come_sailaway | BATTLE ROYALE EVENT: SHIP

[fortunately, not signing up for the shore excursion doesn't mean the passengers still on board don't get to have a little fun. on the contrary: they'll get to have some of the most fun of all!

about an hour after the tender leaves, at about 9AM, every screen on the ship, from the cabin TVs to the one above the pool, begins playing a live feed of the events on the island, starting with Friday's introduction video and transitioning to the passengers leaving the bunker. from then on, the camera (?) seems to always know where the action is, bringing close-up views of each fight, each death. when little action occurs, highlight reels play. there is no audio, however, outside of the droning, inane muzak of the stream and the kitschy sound effects of the reels; time to brush up on your lip-reading if you want the hot goss on scene!

in the atrium, near Friday's desk, is a large piece of construction paper, titled "PLACE YOUR BETS," showing a table with the names (some true, some not) of each competitor, with a space to write down your name next to who you think will win. the captain has already made his choice! what are you betting? don't worry about it.

the screens will play the game 24 hours a day. destroying the screens wholly will buy you only momentary respite. so, sit back, and enjoy.]

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"Yeah..." he says, his brow furrowing. "Why? Have you been avoiding me, I mean."

Malcolm noticed because of course he did. And because it's her. Ava draws his attention every time she's near. The fact that she would keep disappearing in the middle of their conversations bothered him. He was wondering what he was doing wrong.

Why indeed.

She could just blame it on the fear of getting attached.

"I know how to handle being miserable, angry, bitter. But you... make me feel things that I do not know what to do with. So," she stares down at their hands, still clasped.

At first Malcolm is confused, but then a few puzzle pieces slide into place. "Oh," he says quietly. She... likes him? His first instinct is to ask why, but Ava might take that the wrong way. The problem is with him, not her.

"I-I mean... how do you feel when you're around me?"

This is a moment she would rather disappear. She doesn't want to answer this question or put any of it into words. "Okay." Which might sound like an empty sort of platitude on the surface, but... it's far more than that.

Okay. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but for Ava, it means something. Malcolm could be wrong, but she might be saying that he makes her feel normal.

"You make me feel okay too," he replies. "Better than okay, usually."

He likes her too. She's pretty and funny and just weird enough to maybe understand that his life isn't easy and he isn't perfect.

She wants it so badly, to feel normal. Thought she was finally at a place in her life that she could simply put back all the pieces and figure out who she was meant to be. But normalcy now feels like a concept she can't dare afford.

Yet there Malcolm is, amidst all the chaos and upheaval and making it look so simple. To just be okay.

Ava breathes out, a small laugh at the end. "Okay," and this time it's in agreement, that whatever there is between them is okay.

And then finally, quietly, "Thanks."

He wants that too. The more he thinks about it, the more he thinks that's why he was trying to make it work with Eve. He wanted to be normal and have a normal relationship. Malcolm should have realized that even if Eve had lived, nothing would ever have been normal between them. Her sister was one of his father's victims.

"You're welcome," he replies quietly, gazing into her green eyes. Malcolm's not usually a touchy-feely person, but he feels compelled - he wraps his arms around Ava, pulling her close to him.

It's never made sense why somebody like Malcolm was here amongst the rest of them. They're all sorts of strange and unnatural types, with a wide range of baffling abilities and lives. And he's just a guy from what sounds like such a regular world. One with a clearly haunted past, one that's a bit weird in his own ways. And she envies that.

The embrace takes Ava by surprise, she stiffens at first, then absolutely collapses into Malcolm's arms. She breathes out, slow and shaky, and then buries her face against his neck.

It's probably time for Malcolm to come clean with Ava about his past and his father. Not at this very second, mind you, but soon. He's definitely not a perfect person, and he can't let her go on thinking that.

It's a relief to feel her relax in his arms and he holds her for a long moment. "It's over now," he says. He can't tell her that things are okay, because he knows they aren't.

She wants to make him promise, but she knows it's unfair. It's over, for now. But it's not over. This is just the beginning and worse is yet to come, and she has to get herself together or she'll only make worse decisions. Recalculate, like a GPS after a wrong turn.

But for right now, she'll take comfort and let herself believe she's safe.

BATTLE ROYALE EVENT: SHIP

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