|
Post by Clannibal on Sept 21, 2015 20:46:42 GMT -5
Raion was still trying to come to grips with this new situation. He'd been spending a lot of time on the eastern beaches, where the group had been gathering since the crash. Zachary, some rather headstrong guy, was taking the lead in search parties across the island. Of course, mostly on his own. There was not as much hustle and bustle as there perhaps should be back in the group. So many people sat around as though they wanted to die. It was frustrating. Raion was not the type to abandon others, so it made the situation that much harder on him. Of course, there were a couple of old and some very young that had survived, and they took his special attention; and almost all of his own food. Sometimes he was just such a marshmallow. Needless to say, he was starving to death. They really needed more people to start scavenging for one another. Raion, lately, had spent a lot of time wondering how they could go about fishing. Protein would do them all wonders. He was currently exploring the jungle for that specific reason. Well, that, and maybe he could find more fruits and other edible plants. The jungle was cooler than the beach, probably, but it was so much more stifled without that ocean breeze. He was still sweating with that humidity. After this tour of the jungle, he'd probably head for a dip in the newly discovered lagoon. For now, he decided to take his shirt off and ring it over his shoulder, for now. He wished he wasn't wearing jeans, but there was still that humane part of him that didn't want anyone else to see him in his underwear. That was still weird. As he thought about it, he actually chuckled out loud. Maybe, eventually, everyone would be nudists. It's not like clothes lasted forever, right? Blech, the thought was frightening. He thought of the old man he'd befriended on the beach. No one wanted to see that. No offense, old man, he thought, as though his thoughts could be heard across the island. The scream of some kind of monkey echoed through the trees. Sounded far away, but it was creepy. He glanced around before he turned back to the vines he was currently inspecting. They were draped across a tall tree. As he touched them, he tried to decide if they were usable, or if his imagination was in overdrive. "Dammit," he sighed, wondering if he was going crazy with desperation to eat.
|
|
|
Post by Bear on Sept 22, 2015 0:26:37 GMT -5
damaged people are dangerous
WC: 557
@raion
The nights seemed to drag on here. Cal woke with every sound in this jungle – the fear of being eaten by some strange creature too strong to allow her to get a good night’s sleep. Her body was growing weak and it was hard to tell if it was the exhaustion or the starvation taking the worse toll. She sat up and surveyed her surroundings – yup. Still in the middle of the same damn jungle, with the same damn empty water bottle, and the same damn problems. She could hear a group of people chatting just outside of the jungle, on the beach. Cal had opted to hang out on her lonesome. To be a loner of sorts. She didn’t much appreciate the company of others, and instead decided to sulk and compress any memory of what had happened since the crash.
What had happened? Was anybody sure? One minute things were going swell, off and away on a magical trip to The Land Down Under, and then suddenly everything was black. She remembered bits and pieces in between of course. The flash of fear across every passenger’s face, the stewardess running up and down the aisle in an effort to get everybody’s oxygen masks on…. A lot of good that did. Cal thought about the others on the plane, mostly about the young. What would she had done if Neenah had been on that flight? The thought made her shudder. She heard a small camp of monkeys holler into the damp air and the sound made the hair on her arms stand up – she would probably never get used to that. It was eerie. She could escape it – but that meant joining up with the others, and she wasn’t sure that was a path she wanted to go down quiet yet. She had managed to save a couple of granola bars and until those were gone she was holding out on her own. Cal was wearing a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top which she had folded away from her belly into some type of crop top. Everything was wet. It wasn’t easy staying dry in an environment like this. Despite the warm, boggy days, the nights were surprisingly cold, so Cal was careful to keep her jacket with her at all times.
She hoisted herself up from the ground and reached for her backpack – and that’s when she heard it. There was someone else walking through the jungle. She had a fight or flight response and then she remembered that whoever it was, was probably just as discombobulated as she was. Against her better judgement she decided to go towards where her ears told her the other person was. With calculated steps Cal was able to move rather effortlessly among the roots and undergrowth of the forest. Birds swept in the air above and small frogs jumped each time her foot landed. The other person wasn’t someone that she recognized, at least not immediately. Cal cleared her throat as a way of announcing her presence and then continued her walk towards the male. He appeared to be looking at some vines, at least until Cal interrupted. What on earth would one do with jungle vines? Cal broke the silence the only way she knew how… You thinkin’ about playing Tarzan?... sarcasm. because they know how to survive
|
|
|
Post by Clannibal on Sept 22, 2015 9:32:51 GMT -5
He wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings at that point, so it was a huge surprise to hear someone's voice from behind him. He jumped at the sound and simultaneously turned, on the defensive. The momentary fright disabled his thought process for a split second, so it took a moment for her words to actually form a sentence in his mind. Immediately he felt more embarrassed than anything, having been so startled by the girl. Her tone of voice was meant to be poking fun at him. He just shrugged and smiled awkwardly. "What can I say? I have the abs for it."He scratched at the back of his head. In hindsight, the vine idea was pretty lame. To catch fish with something like that, you had to have bait anyway. And a hook. Right? He sighed out loud. The humor just wasn't in him in that moment, and normally he was the carefree comedy relief. He paused his responses to get a closer look at the girl's face. He didn't think he recognized her from the makeshift camp on the beach. "Are you playing Jane? You're out here alone..? I'm Raion, by the way," he greeted, and offered a hand for a shake. As he did it he wondered why he bothered. The little things like that seemed so human, and so out of place here. Also on that note, he still felt self conscious about how he must smell and look. Sweat was still trickling down his back; maybe he should put his shirt back on. Nah, he'd take a rinse at the lagoon shortly enough.
|
|
|
Post by Bear on Sept 22, 2015 10:43:24 GMT -5
damaged people are dangerous
WC: 435
@raion Cal tried to hide the little smirk that was forming on her face, she really and truly did. The little joy of startling others would normally have brought laughter to her, but it was harder to relish in someone else’s fright when you were running low on sleep due to your own scardness. Cal propped herself up against a tree, allowing one hand to rest against its rough bark while the other found itself planted against her hip. In actuality the vines wouldn’t be an awful idea, if they could just find some form of mesh or net. They would probably hold up pretty well in the water.
Cal wasn’t sure if the other had taken offense to her question or if he was playing it off. Either way, he sighed and Cal leaned further into the tree’s gentle bend. It was a reflex to let her eyes scan his body when he spoke of his abs. He wasn’t exactly lying – he did have a nice build. It was merely instinctual to appreciate that about a person. Those in decent physical condition would be the ones who needed the least amount of saving. In theory anyway. Not that Cal had intended on being a hero anyway. She had one motive, Neenah. And as far as she was concerned staying out here alone gave her the greatest chance of surviving long enough to get her baby back.
Her hair had already started to form small, thin, dreads which she worked out with her fingers while she spoke I’ll be Jane if it means we can swing the hell out of here… she paused taking a moment to think again, her belly rumbled with a hunger she had long ago stopped trying to ignore. or if it means I can talk monkey and can ask those stupid things where they get their food from His alone question is what got her. Was one ever really alone on an island this small, with this many people? She opted not to answer it and instead reached forward to take his hand. It was weird. These little formalities that people kept doing. They were trying to remain as civilized as humanly possible, but it all seemed a bit comedic. She felt the wetness on his skin, but knew that she was also covered in a light film of sweat and jungle fog. Nice to meet you Raion, I’m Cal – are you looking for anything in particular? she rested her hand against the vine, shifting her body towards him, a small, almost hopeful, smile played along her lips. because they know how to survive
|
|
|
Post by Clannibal on Sept 22, 2015 13:04:07 GMT -5
This girl's sense of humor seemed intact, and Raion welcomed it. He was watching as she fingered through her hair, but was listening intently at what she had to say. All of it made him smile. Almost laugh, even. He tried to do it just to be polite, but couldn't even force it out. "Fooooood," he murmured dramatically. "Better yet, let's eat the monkeys."Now that he'd heard her name, he was sure they'd never met at the beach. As he took a moment to scratch at his itchy new beard that was growing since the crash, he tallied up all the people he had met so far. There were a large amount of survivors, all things considered. She then asked him what it was he was doing, more particularly, what he was looking for. His beard scratching intensified as his brown eyes swept back to the vines near him. "Eh. Most of us have gathered on the east side of the island, by the tree lines on the beach. Any way, we are all getting hungry. I was looking to see if I could catch fish with these vines. And then I realized I was kind of delirious."He dropped his gaze to the ground in deep thought. Now that he was back onto the subject, he tried to picture the many different ways of fishing he'd seen. Nothing seemed to be possible for them, though. The best bet may be to keep living off of coconuts and hope the bananas would grow fast enough to sustain a large group. He looked back to Cal and shrugged, then took a moment to study her. She didn't seem particularly bad off whatsoever. She didn't even seem scared. All his thoughts went to Cal. "You're not with the group, are you? Have you found anything here? We just discovered there's water, at least. I think a few of us would be dead by sundown if it weren't for that."
|
|
|
Post by Bear on Sept 22, 2015 13:32:20 GMT -5
damaged people are dangerous
WC: 420
@raion
Cal couldn’t deny that that thought of devouring a couple of monkeys had come to her mind. If only they were a little easier to catch. Her stomach would do anything for some protein. I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day she offered up a grin towards Raion. Human interaction was nice in moderation she had decided. She listened closely as he talked about the gathering of survivors. She, of course, knew this already. She has spent her first few nights sleeping just out of sight. Avoiding the responsibility of being part of a group. She was being selfish, she knew. It wasn’t that she didn’t care for the other people on the island. She wasn’t even indifferent. And she really, whole heartedly hoped that any remaining survivors would live to see rescue. They were going to be rescued. Of this, Cal was positive. Security with aircraft was too high, everyone in the nation knew that they were missing. Their pictures flashing on TV screens, names drawn out by radio reporters. The airline was probably dealing with a whole lot of shit in an attempt to locate them. It was only a matter of time. Every day survived was a day closer to being reunited with loved ones.
Cal let her hand stroke the vine, her fingers dancing along the strange texture. Her mind wondered what type of fish would be swimming in these waters. Their diets, their size, their lifespans. Cal had much less interest in eating them than she did in learning about them. She pushed a clump of red hair behind her shoulder and then looked again at the vine, allowing her earlier thought to escape her mouth. If we could find some type of netting or maybe something to weave a netting out of? She thought about the dolphins who blew bubble nets around schools of fish to keep them in a concentrated group allowing the dolphins to feast. Oh crap. Was that a we that escaped from her mouth? What she had meant was YOU. If YOU can find a net or something to weave together. Not we. There was not a we.
No. I’m not part of the group. I have my camelback backpack, but it’s run about dry. I was going to search for a source to fill it with today someone had found water? Where? Was it large enough that she could bathe in it? Her skin was beginning to feel grimy with dirt.
because they know how to survive
|
|
|
Post by Clannibal on Sept 22, 2015 15:27:03 GMT -5
There was just momentary silence as he finished speaking, and she studied the vine, her fingers seeming to feel every nook and cranny of them. He watched that for those few moments, feeling sluggishly tired. Then she was speaking again, answering his ideas about how to fish with vines. He raised his brows at her suggestion. The idea was a good one, but he simultaneously felt unsure of whether that was going to be something they could craft. Then something seemed to click in his mind. He remembered the day he boarded the plane and took his seat. He remembered grabbed a magazine out of the seat back in front of him. The storage compartments in the seats had been made of mesh, woven together in thick pieces of nylon. "Holy crap. The plane. The plane should have mesh," he declared with some passion added back to his voice. He'd forgotten what hope felt like. It brought warmth back to his face as he marveled at Cal. Of course, he really didn't notice that she said 'we' and of course he wasn't a mind reader. Raion could be naive that way, despite his childhood; he sometimes could forget that people were not always with the crowd, so to speak. It hadn't really occurred yet to him that she stayed away from them all willingly. "I'm glad you found me out here. I don't think I'd have thought of that. I'm sure someone will be creative enough to make a casting net."He remembered then that she had mentioned her water supply running dry, and he felt glad that she mentioned it. He could return the good-favored news. "You haven't seen the Lagoon, then," he started with a smile, crossing his arms in a relaxed manner. He felt like his old self again and boy he was glad for it. "Fresh water, ready to drink. It's really close to the crash. Just a bit southeast, maybe. I can take you there."
|
|
|
Post by Bear on Sept 22, 2015 20:06:50 GMT -5
damaged people are dangerous
WC: N/A
@raion She watched as he took in her suggestion, but could see the doubt on his face. It was a stupid idea – but people had survived in places around the world by doing things of its likeness so Cal wasn’t about to let it be counted out. And that’s when it happened. It was like a switch turned on inside of his head and Cal couldn’t help but be excited to hear what he was going to say. She listened closely as he spoke of the plane. What part of the plane would be made of mesh? She was just about to ask when she remembered-
The Emergency information had been in front of her, tr-folded and tucked into cute little pouched made of… mesh! Made of mesh! She nearly exploded with excitement but then decided to keep her cool. She took a quick mental inventory of her hidden granola stash and figured she had one and a half left, after that whole beach incident. If this fish thing didn’t work out she would have enough for another day on the island and that would be about it. She sighed a bit at the thought of being completely out of food. There wasn’t much else she could do.
This man shone with the light of human spirit. It hadn’t taken much to give him a little boost, one Cal gathered was much needed.Everyone around here could use a little spirit lift. A beach party would be nice… then again so would clean water. Her interest was piqued when he mentioned a Lagoon. I’m sorry… are you telling me that there is a purified,fresh water system on this godforsaken island? She peaked up, asking mostly to make sure she hadn’t just made that up. It was hard to tell what delusion was and what actual fact was anymore.The man seemed to relax, his body language chilling out. It looked good on him. If this is some sort of sick joke I will kill you. And I will eat you. I need the protein as badly as I need the water She offered him a sly grin. They weren’t at a cannibalistic crisis level yet, at least not that she knew of.
I’ll help you rip nets off of plane seats if we can make a stop to fill up my backpack… and maybe a quick dip to shake the 10 pounds of nasty that is clinging to me. Cal still wasn't sure that she wanted to be a part of the group, infact, once she found freshwater she would probably vanish again, but it only seemed fair to offer her help in exchange for his. She had been looking for water for days while she milked her personal supply for the last few drops - she wasn't going to find any anywhere else it seemed. This was a matter of survival. She knew that it meant putting her pride behind her. As upsetting as that was.
because they know how to survive
|
|
|
Post by Clannibal on Sept 23, 2015 12:29:57 GMT -5
Raion almost felt stupid for letting others be neglected of such lifesaving news. But, when you wandered off on your own, you were bound to miss these things. Fifty pairs of eyes were better than one. In the back of his mind he knew that, before this encounter was over, he'd try to convince her to join the rest of the survivors. He couldn't imagine living out here on your own when loneliness was already painful enough. He grinned, happy to have brought the news of the lagoon. Playfully, but also with fervor, she questioned the truth of his announcement and threatened canibalism. Normally the threat may have been taken seriously in this situation but it obviously wasn't serious. He'd be lying if he said that he hadn't thought of the necessity of something that sick at least once in this whole ordeal, though. When you thought you or someone you loved was going to die an awful, avoidable death, you may be willing to consider cooking up the dead, too. It was a dark thought that he wasn't ready to share with anybody, and the offhand comment almost struck home. He played it off, of course, with laughter. "Wait till you see it. It's actually beautiful. And I was planning to shed some funk in it, too."His head wound ached a little. The bleeding had stopped long ago, at least. He imagined he would have these headaches the rest of his life, though. He also suspected the hair would never grow back on that scar. At least it was a thin strip behind his ear. "You have yourself a deal, Cal," he declared. "Hopefully nobody else has taken everything for themselves. We've been trying to keep things under control. Keep the panic in check. It was bad the first days...real bad."He trailed off and, as he remembered the things he'd seen, he felt haunted again. One guy had actually threatened cannibalism for real, on a little girl. That Zach guy had put him in place. He was almost the complete opposite of Raion, but it was a good thing they had him. Raion was working alongside him to do everything in his power to keep the humanity alive.
|
|
|
Post by Bear on Sept 23, 2015 20:14:45 GMT -5
all we do is think about the feelings that we hide gettingcrapfiguredout @raion Cal watched for any sign that her playfulness was being taken the wrong way, but this man seemed to take it all in stride, which she appreciated. Her sarcasm often had a way of putting people off, she was really good at taking things too far. She quietly made a mental note to watch comments she made around other people – remembering that she didn’t actually know these people. They were just strangers stuck in the same shitty situation. A thought struck her; even if Raion tried to escape her, where would he go? The island could easily be walked across and Cal had a feeling that Raion wasn’t the type to leave the group. For once, in the last week, Cal felt as though something was predictable. It felt nice, and she didn’t even attempt to hide her smile.
Gently she placed her hand back on the vine and listened as he spoke of the lagoon – images of crystal clear, cool waters flooded her mind. Her body almost trembling as she imagined dipping her toes into it. Strange what little things give you pleasure when you’re left with nothing.
She thought briefly about the beach and all of the other people - a tiny bit of regret came over her. She should have been there. She was better off than most. Bruising along her rib cage and a broken nose, possible slight fracture to her wrist… she could have been a help, instead she had slunk off on her own. Avoiding the loud male who she assumed Raion was referring to by the use of “we.” She, for whatever reason, had always been a little sensitive to that word. Those people are lucky to have you Raion Cal gently allowed her arm to stretch and placed her hand on the males forearm, nodding softly to emphasis her words.
The feel of another human under her fingertips felt weird, so she quickly pulled away and busied her hands by pulling hair away from her face, try as you might it was constantly sticking to the wet surface of her skin, and wrapped it in a messy bun on top of her head. Hopefully the lagoon offered shade, or she would burn for sure. She let her bright blue eyes fall again onto her company, the same playful smile tugging up on the corner of her lips. Her body was primed and ready to start the trek, powered by a new found sense of hope. Alright, ya ready to save a damsel in distress? Because I am ready to get the heck out of here! She reached down to tighten the straps on her hiking sandals and to retrieve her backpack which was laying on the ground next to her. would it really kill you if we kiss? [/quote]
|
|
|
Post by Clannibal on Sept 24, 2015 16:21:13 GMT -5
Anxiety sometimes was a regular thing for him, and it was certainly a natural time to be feeling it pretty heavy. Right now, though, he felt him relax more. Just go with the flow of things. There were other people to get through this ordeal together with, and one of those people was touching his arm while offering some comforting words. It helped. His face darkened with emotions, mostly appreciation. For a lack of words he simply nodded to her, his lips squinting together as his teeth chewed on the inside of his cheeks. "Thank you," he said. Though, lucky was a funny word to use. Luck in general, really, was funny. She'd already pulled away and seemed to change energies as she played around with her hair for some time. He took this moment to grab his shirt and shuffle it around until it was ready to be pulled back over his head. Of they were going to the lagoon now, it would be fine to sweat just a little more. He'd survive. She smiled playfully at Raion and he smiled back. After that, she declared herself a damsel and requested to begin their adventure together. He didn't feel too knightly, but it tugged at his heartstrings for some reason. He was just like that; sensitive. It just felt good to have momentary purpose and to help someone out. She had been refreshing already. He found himself craving her company a bit more. "Hell yes," he said, and took one last glance at the vines. There were plenty of things in nature to scavenge here. He'd be back sometime. Hopefully with plenty of mesh collected by then. It was still such a fabulous idea. He was already wondering how they could weight it down like a casting net. He remembered then that he would have to lead the way. Duh. When she seems she was ready to go, he started to move forward, heading north. This time, his shoulders were lacking their depressed slouch. "Do damsels always wear badass hiking boots?" he asked, implying that she wasn't as helpless as the term made one sound. He was still smiling.
|
|