losing her other ear, or worse.
Best to keep this nice and easy. Let them think they might be able to get away, if only they cooperate. That's how actual serial killers do it, and well, she was one of those now, right? Even if that one got away, a kill was a kill regardless. Pragmatism was the name of the game, no need for flash when your life was truly on the line.
"No sudden movements," she hissed, as she emerged from the dark, shotgun still trained on Lark. "Whatever weapons you've got, drop 'em."
Seo-yun remained in the shadows, her visage obscured, the shotgun already pointed at Lark's chest. Mandy had done well, bringing one of the two down. Unfortunately, though, it seemed the other one—Sarah, she thought she heard—was being a bit more cautious. Perhaps she had the good sense not to trust the first random person that she ran into in a death game, common sense that Lark seemed to be lacking.
She debated whether or not to reveal herself. On the one hand, waiting for Sarah to come down could net her an easy double, but if one or both of them was carrying a gun, they'd have time between her shots to return fire. On the other hand, it was only a matter of time before she was spotted, and the last thing she wanted was a panic. Panic could lead to shooting, and shooting could lead to losing her other ear, or worse.
Best to keep this nice and easy. Let them think they might be able to get away, if only they cooperate. That's how actual serial killers do it, and well, she was one of those now, right? Even if that one got away, a kill was a kill regardless. Pragmatism was the name of the game, no need for flash when your life was truly on the line.
"No sudden movements," she hissed, as she emerged from the dark, shotgun still trained on Lark. "Whatever weapons you've got, drop 'em."
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3442
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"I, uh, I'm, I mean," Mandy started.
This was sort of hard. She wasn't expecting to have to directly lie. She'd kind of fumbled before, but it wasn't a big deal. Lark was moving closer, comfortable and trusting, which was okay, but Sarah—Mandy's actual target—was hanging back. This could potentially get super awkward, especially if Sarah just wanted to wait around up top as lookout or something. They might have to take Lark hostage and have her lure Sarah down herself, and she might object, and, and...
But none of that stuff actually mattered in the end. Mandy took another couple steps down the stairs, walking along with Lark, giving Sarah an encouraging smile and trying not to think about how now the girl was actually, truly about to get abducted. The red light washed over the girls, and then Seo-yun stepped out, her face and weapon bathed in its glow, and leveled the shotgun, and issued a hushed command, and there was no longer the time offered by the walk to the room to fix things or figure them out or convince Sarah or avoid disaster.
Mandy looked to Lark, apologetic, and then Sarah, sheepish.
"No," she said, "I'm not alone."
This was sort of hard. She wasn't expecting to have to directly lie. She'd kind of fumbled before, but it wasn't a big deal. Lark was moving closer, comfortable and trusting, which was okay, but Sarah—Mandy's actual target—was hanging back. This could potentially get super awkward, especially if Sarah just wanted to wait around up top as lookout or something. They might have to take Lark hostage and have her lure Sarah down herself, and she might object, and, and...
But none of that stuff actually mattered in the end. Mandy took another couple steps down the stairs, walking along with Lark, giving Sarah an encouraging smile and trying not to think about how now the girl was actually, truly about to get abducted. The red light washed over the girls, and then Seo-yun stepped out, her face and weapon bathed in its glow, and leveled the shotgun, and issued a hushed command, and there was no longer the time offered by the walk to the room to fix things or figure them out or convince Sarah or avoid disaster.
Mandy looked to Lark, apologetic, and then Sarah, sheepish.
"No," she said, "I'm not alone."
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delicateMachine
- Posts: 295
- Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2018 6:26 pm
- Location: void
“Hi, Seo-yun. Going for ten?” Lark’s new rictus betrayed her still-casual tone, and with a heavy clatter her sack of ball bearings hit the floor while she raised her hands in surrender. She glanced at Mandy out of the corner of her eye, and the girl’s obvious guilt wasn’t any consolation.
Lark knew and even liked Seo-yun (of course, the girl made sure everyone did) but couldn’t call her a friend. She occupied a social gray area - someone she was always happy to talk to, but never someone she felt a need to actively spend time with. Probably the same way everyone who remembered that Lark existed felt about her, honestly.
It’d still been a bit of a surprise to hear her name cross the announcements so many times - four, if she remembered correctly? SOTF had more than enough examples of ‘nice’ people snapping under the pressure, and she’d thought Seo-yun to be much more composed than that. Maybe she’d never been that nice to begin with? You didn’t kill four people by neurotic circumstance, especially not with an accomplice who’d conveniently kept her name clean.
Hey. On the bright side, she’d forcibly donated Abel to science for whatever their ‘experiment’ had been worth. Maybe one day someone would come around and desecrate Lark’s corpse. The cycle of life was beautiful, and her palms were starting to sweat again, and she couldn’t even wipe them on her dress, was she going to die with clammy hands?
Deep breaths. She had to keep it together. Turn seconds into minutes into the rest of her life. She looked back over her shoulder and called out, “It was fun while it lasted, Sarah, but you should probably start running!”
Lark really, really wished that their positions had been reversed, but there wasn’t any point in dragging her down into Hell with her. All she could do was hope that her brief companion lived long enough to accidentally blow herself up.
She turned back to face her fate. All she could do now was wait and see if Seo-yun would shoot her for the insolence.
Lark knew and even liked Seo-yun (of course, the girl made sure everyone did) but couldn’t call her a friend. She occupied a social gray area - someone she was always happy to talk to, but never someone she felt a need to actively spend time with. Probably the same way everyone who remembered that Lark existed felt about her, honestly.
It’d still been a bit of a surprise to hear her name cross the announcements so many times - four, if she remembered correctly? SOTF had more than enough examples of ‘nice’ people snapping under the pressure, and she’d thought Seo-yun to be much more composed than that. Maybe she’d never been that nice to begin with? You didn’t kill four people by neurotic circumstance, especially not with an accomplice who’d conveniently kept her name clean.
Hey. On the bright side, she’d forcibly donated Abel to science for whatever their ‘experiment’ had been worth. Maybe one day someone would come around and desecrate Lark’s corpse. The cycle of life was beautiful, and her palms were starting to sweat again, and she couldn’t even wipe them on her dress, was she going to die with clammy hands?
Deep breaths. She had to keep it together. Turn seconds into minutes into the rest of her life. She looked back over her shoulder and called out, “It was fun while it lasted, Sarah, but you should probably start running!”
Lark really, really wished that their positions had been reversed, but there wasn’t any point in dragging her down into Hell with her. All she could do was hope that her brief companion lived long enough to accidentally blow herself up.
She turned back to face her fate. All she could do now was wait and see if Seo-yun would shoot her for the insolence.