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View Full Version : Beyond the Second World: The first Gate [M] (VaidiaxKoti~) (IC)



Koti~
01-05-2019, 11:15 PM
'Did I… what happened?’ The thoughts ran though Sasha's head, sore muscles protesting her body. She shifted her body, trying to understand why her body was so sore. Underneath her sand shifted, grains rolling along her skin. Sounds returned shortly after, the gentle wash of the ocean mixing with a wind whispering through her ears. Opening her eyes she was greeted by the brilliant sun, flooding her eyes like the first light. Sasha had to shut them quick, her head pounding painfully through her entire body. A groan escaped as her body made her prominently aware of how sore she felt.

After another few minutes of lying on a supposed beach, she sat up. A groan passed through her body as she rolled upright, shielding her eyes to look around. Before her stretched the most beautiful ocean she had seen. Crystal clear waves spanned leagues in front of her, shimmering like diamonds under the sun. If not for the pounding of her head, this would be the best inspiration for art ever. Despite the pain she reached for her bag, though her hand grabbed air. Finally taking a moment to steady herself, she saw that something was different.

Her outfit had been changed to a simple white shirt and skirt, a pair of plain boots now adorned her feet.

“This wasn't what I was wearing today?” Sasha questioned herself as she tried to recall why she was wearing different clothes and her bag was missing. Pain flashed through her mind as she looked down at her hands, remembering them soaked red, feeling pain and warmth radiating from the side of her stomach. Fearful of what had happened, she pulled her shirt up, only to see smooth skin. She could still remember vividly, the building collapsing around them, the Earth shuddering beneath her feet as an earthquake racked the building. The steel beam breaking off from the ceiling, as her life flashed through her eyes as a steel pipe speared-!

“Am I in heaven then?” Sasha questioned as she stood up, stiff joints popping as she stood and looked around. Taking her eyes off the ocean she turned around, looking into a forest of palm trees, the woods dense and cooling. She began walking, figuring that the best idea would be to head towards the sturdier ground, the gentle breeze playing with her hair.

“So, you woke up here as well?” A voice caught her by surprise. She turned around, spying the man moving towards her.

“Who are you?”

=======
Matthew
=======

“Oh God's it hurts.” Matt groaned as pain pulsed through him, radiating from his shoulder down. His body protested movement as he began to move his fingers, trying to understand what was going on. Sand greeted him, warm and comforting to his touch. He dug into it, feeling grains pass through it, some getting stuck under his fingernails. As warmth awoken through his hand, smell soon joined him. The wind carried the scent of salt and sand, fresh dirt joining that scent in undertones. Crashing waves assaulted his senses next, the push and pull of water a soothing rhythm.

“Why am I on a beach?” Matt had to question himself, sitting up with some pain as all his joints burned from movement. His hand instantly went to his shoulder, rubbing it slowly as he finally opened his eyes, only to be met by burning sand. The sun lit up the sand on the beach, turning it a glossy white in contrast to the ocean. It looked like paradise as he moved to stand, seeing that his normal jean shorts had been replaced by cotton white shorts and a simple white Tee. This he knew was wrong, as he had been wearing something different entirely.

Pain lanced through his head, remembering the vibrations passing through the building, the earthquake shaking the building apart. It had hit without warning, and ripped the building in half. He had jumped to push a woman to the side, yet he was caught when the building split. He dropped into a free fall, the Earth having opened up to swallow him whole. He didn't know how far he fell, but hitting the ground had only flooded his entire body with pain.

“So I died. If this is heaven, then it kinda bites.” Matt spoke as he rolled his shoulder, wincing in pain. Pulling his eyes from the calm ocean, he looked upon the dense forest of palm trees. Now the dirt smell was understood, he moved towards it. If he wanted to really see if he was in heaven, he would need to see if there was anyone else around. Taking one last look at the ocean, he turned around to see a woman just inside the grass line. She wore a similar outfit to his, her hair a mix of pink and black. Finally someone else here.

“So, you woke up here as well?” He asked, not normally one to approach others, but this situation was not normal itself.

“Who are you?” Sasha questioned him, giving him a sigh.

“Names Matt. Anyone else wash up on shore?” He questioned her, looking back at the beach. Seeing as he didn't see the woman until he hit the grass, it would make sense that they wouldn't see anyone else until they reached the grass as well.

“Not sure.. do you know where we are?” Sasha asked Matt looking back over the beach as well.

Vaidia
01-06-2019, 02:25 AM
[Atara]

I guess this is what I get for trying to be the hero…

She had been shot once before, in the arm. When she was just ten, and when some older kid was trash talking her mother. As that was completely out of line, Atara thought to teach the kid a lesson, not realizing he had a gun. Then, she was just glanced by the bullet. It hurt like a bugger, but she still managed to pound the kids face in. Most people underestimated her as a child before it was too late, and they were out a set of teeth. But this time…

The heist had gone terribly wrong, and it was her fault. Serving as a lookout, one of the rival gang members met with her fists, and confessed that the whole thing was a set up to “take care” of her gang. Having no other choice, she did one of the few sensible things she had ever thought to do, and called the police. The whole thing turned into a stand off between the three groups and then…

Atara sat up with a ground. Below her was not the pavement from before. Above her was not any form of crushing concrete. Around her was a place she’d only seen in commercials in the odd cafe she crashed when she had enough money to splurge, or in the odd magazine that she used more often as a flyswatter than reading material. It was… beautiful. So much that she thought to not be angry for a moment.

A moment that did not last long. “The fuck…” she mumbled, slowly pushing herself up. She took quick note that she no longer wore her signature attire, but some entirely plain combination of pants and shirt, like some hospital patient. Perhaps that was were this was. Some new age resort for emotional and physical fuck ups, and her ticket in was...

Atarah could feel her hand pressing into the ground… sand… of the beach. Feel the grains bury themselves to join the other collected dirt beneath her fingernails. This couldn’t be a dream. She didn’t have a big enough imagination to come up with this. Testingly, she grabbed and handful of sand, and threw it up in the air-- only to have it be blown back into her face by the wind.

“The fuuuuuck.” She groaned again, brushing as much of the sand as could out of her face and hair, eyes watering. That was not exactly a brilliant plan. She normally didn’t make the schemes she just… that’s right. Before coming, someone (the police, the rival gang, her own people-- she wasn’t sure who) had shot her, in a far more fatal spot than her arm and in the following chaos, she managed to crawl into an alley, but then the ground started to shake as well and she heard a crack from above as the wall fell down and--

“The fucking…” She collapsed back down again. Her being at some magical get along island was unlikely. She has a significant lack of gunshot wounds and crushed everything for that to be possible. Maybe this was the after life, but there was no way she would end up somewhere so nice with the life she ran. Well, there was no use in moping about it. The youth writhed on the ground a moment more, before standing up with a groan, and looking around again. There were some trees further in on the island, which seemed like a logical place to explore next. She was a dumbass for so long, she might as well try changing something wherever this was.

As her feet hit the grass line, things only seemed to get weirder.

“The. Hell.” Atara said, as two people seemed to appear in front of her-- she ignored the voice in her head that said they were always there. Trying not to be a dumbass apparently came with randomly appearing teenagers. Or hallucinations. “What the fuck is this bullshit?”

---

[William]

It was hot. The young man lurched up from the ground, coughing feverently, and attempting to drag himself away, even as he felt his entire body rail in protest. A moment later, he realised that his surroundings were significantly different from before-- the air was clear, and he was not trapped inside a burning building. Infact, he wasn’t in any sort of building. He remained still a moment, taking in slow deep breaths. Trying to recall his last memories, all the while pushing back his pain.

It had been one of his bad pain flare up days (and still was, it seemed), so he had removed himself to his office to relax for a while. Paperwork had just come in regarding his most recent grant application, one that would let his school have access to some supplies to start a robotics team. He had a friend in that field, so he knew the paperwork was little more than a formality, but formalities were good for PR, and keeping the books clean, which was important for the kids here.

The first thing he noticed was the smell of smoke-- and nothing of the recreational sort. Alarmed, he took his wheelchair out into the hall, which was already filled with smoke. There was an alarm he could pull, but it seemed in the direction that the smoke was coming from. But he was the only one there, so he steeled himself and rolled forward. Before he could make his way there, the ground started to shake, ejecting him out of his chair. He remembered crawling the last few feet to the alarm with a single minded focus, the smoke growing thicker by the moment, before he managed to reach the alarm and pull it, raising his head up into the smoke. He remembered crawling away from there, thoughts in his mind to make sure no one else was trapped upstairs, before the ground began shaking again, and the smoke more intense, and then the fire--

He exhaled deeply. At least he knew the pain he experienced daily was less less than being oxygen starved and burned alive-- assuming that was what he experienced. And this place did not seem to be any sort of afterlife, as he couldn’t imagine carrying any sort of physical malady to a place where souls were supposed to reside.

He hoped that him pulling the alarm was enough to get everyone to safety. It seemed like the fire was only on the upper levels, where the staff offices were, and most everyone else was either teaching or patrolling the halls. And there was the earthquake that happened too-- the building he was in was certainly not built to withstand such a disaster, in fact, something like that should have not happened at all. It had to be enough. He wouldn’t forgive himself if any of his students or staff were hurt. But it was no use letting his worry disable him-- his body did that enough on its own.

“Alright Will, up you get.” Slowly, as his therapists recommended, he rose up again from the ground. He seemed to be on some sort of beach in some tropical climate, by both the warmth and humidity that was laden in the air, and the body of water seemed to a form of ocean, the deep breaths he took leaving a briny taste in his mouth. About five minutes later, he was sitting, looking around at the surroundings, and his own peculiar state. He was not wearing his usual button up shirt and slacks, but some plain attire made of cotton.

The sun was beginning to bear down on him and, as nice as the sight of the crystalline waves playing across the equally diamond like sand was, he needed to make his way to some form of shade. Perhaps try and see if there was some form of civilization nearby. Hopefully friendly civilization that spoke something he knew, and had communication with his home. There was a rather thick forest of palms and other vegetation behind him, which seemed as good of a place as any to go, and likely had a source of fresh water as well.

Slowly, he began to crawl toward the forest, walking certainly being out of the question even if did have his cane with him. It was a slow and noisy process, filled with several grunts of pain, and long pauses to regain the strength to move again, and let his hands cool from the burning of the sands. It was another ten minutes before he reached close to the edge of the forest, where the and became grass. As soon as he reached this point, he realized he was not alone.

There were three other people there, all of them clad in the same clothes as him, and all wearing various confused looks on their faces. One was a rather spritely looking girl with colorful hair like his (although, his was blue streaks), the other a rather sporty looking man around his age, and the third was a rather cantankerous sand covered girl that looked oddly familiar. It seemed like the other two were startled by the presence of the third, and in turn, all of them were now startled by him.

He propped himself up slightly and gave a weak wave, “Names Will. So I take it all of you also got caught in that earthquake and ended up here?”

Koti~
01-06-2019, 03:04 AM
“Well, I think that answers your question for sure. Nice to meet you by the way, Will.” Sasha responded, having to take a moment to be serious. The appearance of the sand covered girl, the rather roughneck looking girl had appeared from the beach as well, shortly followed by the man crawling on the ground. When Will had mentioned the idea of an earthquake dragging them all there, it made her look at the other two, wondering if they were dragged into this world in the same way. She sighed and nodded her head, loose hair shivering across her neck.

“Yeah, I was in the college art room, refilling my supplies when the room started to fall apart. I almost escaped, but I was caught by a pipe piercing my side… painfully.” Sasha offered, rubbing her side in a bit of phantom pain. She looked over to the boy again, realizing that he unlike the rest of them he was crawling along the ground. She moved towards the boy, noting the blue highlighted hair.

“Yeah, I got dragged here by an earthquake as well. Pushed a lady out of the way of cracking ground, only to get caught in the hole myself.” Matt responded, looking over to the other girl. Her bewildered appearance and sand covered clothing put him a bit on edge. Having been a manager for a year, he had picked up how to read people, and the girl was giving him an odd vibe.

“Names Matt, by the by.” Matt offered up as he looked along the beach front, craning his neck to peer around. From what he could see, the ocean and sand stretched far beyond, unable to see any sort of beach front town, or any buildings of any sort. They would need to get some high ground if the reality survivor shows were any basis to go off of. Looking around the group again, he could tell that at least three of them would follow him to some degree, as long as he showed some idea of what he was doing.

“Oh, sorry. My name is Sasha. I'm usually better at introductions, but I think today can be a bit off. Do you need any help Will?” Sasha introduced herself to the group as she finally reached Will, offering a hand to the young man. She had to bite her tongue to ask why he was still damaged, but figured it was from prior to the damage he incurred from what brought them here.

“So, since we're kinda stuck here, I think best would be to head inland and see if there is anyone else on this place. I think we can all agree that if anyone else was here, they would have walked off the beach by now.” Matt spoke, waving his hand at the waterfront. As much as he would love to head either into the ocean for some quiet, or into the woods by himself. Someone had to act as the leader, so might as well be someone who actually had management training.

Vaidia
01-06-2019, 06:03 AM
(W)

It was a he suspected. One strange and out of the ordinary event being connected to another. It was good that there seemed to be some form of logic going on, as bizarre as everything else was. He took another deep breath in. The air here was so clean, even with the sultry influence of the sea. That meant there was likely not any big ticket resort near by. Not enough human trash for that.

“That sounds really rough to go through,” Will added after the two relayed their stories. The sandy woman remained quiet, though he could see the agitation growing her like the raising hackles of a dog. She was glaring at the sportly man-- Matt, returning his wary glance with a glare that made such a thing seem warranted. “I was at the office of my school when a fire started. I went to pull the fire alarm when the earthquake started and ah-- blacked out from the smoke, so I don’t know what happened after that. I guess either the fire or smoke killed me.” He shrugged, then winced as the motion caused pain to shoot up his spine.

---

(A)

Just as it seemed things couldn’t get to further levels of bullshit, a fourth person appeared, this one crawling on the ground and looking 100% pitiful, until he casually introduced himself, as if they had all happened to find themselves on the same street corner. She pegged him as likely the most dangerous in terms of if she had to beat up the people here, as she would likely feel bad after, and it was always the wimpy seeming ones that had a trick up their sleeves.

The three went around introducing themselves, and it seemed like they had all run into similar fates. An Earthquake… and then death. The three looked at her expectantly as they finished their stories, but she only glared at the standing male. She recognized the look her had. It was one she had gotten many a time when walking into a store. Usually a security guard would follow her around after that, or she would be straight out asked to leave.

“Ah, you’re covered in sand,” the asian kid said after a moment’s lull in the conversation.

“What did you say to me?” Atara said, breaking her gaze away from the caucasian male.

“Sand,” He repeated, grinning harmlessly, before wiping some of the granules from his own body. She looked down and sure enough he was right. She was covered in a fine layer of white particle shit. She shrugged, causing some of it to cascade off of her. It might come in handy later.

The conversation continued, but Atara did not pay much mind to it. The one that had given her the nasty look was called Matt apparently, and the other girl was named Sasha. All of them seemed like people she would usually make an effort to avoid (and them avoid her as much as possible in turn).

“Thanks, Sasha,” the one name Will said, taking the hand of the rather posh looking girl. “Gotta go slow though. I was given a poor pick in the body lottery when I was born.”

“So, since we're kinda stuck here, I think best would be to head inland and see if there is anyone else on this place. I think we can all agree that if anyone else was here, they would have walked off the beach by now.”

(“Or crawled.” Will interjected, but this was not something Atara paid much attention to.)

“And who put you in charge?” Atara spat, giving a thick browed glare toward Matt as he played like some team captain wannabe. She knew what she was saying was bait. She couldn’t help it, desire for a new beginning be damned. That was before she saw the rabble she was grouped with, and if there was going to be a play for dominance, she was going to make that play now.

Koti~
01-06-2019, 01:20 PM
Sasha looked between them, already feeling the tension growing. Looking at Atara only made her feel annoyance and minor anger growing under the skin. Looking towards Matt brought the same annoyance, yet tired acceptance. They had barely been here for an hour and already there was group infighting. She didn't want them to be at each other's throat when they were on an unknown island with nothing but some cloth clothing.

Matt on the other hand was keeping his eyes on the woman, returning her hard gaze and allowing his mind to work. Already he could feel the pressure of having g to fight his way through the woman's anger issue. This was why he hated working with unknown people. On his shift, he knew them all and they knew the goal of the night. He could work the shift without having to make major changes. They got through it, with a relaxed workplace that got the job done.

“I'm not trying to be in charge, but we need to move. It's just us four on an unknown land without any seeable city of town. If you wish to take command, be my guest.” Matt spoke, giving a wave over the group. He would rather let the woman take command, at least someone would. He could already tell that Sasha and Will were not the best suited for leading the pack. Sasha appeared to preppy to lead the party, despite her willingness to help. Will was definitely out if his body could barely handle himself.

“Hey, what are we then, lemmings?” Sasha questioned the two of them, trying to respond with the same level of annoyance at the two arguing over them leading the group without their input. Even though she didn't personally want to take a part of leading, just being left out was not a nice thing.

“I honestly don't care who takes lead at this point, as long as we get moving.” Matt let out an annoyed sigh, just wishing they could get a move on. The longer they wasted arguing around the beach, the less they could hopefully find a town before the sun fell, if the sun fell here. They didn't know anything about the place they woke up on.

“Man, I thought death would be a lot simpler than this.” Matt grumbled to himself as he rolled his shoulder, feeling it pop and crack while looking over the group. They would need to get their collect shit together to at least find civilization in the world, after that they can their own way, but needs must.

Vaidia
01-06-2019, 08:48 PM
(The phantom pain from the gunshot wound was still there, like the lingering terror from a nightmare before waking erased the memory. She had plenty of time to relish being shot and all its potential implications, before the much swifter end of being crushed came to be. It seemed strange in many ways to live in a world without that pain now, as it had become everything moments prior.)

“Your acting like someone that thinks they in charge.” Atara snapped, crossing her arms. “And I don’t appreciate the assumption that you’re the most qualified here.” Honestly, she thought all of them were worthless for a situation like this. She wasn’t polished, but her smarts were for surviving the streets. The others looked polished, and not much else.

“Well, if I may interject, we do need to get moving,” Will piped up from the ground. It seemed the pecking order needed to be established before they could do anything. They all seemed rather young, so there needed to be some lines drawn out. Something they didn’t have much time for, as he was going to slow them down. “This is some form of wilderness. Priority would be to find a fresh water source, and shelter. Hopefully there will be a river further inland-- but I wouldn’t count on it being too close. So, what was your name, miss--?”

Atara looked down at the boy, who looked at her with curiosity, head tilted slightly to the side like some questioning puppy. But his eyes had a different look to them, and it was one she also felt was dangerous. “Miss none of your fucking business.”

Koti~
01-06-2019, 09:23 PM
“Alright miss Nunya, nice to meet ya.” Matt responded to her, giving her a snarky look as he looked back towards Will. He was being the most sensible. They needed water and a place to survive until they could figure out more and hopefully what in the balls was going on. He let out a sigh and rolled his bad shoulder, already annoyed by all of this.

“I have an idea then. Why not split up and look the forest over for water and shelter. We can look through the woods as a group and return here before the sun sets.” Sasha responded as she bent down to lift Will up. She grunted a bit, thankful that the boy was light. She could sense something in his emotions, a tingling as she managed to lift him into a standing position.

“I'm sorry, but that's a rather dangerous option. A really dumb one too.” Matthew responded after giving her a flat look. This wasn't a Scooby Doo skit where they would somehow magically find a spot to rest. Even more, they didn't know the rules of the land, so who knew what kind of creatures or people they would find here. At least the woman before him had better sense than to offer that. They needed a plan and they were going to end up running out of options here. As much as he disliked allowing a delinquent to be in charge of people's lives, letting her take some lead might help.

“Fine then. If you want to, you can lead.” Matthew conceded the reigns to her. He might actually be able to enjoy the forest. It made the best option for the moment, though he would step in before it got out of hand. He didn't want to risk people dying on the mysterious place.

“Then let's try a place to make into a home for the time being, near a water source as Will suggested.” Sasha spoke, hoping to keep the moral up, she didn't want to make things more tense as her body continued to feel the tingle through her body, along with a small amount of pain washing through her shoulders and back, if only by small amounts.

Vaidia
01-06-2019, 10:19 PM
Oh why did all of this have to happen on a bad pain day. Never mind the fact the didn’t have any of the medications that helped keep his disease from spiraling out of control. He might as well be useful why he could be-- and worry about the consequences later. He read a few different books about wilderness survival once when he was bored, so he could advise, even though he was unlikely to provide much physical labor.

“Miss Nunya is going to bust your pretty little face up if you push it much further,” Atara uncrossed one arm from her chest, cracking the knuckles in an impressive display. She was being quite civil, she thought. She gave one entire warning to the little shit (granted, he was taller than her), before further actions were taken.

Will looked back over to the imposing girl. She still looked quite familiar to him, although he couldn’t place it. Maybe she was a relative to one of her students? He’d figure it out sooner or later, he knew. Dying and waking up on a seemingly deserted island was enough to throw anyone off their game. He grunted a ‘thanks’ as the far more friendly girl helped him up, and took a moment to focus on not causing too much strain to his body.

“You think I want to be saddled with looking after your sorry asses?” Atara snipped back to Matt, as she gave a wild a sweeping look around to the group. They were a rather pathetic gathering. She probably would be better off on her own. But.

“I think you’d do a great job.” Will said, his voice slightly strained. If he was being realistic with himself currently, he would need to be carried. But he would attempt walking first. Perhaps this world had magical healing air. It certainly was better air than in the city. “You seem to have great instincts.”

“...Fucking hell, fine.” Atara looked toward the woods. She filed it away for her to marvel at the sight later, when she didn’t have to play babysitter. Never before had she seen so much green. “Y’alls better keep up.” With this, she started toward the woods, sand cascading off her body with each step.

Koti~
01-07-2019, 11:55 PM
“Alright then, lets get a move on.” Matthew replied with a sigh, following behind the renegade into the forest. They would need to stick together in this place, and right now she was as best an option as any, well… not Will yet. The breeze inside the woods was refreshing and cool, shadows dancing with the leaves and trees.

They walked for a few hours inside the forest, Sasha having traded spots with Will to keep up the pace. Shadows had begun to extend further, the green tinted forest growing with hues of red and orange. The wind carried a bite of cold air as the evening pulled on, no signs of a shelter or source of water having made itself known. Will trudged onwards, wanting to keep the moral high, as he could tell Sasha had begun to flog from the trek into the forest.

“Is there any chance that we are not just walking in circles?” Sasha questioned while burying a whine in her voice, the red hues starting their descent into more purple colors. Night would be setting upon them soon, and none knew the creatures of that might lurk in the dark. Wishing nothing more than to rest, she leaned up against a rather large tree, the palm trees having given way to more in oak and pines, even a very few ever greens.

She let out a sigh before she felt a deep rumble beneath her from the tree, before the tree began to give. The roots began to rip free of the earth, the tree much older than it had appeared. She squeaked as the tree began to drop down, the cracking wood filling the air as ground and sod filled the air around her. Beneath her the ground began to crumble away, darkness filling the air around her, for all but a moment.

“Sasha. Huh?” Matt had begun to move as the ground fell, trying to save the girl as fast as he could, only to be stalled as the girls head still poked a fair bit above ground, the tree roots having cast darker shadows than the surrounding. Underneath the tree was a shallow tunnel, the tree having been twisted around it into a wall. While shallow, the tunnel was deep enough to provide some shelter, and more than roomy enough to accommodate the four.

“I think I found a place to hold up.. for a bit at least.” Sasha tried to make light of the moment, letting out a nervous chuckle from the spot that she rested in.

Vaidia
01-08-2019, 05:03 AM
The trek was a long and slow one. Slow mostly because of Will, which he knew even though none of the other three (surprisingly also the still unidentified Ms. Nunya) seemed to want to voice acknowledgement of. As soon as the got far enough in the forest, he grabbed (or, more exactly, had Matt help grab) a sturdy enough stick to help him move with more ease-- although he still needed support from Sasha.

Normally Will would be perfectly interested in dictating all he facts about the local flora (fauna having yet to make a significant appearance beyond the usual buzzing flies and birdsong that was both strange and familiar, like listening to a half recognizable song from the next room over). It all was close enough to what he knew about, and several things would be a wonderful source for water. But he was just too tired. To focus. Beyond walking. And the occasional cheerful statement to Sasha.

Atara spent most of her time a good number of feet in front of the group, enough distance to keep her from having to directly interact with them, but close enough still for them to see her. It was perhaps a good thing, as a forest floor proved to be much more tricky to maneuver than even the most trash ridden of abandoned buildings. She found herself inclined to following paths that were already slightly clear and worn, although there was still a significant of brush that she had to plow through, small branches occasionally scratching her drawing thin lines of blood that dried instantly, but attracted flies (why did this damn place have to be that close to earth?) all the same. It made the marvel significantly less, and the slow moving company only served to frustrate her more.

It was a few hours in when he entire group seemed to be at their wits end, and night made its presence known early through the canopy of trees in brilliant jewel tones of maroon and amber. It was during one of the many breaks that things seemed to deteriorate, and was during one of the times that Atara was decently close to the rest of the group.

The other girl managed to let (another) complaint, and Atara was ready to fire back a justifiably annoyed response, when a great groaning followed a rather dramatic WHUMP, as the tree fell to the ground. As it did, Atara stepped back, feeling something twinge inside as she did so, before she instinctively planted herself down onto the spot. If any damn tree was to fall on her, she would teach it a lesson. Luckily, the whole incident was numerous feet away from her, meaning little cause for concern-- except for the fact the Sasha seemed to found some hole in the ground.

“Oh. Hell. No.” Atara said after one moment look the the apparent ‘shelter’. “I’m not getting into that thing. What if it rains?” She had heard too many stories that the friend of her friend named Jamal’s cousin’s best mate’s uncle’s twin named Larry about sleeping in a drainage area and drowning. She was not about to meet the same pseudo fate here in the god forsaken hell of bloodthirsty plants and boring fashion choices. “I ain’t going in there.”

“You don’t have to. And, uh, you are okay, right, Sasha?” Will piped up from the spot he was deposited. He was so very tired. And everything hurt, more than usual. His skin had a glossy sheen of sweat over it, and he looked rather ashen. He hadn’t had to push himself this hard since he had a run in with his last physical therapist, who he swore had a grudge against him. “But, it will have to do for tonight. I don’t think I can go any further. Good news is I think I saw some familiar looking plants back a bit that can be used for water since we’re in a pinch, assuming this place is related enough to earth. The tree hole should also let us dig enough to find some clay for later, and thankfully there are mostly pine trees now, so gathering tinder for fire won’t be too hard, and ah… I think that’s all I got right now.” Even talking was getting troublesome.

Koti~
01-09-2019, 02:04 AM
“Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just a little sore, though that may be a given.” Sasha added with a chuckle, rubbing her side gently. She knew it would bruise up by the morning but thankfully it was nothing major. Looking around the mock shelter she could see that there was an alcove to protect from the rain, yet the tunnel continued further down. Not something she wanted to explore at the moment, or ever, but it gave options. Matt moved over closer to the hole, looking over the shelter with a wary eye.

“It's gonna be the best place for the night, at least now. Unless we can find a cave within the next five minutes, I do believe we've hit our limit for wandering the woods. Some rest will do us all some good.” Matt pointed out to Nunya, giving her a glare as he let out a sigh. A chance to rest was best, though they definitely needed at least some water, as even he was starting to feel the tell-tale rumble of hunger. The idea of gnawing on plants for water and food seemed insane, but it was better than nothing.

“If we're going to get this started, we might as well divvy up tasks. Sasha, can you and Will go hunt for those plants he was mentioning? I'm sure all of us could use some water and at least something to eat. I'll try collecting some branches and hopefully something to try and light a fire. Nunya, if you wish to join, we could use some more cover over this, to keep us warm.” Matt spoke, that managerial tone filtering into his voice as he looked over the group. He had seen what the group was possible of, and had hopefully doled out the tasks as best as possible.

“Sure! I could use a fresh sap of water.” Sasha spoke, trying to lighten up the mood with a pun, yet with minimal effect. She felt her face flush red as she looked over the group and crawled out of the hole, the dirt giving a surprisingly good surface tension. She had expected a bit more muddy dirt, but either rocks or clay made it a really easy climb. Pulling herself free she dusted off the dirt and moved to help Will back up into moving.

Vaidia
01-10-2019, 05:39 AM
“Oh I ain’t going to do a thing you tell me to do,” Atarah spat, matching and surpassing the level of vehamancy in the glare the taller male gave her. She was rather sick of the way he looked at her, and was still rather in the mood of giving justification to his prejudice.

Will cleared his throat, which turned into a cough, unexpectedly. It was enough to draw Ms. Nunya’s attention away. “Thank you, Mr. Matt, for trying to organize everyone, but I don’t think I am going to be able to even go that far unless I am carried, and Sasha has already helped me plenty enough. You’ll have to leaf me behind.” He glanced over at the dark haired girl, before winking subtly. “The plants that I saw were vines, about 100 paces away, and will need someone to help with cutting them. You can use one of the rocks broken off from the tunnel, probably.” He paused to cough again.

Atara looked between the three (reserving a sneer for Matt). “I ‘spose you telling me to help with that?”

“If Ms. Sasha doesn’t mind working with you. We do need water before it gets too dark.” As flushed as his face was, even in the fading light, Will’s expression remained poised and pleasant, his tone patient, even though it was strained.

Atara’s expression seemed conflicted, and she made another round to look at the three (again giving a venomous look toward Matt, and now a slightly annoyed one toward Will. She mumbled a quick, elegant, but terribly crass combination of curses, before looking up. “Fucking fine. You said it was some damn vines? Let’s go then.”

Koti~
01-14-2019, 01:40 AM
Sasha gave Nunya a warm smile and nodded happily, managing to climb out of the hole without help. She smiled at the group before getting the last bit of direction from Will before leading the way. Now that she could have a moment free to learn more from Nunya, hopefully her actual name. The aggravation she gave off seemed only directed towards being stuck with the current group. A breather might be good for the moment.
She began leading the way, doing her best to not trip over any of the underbrush.

“So, crazy day huh? Dead in one world, dropped in another? I could use a milkshake at this point.” Sasha spoke, trying to break the air. She wanted nothing more than to learn more about the other woman she was with. Their main problem seemed to be the tension between Matt and her.

“I wish I had gone with them, but someone needs to make a resting place. How do you do it though?” Matt questioned Will, glad for the silence. He had already begun collecting twigs and large branches, figuring they would be best for a fire. Starting it would be a problem, but if he could start it then they would be set. Now he wished he had honestly taken up boy scouts.

“i mean seriously, where does she get she get off acting like a massive tyrant. Taking over like some big shot just cause she doesnt like taking orders.” Matt ranted as he gathered up enough and hopped down into the hole. With the open top and recessed walls, the smoke would travel upwards and it wouldn't risk burning anything. He could feel some hunger starting to set in, but hopefully the girls would return with the vines in question.

Vaidia
01-14-2019, 04:51 AM
Atara followed quickly, and sulkily after Sasha as they made their way toward the vines. Th scratches on her skin from the trees were beginning to itch slightly more now, and she had to keep herself from peeling off her skin in frustration. She rolled her eyes (unseen) as the girl in friend of her made quite a lackluster attempt at humor. What was this? Were they in some hidden camera show with cheesy scripted lines?

“I don’t know what the fuck gave you the impression I’d rather play friendly with any of you all,” Atara said crossly, kicking away some of the underbrush, and watching in satisfaction as the fragile ground dissolved beneath her feet. “Only reason I’m going on out here is because I’d rather not die of thirst, and seems like the course for that is sucking on some damn vines. Fucking hell, this is complete bullshit, and I just want a fucking shower.”

She took another few steps, kicking another clout of earth in the air. At least she was doing something, both by getting the magic water vines (were they in some fucking video game?) and by kicking the shit out of the ground. The earth at the city park by her was far too well maintained and far too use to human abuse to be so easily demolished. “How many st-- Fuck, OW!” Atara paused to hop on her foot, as she just kicked a rather hard something embedded in the ground, “I hate this fucking place.”

---

Will watched Matt bustle about the surrounding area, the man pausing to pick up some scrap or twig in punctuation with whatever he was saying. As he spoke, Will began to slowly move again, attempting to stretch his muscles slightly. Stretching helped, usually. Usually he wasn’t already in the bad of a state. He only had to keep it together for a little longer.

The man considered the questions a moment longer, before speaking. “I think we all deal with stress and trauma differently, and it’s important to recognize those boundaries. For some people, being given something important to do is what helps them cope with their pent up feelings.”

He paused to inhale suddenly as he moved slightly too fast, causing a more strenuous electric jolt of pain to shoot up from the offended arm, through his spine and into his brain. “Ehtete,” he slowly moved his arm down, returning to sitting still. For now. “Sorry about that. But, I make my best effort to be open to people, and not to make them feel like they should be guarded against me. Sometimes it takes patience, and being willing to let people be angry at you, before you can work through a situation together. I’m pretty bad at holding grudges.”

Will closed his eyes, turning his face skyward. He could still feel some heat coming down from above, but it seemed like the night had some chill in these woods. It would mean they would need the fire, or at least a lot of the leaf litter from the ground to help stay warm. He would have to make a point of that soon. And they should also lay out some leaves to gather moisture during the night-- there were some large enough ones to use in a bush a couple paces away. And maybe they could tap a tree too… but they’d need to get something to hold the water. So much to do… So much to do...

Koti~
01-15-2019, 04:11 PM
“You hit a rock?” Sasha asked as she looked over to Nunya, trying to hide a smile at the girls antics. With her hopping around in the falling light, it seemed like a cartoon skit than anything. Moving closer Sasha looked down to see the rock, only to feel cold. She squatted down and moved the dirt free, not sure just what she was looking at. It was large and almost metallic, curved like a massive claw. She went to grip the edge, only to feel the razor edge sharp enough to cut. If not for having kicked the base of it, it probably would have cut through the rather poor shoes.

“I don't think this belongs to a bear.” Sasha spoke as she lifted the obvious claw. She shivered some as she held it, the claw roughly the size of a football. It was a casted off shell, the center hollowed out as though it had been pulled off. Holding it better in the light the claw glinted, a cobalt blue tinge encoated the claw. Light danced across it, bathing the lights in blue hues as one could see.

“What… could have shed this?” Sasha questioned the item as she rolled it around, doing her level best to avoid cutting herself.


“You know, you're the most calm person I've met. We've been dropped in unknown lands and with who knows what here, and you're taking this like a walk in the park.” Matt spoke to Will, giving him a bewildered look. He had managed to collect enough material to start a fire, and now he needed to start it up. Giving the wood a look he took two of the large pieces and began to align the lumber into a triangle. Taking a small branch he grabbed another piece.

“If I remember right, it should work something like this…” Matt tried to reason, pushing one point into the base and began to spin it. He wasn't sure if it would work, but they needed heat, even faster as the cold settled in.

“If I may ask, how do you remain so calm though?” Matt asked the man, blowing on his hands carefully as the wood had started to rub them raw. He was trying to burn the logs, not his own flesh.

Vaidia
01-19-2019, 05:49 PM
“I hit a rock?” Atara repeated in equal parts indignation to Sasha’s curiosity. She muttered a few other curses under her breath as the other girl walked over. “Damn thing just about bit back. Mother Fucker, that hurt.”

Atarah was ready to forget the transgressing toe buster, but the other girl seemed to be a more curious sort. Atara knew better than to be overly curious about things. Curiosity often got you shot, or worse. Better was to take risks that responded well to being punched in the face. Nothing in whatever survivor hell this was proved to match that criteria or, if it did, would not be to a larger benefit if she did (but it would make her feel better).

A moment later, the object was revealed, causing the gangly woman to recoil away from them both. It looked like something out of a poorly budgeted fantasy movie, and obviously did not belong in the objects acceptable in reality.“Oh hell no. First we all die and end up on the survivor shit island, and now there is some Dino-ass looking monster claw cropping up from the ground like a goddamn toe killing daisy.”

Atarah paused a moment, looking closer at it. Fake as it seemed, it might not be useless. “...thing looks sharp as a mother fucker. Probably would work better than some pansy ass rock on those vines. How many steps we at?”

---

Will tilted his head head toward the other man, eyes opening back up slowly. He had spaced out for a moment, almost missing what Matt had said. He chuckled softly at the compliment, feeling a slight flush extend on his face beyond the one from exhaustion. “I am actually pretty freaked out right now, but I know not going to get anywhere over worrying about it. It’s something I call addressing the moment; what can I do right now in a situation to help? I can’t do much in terms of anything physical, but I read a few books on wilderness survival, so that is what I can do help. Whatever else comes up can be addressed when it needs to be, but for now, I am doing what I can. And, I think once the situation calms down a bit more, you’ll be really good at making sure everyone stays on task… uh, I suppose that was a lot of words.“

It was something he learned growing up, and later passed along to his students. He tried to be realistic about the roles he could fill, and then let other people handle the ones he couldn’t. And the role he was filling now was the wise nature guru, although his practical knowledge was nonexistent. He leaned forward with a deliberate slump, positioning himself to better see Matt’s handiwork.

“Hm. I think there might be a better way we can try for the fire. Pretty much what we’re trying to do is create an ember out of the end of the stick, and that is what we put into the tinder to start the fire. And if you use the split piece of wood near the base, and run the stick back and forth instead, that might work better. I think. Er… there might of been a few other steps.” He laughed weakly, before slumping back into his previous position. “Just wait until it smokes a lot.”

Koti~
01-19-2019, 06:44 PM
“About.. twenty more steps, I think.” Sasha spoke, holding the claw and looking around for some sticks. Finding a decent one she managed to cut open a part and make a crude knife for holding it. She held it between her hands for a moment before giving it over to Atara. She didn't have much practical experience with using more than a steak knife and while they were cutting vines, the last thing she wanted to risk having to fight what the claw fell off of. Taking back the lead she continued to follow the trail back before they finally reached the vines.

“Here we are. It wasn't to far back thankfully… they look a bit more colorfully than before.” Sasha spoke, looking over the vines. They were wrapped around the trees, a soft green glow. Purple lilies dotted them, having looked like thorns before. She could feel inspiration to draw this place, the steadily creeping blue and purple hues of the sky and the soft glow of the lands. If she didn't fear getting killed by some mysterious giant creature, this place would be absolutely beautiful.

“I have to find a canvas for all of this!” Sasha exclaimed breathlessly, eyes shining with wonder.

---

“Heh, me as a leader. I may have been a fast food manager, but that was the late night shift. Half the reason they listened was they were friends, or didn't want the responsibility.” Matt responded, adjusting the lumber as needed. He could see the reasoning behind it, and continued his work. He could depend on Sasha and Will to fall in line, but Atara would be the problem. She had a troublemaker vibe and prone to doing what she needed to survive by herself. It would some convincing to switch her over.

“Ah, I may have something here.” Matt spoke as he could see the faint wisp of smoke. He didn't dare stop as he picked up speed, watching the smoke tendril curl into the air. Just the thought of fire was making him warm. As well as the workout his muscles were getting. It made his shoulder hurt but he needed to work through the pain.

“I am glad that you're managing to keep a level head. If not for the relaxed area here, I think most of us would be in a complete panic. Put people into a stressful situation and they panic like rats in a tube. Too much of a hassle for me.” Matt talked to the smoke, pausing a moment to allow his shoulders to rest.

Vaidia
01-20-2019, 11:56 PM
Luckily, the other girl had been keeping track of the steps, meaning they wouldn’t become horribly lost in this batshit crazy island. Atara was liking the place less and less, marvel of nature it was, a feeling of dread welling up to the forefront of her mind where before it was an unconscious weariness. It was like the silence in her neighborhood before something big went down, people knowing the time to lock their doors and shutter their windows. What they didn’t see meant they didn’t know.

It was quiet here too. The sparse nature sounds from before had all but faded, leaving only their footsteps and conversation to fill the space of the tensile air. The cuts on her arms began to tingle even more.

Atara took the knife wordlessly, giving it a quick and expert once over before continuing to the vines. The thing seemed to be a worthy sort of a tool, albeit a showy one. If she was going for some exotic animal handler gangster hip hop star theme, it’d fit right into her aesthetic. In her present state of sweat and dirt stained white prison wear, it hardly fit. But, as it was a weapon-- the only one-- and she the most responsible one with such items, it would have to do.

They approached the vines and, in the growing twilight, they seemed to have taken on a light of their own. It reminded her of some shitty Saturday morning cartoon, when something had been dipped into radioactive goop. Ridiculous. It seemed everything about this place was manufactured to piss her off. At least she could finally do something about it all.

“They look like they’re going to start moving on their own to strangle us,” Atara retorted, as she moved up to start hacking away at them. She reached up as high as she could, gashing into the vines, and grunting slightly as she worked. The ‘knife’ (dino-knife? It had to be given a name) was actually quite sharp, even cutting into the tree slightly, which only served to solidify her opinion that she was the only one that should be using it.

Atara paused as the other girl made her remark about wanting to paint this, then let out a snort of a laugh. “Canvas? You some crusty ass old Michelangelo now? Thought your type was all about instagramming this shit.” There were a number of the still faintly glowing vines draped over her arm now. She could see clear beads of moisture forming at the ends; it seemed like the bossy Asian kid knew what he was talking about.

“Here, hold some of these fuckers so I can cut the rest down,” Atarah grunted, pawing over several of the vines, crushing some of the flowers as she did so. “Gotta get out of here soon.”

---

“Don’t doubt yourself. Not many people would have stepped up like you did when we first arrived. That shows some good character.” Will did believe that Matt had great potential. More important was that Matt himself believed it, and didn’t let himself be discouraged by the strong personalities of others. Ms. Nunya was the only one that seemed to fit that bill at the current time, but the rift between them could likely be mended soon enough. Besides, there was the very likely chance that Will only had a short time to help them all.

But that was an inevitability he was already used to, even back home.

Back home… everyone there would be fine without him, emotional hurts aside. He had to ensure the same fail safe was in place here.

Will’s morose thoughts were interrupted as he saw the smoke start to form from Matt’s work, causing him to let out a cheerful chuckle. “Great! That’s actually perfect… Now, part of the stick will break off, and transfer that over to the kindling with a leaf or something, then blow… and then we should have fire, and a spark of a chance of staying warm tonight.”

A fire would do them all well, both for morale and practical use. Will was beginning to feel even more chill now, an icy touch that brought out the sharp aches and pains, rather than doing anything to sooth them. He knew it was because he was likely feverish, but that was not something he could do much about right now. He kept his focus on watching Matt work, knowing that letting himself relax too much meant he’d probably pass out. And that would not be helpful.

“I’m just doing what I can, really…” Will’s voice trailed off, and the grin faltered for a moment. Perhaps he should upfront about him being a medical time bomb… No, he’d wait. At least until after they got the fire going. “Gotta stay positive.”

Koti~
01-21-2019, 12:29 AM
“Instagram? Do you take me for a dime store hooker? Anyone with a five buck Polaroid could make the same thing with the same amount of work.” Sasha quipped back. She felt a snicker tug at the side of her lips, feeling some connection to the girl. She hated how digital the world had become, and was glad to be in a place like this. Taking the offered vines as she asked, she twirled them around her body, helping distribute the weight. She was annoyed that the flowers were destroyed, but she noted one thing about them. A slight pigment leftover when the petals were crushed.

“I wonder?” Sasha mused aloud, taking the time to carefully remove the flower of one of the vines. Rolling it tightly as she could, Sasha smothered the petals between her palms, feeling the cold liquid gather along her skin. Opening it presented crushed petals and deep purple coloring on her skin. A smile broke across her face before applying it to the white cotton top, the faux dye sticking rather well. If she could collect enough she might be able to change their clothes.

“That's so cool. I can dye our clothes.” Sasha spoke as she drew rather simple patterns, having to use up three of the flowers in total to make two faded purple flowers along her top. She held it out, one purple hand leaving fingerprints along the hem. Moving it around in the fading light allowed her to get a better view of her design, a pleased smile spreading on her face. Finally she could give them some color other than dirt.

“Besides, what's the rush, other than the possible creature. Though if something like that was coming, we could easily hear that a mile away with how quiet it was.” Sasha returned to their conversation, happy at the change in her clothes. Despite the extremely strange weirdness that got them here, Sasha would have no problem staying here for a few days at the least, provided they found food.

---

“Look at me, doing boy scouts shit.” Matt chuckled as he managed to get a good ember started and moved over to the collection of grass and small twigs. He nearly whistled at the flecks as the flame tried to die out barely managing to get a hold. He had to be careful as he blew on the flames, trying his best to grow it without putting it out. Finally more smokey tendrils began floating around the kindling, allowing Matt to sit back.

“Yeah, positive is the best way. I've had to do that since I became a manager. Second night alone, got a stoned customer who pitched a complete fit about the ketchup being the wrong color of red. It ended up on YouTube the next morning, and I swear the comments made me want to break someone's face.” Matt spoke, keeping an eye on the tender flames as he worked them, the small flickers doing little to warm him, but it being a small sense of pride for him.

“Came in next night, ready to get harrassed, yet the Bose thanked me for handling it with, and I quote, “aplomb and decorum befitting a night time manager”.” Matt chuckled as he pulled the best possible manager voice he could muster. Resting back as the large log finally took hold, thick smoke drifting up as it warmed up their small hovel. The flames would hold well enough and were finally providing warmth. He could take a moment to glance over at Will.

“You doing okay mate? You're looking a bit.. worse for wear.” Matt asked, noting the sore and exhausted look on the man's face. Last thing he needed was a person dying on him out here.

Vaidia
01-21-2019, 02:27 AM
Atara snorted herself at the girls quip. Was she talking to some sort of fairy? Painting entitled fairy? Either way, she couldn’t believe someone would actually say something like that-- granted she didn’t disagree with the cheap sell-out nature of social media posting. “You got the hair for it, that’s for sure.”

(Most of the prostitutes she had met all had dyed hair. It wasn’t an unfair observation.)

Pretty much all of the vines had been cut away now, the majority of them now slung over her shoulder, with a few in the hands of the smaller girl, who seem rather occupied with the flowers. She continued to watch as the girl suddenly started to molest her shirt, turning parts of it the same purple as the flowers.Definitely a fairy.

“Oh hell no, I don’t think you’re going to mess with my shirt with some lilac ass flower shit.” She pointed the Dino-Blade toward the girl, only in a slightly threatening manner. “You touch me and I will cut your hands off.” She already felt gross enough in this place without smearing herself with flower slime like some wannabe wildchild.

“And the quiet is what’s got me worried. Even in the city there’d be birds and shit around this time. The fact they’re gone now means something bad’s coming.” Atara returned the knife to her side, but remained tense. She could see the path they took to get back here, partially thanks to her errant dirt kicking. There was a better chance of survival in a larger group, as annoying the company was. “Let’s get back.”

---

“I knew you could do it,” Will said with a note of pride as they managed to get the fire going. He knew Matt would be able to work it out. Now was just a matter of figuring out somewhere to sleep for the night. And figuring out something that they could have for food. He hadn’t put much thought into that yet-- but that was not a problem they could solve right now. Probably not until the morning, when they had daylight to help explore. They could probably make some snares to catch any sort of rodent--- or they could risk trying some of the local flora, and hopefully not die from it.

Will chuckled at the story, while nodding sympathetically. He had worked through similar situations before, but had never had to deal with going viral over it. He usually had to come down pretty strict on students that tried to come into his school high or otherwise under the influence, thus starting the rumor among his students of legendary “disappointed dad” talks. Which was also amusing, because there were also jokes aplenty about him looking more like a younger brother than a bonafide adult.

“Sounds like handled a stressful situation really well. Corny as your boss may have been about it, you should be proud.” He shifted over his focused gaze to the fire now, watching as the bulk of it caught, illuminating the darkening area slightly. They should probably get started on the next job. Or, moreso, he should advise Matt on what the next step would be, and he would--

“Oh, what…?” Will looked over to the other man again, noting the concern there. It was now or never. “Ah, it’s a bit hard to explain. I got dealt a pretty lousy hand health-wise when I was born. Mostly just ‘pain’. It’s like when you hit your ulnar nerve-- or funny bone-- and your brain and it have a bit of a disagreement on what sensation it should be feeling. That’s what my entire body does.” The young man looked back over to the fire. That was enough information for now. “It can be rather inconvenient, but it’s manageable.

“We should worry more about getting the camp ready. If we line the bottom of the chasm with enough pine needles, it should make for comfortable bedding. We can also dig some shallow holes and get some of those huge leaves from that bush to collect moisture overnight.”

Koti~
01-22-2019, 12:15 AM
“Yeesh, you don't have to threaten me.” Sasha spoke defensively, covering her wrists. She could tell when to back off, even more when people were angry. Physical harm wasn't needed to get the point across. Giving a sigh she gathered up a few more pieces of vines before looking at the sun rays. The light rays finally brushed the horizon, the dm light managing to cast their light across the skies, now pockmarked with stars. Sasha closed her eyes as she allowed the beauty of it to sink in, the cool breeze just now holding the cool dip of the night. It was almost perfect. Back at home it would be a perfect night for a beach party, a few snuck beers and smores.

“If we find civilization, we are so doing smores on the beach.” Sasha spoke as she opened her eyes, just in time to see flakes begin to drift from the plants overhead. The underside of the trees were illuminated from underneath, a soft icy blue that drifted in the air. Mesmerized by the color and slight minty scent she lifted her fingers up to touch the 'pollen?’. Shock ran through her at the coldness of the dust, before her fingers went numb, a sharp tingle emanating from her middle and index finger. She yelped and pulled her fingers back, casting her eyes to Nunya. Despite how comforting the dust smelled, they needed to move.

“We need to move now. That dude completely numbed my fingers on just the touch!” Sasha spoke with worried tones, holding her fingers. The dust had thankfully blown off, but feeling was not returning, not yet. If they got caught out here, things would be bad.

--

“You got a raw deal man. Explains a bit why you're so calm though.” Matt gave a low whistle. He did agree to working more on setting up base, and both ideas sounded good. The thought of watery vines made bedding the better idea at the moment in his mind. Pulling himself free of the hole he began to collect leaves and pine needles as he could. The pines would make the best bedding, while the leaves would prevent them getting poked. With the encroaching night time, he figured beds would be best with having to hunt in the dark. Digging holes were child's play.

“I do agree on the palm leaves, but I don't want to set that up just in case we find better resting grounds.” Matt spoke as he began tossing down the stuff he found, making sure to avoid the fire. It wouldn't do to burn the bedding. Leaving the pile for the moment he headed back out to collect more, the lights finally fading.

The forest bloomed with life, the trees beginning to glow softly, an icy blue dust falling in motes. The heat along his back seemed to push the dust away, but he wouldn't lie that it interested him. The gentle scent of mint filled his mind as he moved closed, curious as to the dust. Reaching his hand out to grab some, he pulled back his hand just before touching the dust. Something in his mind screamed to not touch it. Grabbing a large fallen leaf he held it out to the dust, watching the leaf turn blue and brittle once it touched down.

“That is not good. Whatever this stuff is, it does some serious cold damage to what it touches.” Matt spoke in concern, moving the leaf back over to the fire. The blue coating began to melt away as he got closer to the fire, the leaf springing back to life. It brought new worry to his mind as the leaf fluttered about in the smoke.

“Shit! The girls are out there!” Matt swore as he whirled around, staring off towards were the girls had traipsed back into the woods, under the heavy foliage of trees. They would be right under the dust, the frostbite dust.

“I need to go after them.” Matt spoke, looking into the forest, worry as the dust gave a wide berth for the flames. Grabbing a spare log and wrapping the leaf around it he waved it around the dust, only to watch it smolder in the falling dust. The large fire was what kept them warm and safe, smaller flames unable to protect them.

“This is really not good.” Matt cursed under his breath, looking into the forest, wondering how far he make it before breaking something.

Vaidia
01-24-2019, 03:33 AM
Atara snorted as the grew drew back terrified, seeming rather cowed by her ‘threat’. She wouldn’t actually cut off the other girls hands. Slight maiming wasn’t out of the question. Or just a traditional punch to the face. She was a woman of simple tastes when it came to her violence. “I ain’t really going to cut your hands off.” She snorted out another laugh, “The look on your face, though…”

The tall girl was already a good few paces ahead as the other made some remark about the beach and smores. As a now expert beach attendee, she didn’t understand what was it with some people and their obsession with going somewhere where sand could get up their--

The radiant colors from the setting sun seemed to have bled into the landscape, but where the sky was painted in warm hues of orange and reds, the luminescence coming from the trees was in tones of cold blues and green. Atara did not spare much thought to look at the trees, having already gotten far to the point where this was just another damn weird thing about this place designed to annoy her, and therefore not worth her putting much effort.

The minty smell was nice. Reminded her of her Mom and--

The other girl yelped, causing Atara to whirl around, knife at a ready position, eyes wild for a moment before locking onto the other girl and what she was saying.

“Oh.” The woman made a disgusted sound, throwing both arms up into the air by her shoulders. “Oh. Hell. No.” She looked up above her, directly at the pollen that was threatening the curled tips of her hair, causing an unseen (by her) veil of frost form around her head. She only spared the shortest observation, before walking away, her steps twice the length as the ones it took them to get here. “I am not about to get turned to some ice sculpture by some freaky voodoo ice giant pocket lint bullshit.”

Her breath began to come out in rapid puffs of fog, and she found herself ducking her head down-- her tallness was definitely not letting her have any advantages right now. The vines were tangling themselves around her, and she was half tempted to throw them down, but the dryness at the back of her throat banished any such temptation. The knife was firmly gripped in her non vine baring hand.The best seemed to get back with the other two boys, as much as she loathed to admit it. The tiny Asian kid probably would know what exactly this was, and what they needed to do to not die.

Atara did not realize she was moving off the path they came here on and--

---

Will rested his eyes as Matt worked, taking inventory of their situation again. They would still need some form of food at some point. They could likely use the pulp of the vines to help fill their stomachs as well as hydrate, granted the water from them wasn’t tainted, or with the tree being uprooted, there could likely be protein form in the soil. Bugs. Insects. The thought was… not ideal.

“Mm, it would just be for…” Will began to answer Matt, before he too was distracted by the change in the forest. It seemed to come alive in another way, darkness peeling away the shroud to show a more truthful visage of what this place was. It reminded him of a night thriving city coming to life, where daytime was the mask, and here-- the dangerous but wild underbelly. The air was faintly fragrant as well-- mint.

He’d read enough books to know a change like this was cause for caution-- a sentiment Matt seemed to share. Beyond that, he didn’t have a clue what was going on, or what the best thing to do was.

But, he would do his best to figure out what could be done, and address the moment.

Will exhaled, the minty quality of the air biting at his lungs, even as the strange Dust seemed to stay away from the flames. He fought back a cough, before looking seriously at Matt. “You can’t go after them--” He paused to cough slightly again, “--It’d mean three of us in danger. You’re… We’re going to have to believe in them to make it back. They aren’t that far away.”

---

--and it was part of the path that sunk further into the ground, away from the strange anti-ash above them.

It seemed they were going to make it.

Koti~
01-26-2019, 01:43 AM
Sasha was quick to follow after Atara to avoid the dust, thankful that she was shorter than the other girl. Just that difference put her even further from the dust. She was still trying to regain feeling in her fingers, watching the dust floating above them, ever creeping slowly closer. It was bizarre, watching the frozen cloud sitting above their heads as they headed down the path, following the general direction towards the dugout. It was curious that the dust had yet to completely fall, drifting lazily through the air just out of reach of doing harm.

“I am not liking this place anymore. Frozen numb limbs suck.” Sasha spoke urgently as she struggled some to keep up with Atara, having to jog just a slight bit to keep pace. It was barely awkward, the girls long strides just more than her walk. Right now she would have to do her best to lead the two of them back to base, though the low road did save them some risk. She was worried that they would be stuck far longer than needed-

--

Matt watched this, reluctant to agree that Will was right. Despite already knowing that. He wanted to make sure the girls were okay, but running out now like an idiot would be dumb. All four of them would be at risk of death with that. Looking back over the woods Matt let out a sigh, letting his shoulders slump as he rubbed his sore shoulder. All of this was just murder on his shoulder at the moment. Looking back to Will made him stop. The man obviously had it worse than him.

“There has to be a way to help them.” Matt bemoaned the situation, frustrated that there was nothing he could change about it, before giving a cold sigh, noting the change in the temp, along with the minty taste. He could see just how it hovered close to the trees, the warmth slowly fading from the ground. He glanced to the fire, then back at the dust.

Then back at the flames.

“It can't fall near heat, but it's getting colder.” Matt spoke the obvious, blinking at himself. Of course the dust couldn't touch heat. It made things cold. Grabbing some of the lumber he had saved he began adding more, growing the flames higher, a much thicker cloud of smoke dancing above them, light flickering underneath the clouds. The effect was almost instant, the dust pushing further away from them. The air was hot, the smoke annoying as it blew into his face, but it warmed things up. Now with the larger flames, hopefully the girls could see it.

“This should last long enough through the night, and let them see where to return to.” Matt spoke, sitting down closer to Will as he watched. The waiting itched at his mind, but there was nothing he could do now to force it. Fate would tell

--

“He made fire!” Sasha cheered as the smoke bloomed into the sky, the lights dancing upon the smoke just barely giving them light. The idea of a warm roaring fire was ideal as the heat dropped more, the clouds creeping ever closer to them. Soon it would be able to hit Ataras head and she didn't want to have to drag the girl with her. There was no way she had the muscle to pull the woman back to camp with her.

“Let's hurry back.” Sasha spoke, picking up her jog in hopes of getting closer to the warmth.

Vaidia
01-28-2019, 04:37 AM
The elongated steps progressed from a brisk walk, into a jog, into a loping run. It took about twenty of these quickening paces for Atara to realize the had diverted off the path-- which caused her to stumble momentarily to look back for the other girl to see if she was following (which would be a good sign, as it meant she was heading in relatively the right direction).

In the moment of her stopping, she also caught sight of the smoke. Her mind registered it as a further threat, before the acrid and sharp smell from the smoke cut through the mint, registering as a familiar thing. There had been several house fires in her neighborhood. It was always a gamble if they had been started or caused, something she was rather good at figuring out.

She began to head toward the fire now, as identified by the other girl. It seemed the boys were not useless after all. Atara began to also move toward the warmth (the cold around her head was beginning to make her head hurt and her eyes water), her naturally larger steps letting her veer back in front of the shorter girl. As she did, there was a sudden shift in the ice dust in front of them both, the canopy of a rather leafy tree letting a frigid cascade of the ice dust to suddenly come down right where they would both step next.

There was no time. It was her fault they had walked here.

She would not submit to this moment.

“FUU-”

In one moment, Atara would be seeming to head into the frozen doom, consumed by the frost, and then seem to completely… vanish, vines (but not the knife) left to fling into the frozen dust. In a movement too quick for human sight, an impression of light would be seen moving away from the frost, followed by Atara appearing a few paces away.

“-UUU-”

Atara’s hand darted out the next moment, the non-knife hand darting forward to grab the collar of the other girl’s shirt, manhandling her away from the deadly obstacle as well.

What. The. Fuck.

“-UUaaaaaaaaAA--”

She wasn’t going to question it.

With the shirt of the girl still in her hand, and yanking their heads both down below the arctic mist, Atara made a beeline toward the smoke and, hopefully, safety.

---

Will relaxed as Matt agreed with him to not go out, slumping back against his resting spot. He hadn’t realized he had moved forward at all, but the tingling and electric wave of pain was a rather unpleasantly refreshing reminder that his body rather remain right where it was, thank you very much.

He couldn’t help but feel the beginnings of frustration edge in. He couldn’t waste energy on such emotions. There was too much at stake now.

As he relaxed, he noticed Matt rubbing his shoulder-- more specifically, rubbing his shoulder again. He made a mental note to ask about it later, as it seemed to really be troubling the other man. When the present situation wasn’t so pressing. (Perhaps then, he could be more honest as well).

Warmth.

He had spaced out again, just when he was thinking he shouldn’t. And now he was doing the same, while thinking about spacing out, but now there was a significantly higher amount of warmth against his face. It seemed Matt had added more wood to the fire, which was a brilliant idea, and exactly hat he would have suggested had he not spaced out… drat, there he went again.

The heat and smoke were rather a lot for Will, so he spent his next moment of focus trying to move further from the fire, and was enough to snap out of his momentary stupor. He managed to move just far enough away, when Matt plopped down next to him.

“Brilliant idea. Really Brilliant and--” Will beamed at the other man, before pausing for a moment, looking quizzically out of their hovel of safety. “--Ah, do you hear that?”

“-CKingHeeeEEEElllllLLL!” There was a shout that was obviously a continuation of many other expletives, followed by the sound of several heavy placed footsteps of increasing volume a ferocity, and then the two bodies of the girls as they all but crashed into the shelter, narrowly missing the fire.

There were several more curse words from Atara, but that had little bearing on the moment.

They had made it.

Koti~
02-02-2019, 12:13 AM
Matt moved into place as soon as he heard the cussing. He knew it was Nunya, followed by a half dragged half running Sasha behind her. Crossing his arms he braced himself as the two girls ran into him, dogpiling them into the pile of leaves and pine needles as they fell away from the fire. He glad he did or they would have been a lot more squished on the ground. Giving a groan he pushed the girls off and to the side, letting out a pained sigh as he sat up. The girls were fumbled into a pile for a few moments, Sasha now decorated with a purple flower design.

“Glad to see you both alive.” Matt spoke as he looked them over. He could see how Sasha shivered, covered in blue spots and clutching the vines. He was glad that they had managed to complete their tasks, but he had to wonder what it may have cost them. The second important thing he saw was the crude knife that Nunya held. Seeing that it was a stick and some sort of metal claw thing. Now he had to worry what the hell traveled along the island and forest.

“First few questions. One, are you two okay? Two, why did it start dusting like that? And three, where the hell did you find that?” Matt asked in importance. He didn't expect much honest answer, but Sasha may provide some actual answers.

“So.. so very cold.” Sasha responded after she had managed to right herself. She was stunned by the sudden duet blanket that had fallen from the tree, not even given the time to yell out the girls name. She gripped the vines closer as she scooted towards the flames, the dust billowing off from the heat. Her body still tingled all over, and she didn't dare move to far.

“We were collecting vines, and when the sun fell, the dust started drifting down from the palm leaves. The knife thing was a claw that Nunya tripped over, so I made it into a knife for cutting the vines. Is very effective.” Sasha responded as she settled down to the fire. She pulled apart the vines finally as her body finally felt normal-ish.

“I managed to get eight. We would have had more, but they got dropped due to the dust.” Sasha mentioned as she laid the vines out. Matt looked over them and the flowers that had managed to survive on them, and let out a relaxed sigh. They only had one for each, one tonight and one tomorrow. The real worry was the dust settling around them, and if it would last into the morning.

“Well, that's something. With what we got, that means two for each of us.” Matt took charge, knowing that as long as they spread up the food, they could keep their strength up until they found a better source of food.

Vaidia
02-22-2019, 01:48 AM
There was a brief moment of chaos tinged confusion-- a great tangling of limbs and elbows jammed into stomachs and yelled exclamations (which was mostly swearing, on Atara's part) before the two girls were officially safe. Or as safe as they could be in a strange death island with a chilling night time intent.

Will watched the three others in silence. Matt seemed to be taking charge again, which was good to see he wasn't too cowed by his earlier attempts not going smoothly. Perhaps it was because Ms. Nunya was too busy still partially writhing on the ground, continuing to swear up a storm in the form of 'how many conjugations of the word "fuck" can be made in one single minute'. Will was honestly impressed.

He focused his attention away from the other girl for a moment, making sure Sasha was also fine. It seemed the girls were successful in their endeavor, which was reassuring. He eyeballed the vines and, while the flowers were concerning, the liquid seeping from the ends seemed to be clear and thus, okay to 'drink'.

"I'm glad your both are alright, really I..." Will's voice trailed off as he began to listen more closely to Ms. Nunya, and her current tirade. He raised in his brows, torn between patient amusement and practical annoyance. “Ah, Ms. Nunya. You are alright?”

This seemed to catch the woman’s attention enough to get her out of her current rant, she turning her wild eyes to look at him.

“This place doesn’t make any fucking sense. First it goes all ‘Mr. Freezes Vacation ISland’, and then… You saw it right? I’ not going crazy” She looked over at Sasha as she spoke, expression slightly haunted. “I was going to collide into the giant ass cloud of frost and then…”

Atara shook her head. Water droplets danced out from her hair, the frost that was there melted from the fire.

“Naw, forget it.” She mumbled. “Wasn’t my damn fault the vines got dropped.” She turned away moodily, realized she was in the hole she was so previously adverse to, and let another explosive and artful combination of curses.

Will remained patiently silent, which wasn’t a challenge in his current state. He was at and beyond his limits. Even his curiosity at Ms. Nunya’s dilemma was hard to maintain. He knew he may be able to get more information about what happened to her with some prodding and Matt had his own issue which he needed to find out about and he couldn’t forget about making sure Sasha wasn’t made to feel neglected and there was the need for them to survive this but he was tired so tired so tired…

(he had fallen asleep).

Koti~
02-24-2019, 12:20 AM
Matt gave a sigh as he looked over to Will, allowing for Nunya to continue her swears unhindered. Her ranting at least proved that she was healthy and alive. Sasha was still crowded around the fire, trying to get as much warmth as she could. Things had for the most part settled down and with a source of food, they could hunt for better lodgings and and food tomorrow. Matt gave himself a moment to get himself together before looking over the last two still awake.

“I think now would be a decent time to sleep. I'll take first shift of watch, as I'm used to being up late.” Matt spoke in a collected tone. He was already bracing himself for whatever Nunya may toss at him about taking charge. Already his mind was working through the possibilities of having to fight the girl if she choose to weild the knife, especially since she was already in the hole.

“Hey, thank you for the save,” Sasha spoke as she rested her hand on Nunyas arm. She could understand the woman's paranoia, even now feel it. Even more it was starting to bother her, along with the ridiculousness of being caught in their situation.”But for now, can you please put a rest to it. It's already been an insane day and we're all stuck in the same boat. Cursing and snapping doesn't make this whole insane situation any better. Let's just get some sleep and try better tomorrow.”

Sasha blinked some as she pulled her hand free, a bit taken by surprise at what she had just done. She usually did her best to keep her empathy in check, but this was different. It seemed as if she had just taken the emotions upon herself. Now paranoia was picking in the back of her mind, along with a dwindling annoyance and exhaustion niggling at the edges.

“Oookay then. I'll wake one of you when it's a good time to switch? Seem fair?” Matt spoke after regaining his senses. He never figured that Sasha would be the one to snap from the most insane. Guess the proverb was true to watch the quiet ones. Matt could only hope that this wouldn't be a daily thing each night weird things happened. If basic ideas like this happened, he wondered how bad Will would snap.

“I can agree with this for now. I'm..gonna try and get some rest.” Sasha spoke up once she had moved over to the faux bedding for the night. While not the most comfortable, it would do better than the hard ground.

Vaidia
04-03-2019, 05:24 AM
Atara found herself glaring at the wall after her tirade, both not wanting to have to look at the insufferable trio she was stuck with, and wanting to hide away her expression. She was... shaken. Again. It was like she was a giant game of jenga, with parts of her life being pulled out and away and stacked up on top of her to create some monstrosity of an unstable tower. But, she refused to fall. Let this mad world try and take her down. She would spit in its face.

Grunting, Atara kicked at the wall, feeling the caked on dirt chip away from the underlying brick. As she did so, several insects scurried away from the holes-- which she paid little mind too. She kicked the wall again after the bossy boy spoke, kicking off another hunk of dirt. She mimicked him mockingly under her breath, but couldn’t deny the logic behind what he was saying. She often had to set watches back home with the other abandoned kids she watched over-- usually with her taking the longest watches. Did this boy really think he knew anything? She turned around to lip off at him (officially), but was met by the hand of the other girl resting on her arm.

Atara felt the urge to swat at the other girls hand as it brushed against her arm, but stopped firstly as her swatting arm was also her knife holding one, and she didn't quite loath the other girl so much as to want to chop her arm off (who knew? The odd knife could rend flesh at the single moment of ill intent and she reALLY DIDN'T FUCKING-)

Second was the sudden... it was odd. She suddenly didn't feel like she was one batshit dropping away from a crazy train. Or one pig short of going completely ham on the next fucker that looked at her wrong. It was. Disconcerting. So much she forgot what she was going to say to Matthew a moment before.

"Right," Atara said finally, giving an almost vacant stare at the other girl's hand. What was she doing again? She continued to stare at Sasha a little longer, her expression still confused. “Right. Fine.”

Her gaze trailed back over to Matthew. A pang of annoyance returned to her. She exhaled with a disgusting amount of disdain. “Go ahead and play it tough. Wake me up when you feel ready to wimp out. I’m going the fuck to sleep.”

Atara trudged away from the main part of the fire, sparing only one quick glance at Will. The Asian boy didn’t look all that well, the fire only serving to enhance the pallid and drawn expression that lingered even as he slept. She wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t wake up in the morning-- it had happened to some of the sick kids before.

But who knew. Death in this world was also probably just as fucked up.

Koti~
04-24-2019, 05:43 PM
Matt watched them, letting out a quiet sigh as Nunya finally fell asleep. He clasped his hands together, bringing them to rest under his chin to prop on his knees. Watching Will sleep, he was tempted to move the boy, but the minor shivers sent through the boy said otherwise. His eyes wandered over Sasha, curled into a ball on her side, her back facing the flames. The bright bubbly girl who snapped at the end of the day. Then there was the wild girl, who still wouldn't give up her name. She had been the worst of them all. Always trying to take the lead while turning them away. Finding anything she could fight over with them. Now she was even armed with a weird knife made of deities knows what. It was a horrid idea.

What through him for a worse loop, was how she just gave up at the end. No fighting him keeping guard, only minor threats before heading off to sleep. To cause such a stir for so long, only to give it up at the end. He could only hope she would remain relaxed for however long they were here. Maybe even give up her name to him finally.

Matt let out a sigh as he slipped his head between his hands, staring down at the dirt. He bit his lower lip, fighting back a scream that threatened to tear his throat to shreds. What was he even thinking, trying to be the leader of these people. Will was much smarter, proving to know what to do. Sasha had the bubbly charm to keep most going, even if a little misguided. She could probably charm her way through most danger given the time.

Then there was Nunya, able to brute her way through anything. She was clearly the best option, strong and determined enough. If this were a cheesy reality, Will would be the plucky sidekick, Sasha the mascot of the, and Matt on the side. That wasn't the point though, and this wasn't a TV show. They were thrust into an alien world with its own backwards rules, and death.

How the hell was he supposed to lead them?! Sure he was a manager of a local fast food joint, but it was at night, with the biggest threat running out of chicken nuggets. He was just a wash out baseball player looking over a bunch of potheads and having to deal with rude guests. Now he had to fight with whatever this place could throw at them. He was just holding it together, and there wasn't a thing he could do to alleviate his problem.

For now, he would keep watch over them, and just make sure that they didn't die. It was all he could do. Once they got a lay of the land, they could hopefully make a better plan of action for this all.

Vaidia
04-25-2019, 04:57 AM
The sleep that claimed him began with a complete void of darkness. Normally his mind wandered quite quickly in his sleep-- and he often dreamed lucidly, using the extra moments of cognizant thought to pick apart the happenings of his day under the eclectic palate of a dreamscape. But now, there was nothing, his mind too tired to even conceive nightmares easily pieced together from the woes of the day. Or, so he thought.

Warmth. No-- fire. Burning. He was burning again. Flesh stinging as it danced and peeled itself from his body, blistering and blackening as he was held suspended by the impossibility of taking a breath-- he had too high a tolerance for pain to have his mind surrender so quickly-- so he was choking, burning, every moment a new agony he never though to imagine and then...

Will gasped as he shot up from where he lay by the fire, throwing his body in a futile lurch that managed to only carry him a few inches away from the flame. Some instinctual part of his mind kept him from screaming out, or perhaps it was the remaining notion of him not being able to breath.

He exhaled. Inhaled.

The air was clean. He was not burning alive (again). Will focused on breathing, memory flowing into him of the proceedings of the past day. It would make more sense if that was the dream, and what he experienced in his nightmare was real. Fire and Brimstone for someone like him.

It seemed like night had officially come. It was a relief that this place was normal enough to have night. He kept himself still a moment longer, letting his mind recalibrate from the blind panic from before. He didn't have the time to waste on something like that, because who knew how much time he had left (but he was always so short on time).

"Ah," Will said, his voice scratchy. Despite the rude awakening, the slight amount of rest he got seemed to be enough to recharge him slightly. He managed to prop himself up with little issue, and saw Matt was still awake. Probably keeping watch, which was the smart thing to do. And probably Matt's idea as well. The two girl's were nearby, and seemed to have fallen asleep quite alright. "Thought I'd wake up to this being the dream. How long have you been keeping watch?"

Koti~
04-27-2019, 10:07 PM
Matt gave a start, surprised at the sudden start of Will by the fire. He had to bite his tongue to prevent himself screaming in shock. He looked over to the sleeping girls as he took a moment to let his heart settle. Giving a breath, Matt looked back to Will with a smile. He nodded his head when he replied about hoping this was a dream. He was hoping the same personally, or a bad reaction to nuggets and fries. Going by the hollow feeling in his stomach, it was not.

“I've been up maybe an hour or two. At most I believe.” Matt spoke in response, watching the fire flicker and sway. He looked over the tree line, watching the soft blue dust fall on the ground, lighter than before. It was a strange beauty to watch, like the sky settling down to sleep for the night. All surrounding them with them a lonely ocean, nestled save the flames keeping them alive. It was a miracle to behold.

“So, onto better thoughts, what did you do before all of this?” Matt spoke, waving his hand around the air. Any conversation would be better than the currently reality they had going on. Despite the serenity of being here, he would rather be back home, planning for college or dipping nuggets into fat. While he was glad to relax next to a fire in the woods, this place was eerie.

“You wanna know what's worse about this place? It's so quiet. At home, once the street punks and drunks had passed out, you can hear the crickets and birds, sometimes the stray alley cat in the wild.” Matt spoke with a smile, looking fondly into the flames, he allowed them to cackle freely as wood snapped and popped. He smiled at it, thankful for the flames.

“Here, not even the sounds of the wind blow. No bugs, no birds, not even the odd cricket to lighten the mood. If not for the flames, there would be silence. Deafening silence. I think the silence would drive me insane.” Matt spoke to the flames, wringing his hands together. He let the silence carry out between them after that.

Vaidia
05-01-2019, 05:03 AM
"I'll keep you company for a bit, then," Will said, smiling slightly, his voice still soft. He slowly shifted away from the fire and closer to where Matt sat, his motions slow but measured. His own attention shifted the the surrounding as Matt looked around, looking at the strange frost that still descended around them like an infinite veil of winter coming to rest. He'd like to study the phenomenon, if their situation were not so dire. What a strange place this was.

Will's attention was brought back to the present by Matt's question, and he grinned even wider. The expression made him seem almost boyish, and probably much younger than his actual years. "I work in education. I have a school that I-" (they would be fine they were fine they all were fine) Will paused to clear his throat, before continuing, "-Pardon me. I work at an inner city school. Ah, what about you?"

He had to change the subject. Will looked away from Matt as he continued to speak, instead looking into the fire. He hands dug into the ground as he watched the flames; he could barely feel the dirt and stone against his nails.

Will did not interrupt the silence that followed Matt's observation, at least not immediately. They were likely the only source sound in the area, unless they decided to go back to the beach. Who knew, though? Maybe the very waves drew their selves back from the place, knowing better than to trespass this cursed place.

"Matt, I need to ask something of you," Will's voice was soft again, and for once, he was not smiling. Lines could be seen on his face that seemed invisible before, and the weariness in his eyes belonged to man much older than he. "I don't want to worry the girls, and you seem like the most practical one of us."

He exhaled, "I'm probably... probably not going to make it much longer. I didn't really get into it much before, but my health is pretty screwed up. I don't know how possible it is for me to survive here without my medication and even with it, back before all of this, no one knew how much time I had, and I've already made my peace with the world... " Will blinked a few times, and finally looked back over to Matt. "What I am trying to get to is, if something comes up and you all need to escape quickly, and it is between helping me and you escaping.... Leave me. Don't let me be the reason that all of you end up dead. Can you promise this?"

Koti~
05-01-2019, 11:16 PM
“I respect that you are a teacher. I could never see myself teaching a bunch of punks that don't want to learn.” Matt spoke with a chuckle. He truthfully thought the world of teachers, as he himself could barely work with the people he had. They only listened to him due to him not reporting them about weed and lackluster work. Matt made sure they could work and keep it up, but that was it.

“I work fast food. Nothing special as we already talked about. Was the night shift manager at King Burger.” Matt spoke, looking back to the flames. He remained silent as he looked across to the flames, listening as Will began going on about his medical issues. The man was a time bomb, ready to burst without his medication. Matt could see that, especially with how weak the man seemed at times. He got the worse hand drawn, and yet still tried to do the best with it. What he asked at the end had him start, blinking at the man.

“You want me to….what?!” Matt spoke in shock, trying to keep himself quiet for the girls. He didn't want to wake them and make things worse, but this was a large shot. He wanted to play sacrificial lamb in case something giant came by against them. Will was willing to let himself die to save the others.

“You have got to be joking with me,” Matt asked Will, giving him a serious look. Just the flames flickering off his skin, pale and shallow casting shades across him,” You are serious. That's… that's just insane.”

“I couldn't dare leave you here. We all ended up here for some reason or other, and I won't allow yours to act like a human meat shield.” Matt spoke up in obvious disgust at the thought. They were in this together regardless of what happens to them. Well, maybe the three of them and Nunya. She may cause problems if it came to ditching them.

“I can promise at least Sasha and I won't let you sacrifice yourself for us. I know I couldn't just let someone go that easily, and I know Sasha would be devastated if you asked that of her.” Matt responded in a serious tone. He had let too many people down in his life, his mind drifting to his alcoholic father after he learned his career was done. It haunted him sometimes.

“If something dropped us here, then I don't think they would be cruel enough to let you die to some random thing on this island for shits and giggles.” Matt responded to Will calmly, his tone serious and as flat as he could. Sure they were stuck on the place, but he was damned if they wouldn't find a way home.