come_sailaway | JUNE EVENT: CAMP

JUNE EVENT: CAMP

early on June 10th, Friday's morning announcements end with a request for everyone going on the latest excursion to meet her in the atrium. she seems in noticeably better spirits than she had been last time, and she leads them cheerfully to the tender. once they are all aboard, and the door is securely shut, the interior fills with gas, and, perhaps, their last thought before they slip into unconsciousness is "oh shit, not again."

passengers wake up on a rickety old school bus, driving down a dirt road surrounded by woods. what is it that they notice first? that, no matter what they were wearing before, they are now wearing a camp t-shirt and legitimately horrifyingly short shorts? the overstuffed backpack between their knees? the words "take one down and pass it around" dying on their lips? the fact that Friday is absolutely driving the bus?

or, maybe the fact that it's already slowing down, pulling up in front of a massive wooden sign, saying:

CAMP AION

when they get out of the bus, Friday is the one to divide them up into their cabin groups, and she is the one to give the counselors their very official-looking clipboards and whistles. she explains that they are in charge, and that she will be back to pick them up in a week, and... very little else. she responds to nothing outside of whatever is on her unseen little script, and she gets back on the bus shortly after, leaving them there.

welcome to camp. let's make some summer memories!

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"Yeah, it was tough, but Blade was only, like, a year old at the time. A little less? He probably won't remember. Honestly, no idea how long it might be now. Maybe time works weird here and it's like, been fifteen years and Blade only vaguely remembers me but mostly he just attributes things I did to his daddy?"

Not that he's been lowkey worrying about that or anything. The hand on his arm manages to drag him back out before he starts getting too fucking maudlin, at least.

"Either way... too bad about our mutual kid-related situations." Yep. That seems like a fair assessment. Not that he really knows anything about Maeve's situation at all. "Uh... Your girl is, like, okay, though? Or, at least not dealing with psycho raiders or some shit?"

"Not really," he admits. But at least he doesn't seem so self-conscious anymore. "I just-- want to go home." But he knows he can't, and it's petulant to just insist. And Marc will just blame himself even more for their current predicament.

"But I guess I am, with you. It doesn't have to be a fixed place. Nothing will-- go back to how it was, anyway." They'll have to find a new way to live with themselves, without Khonshu. Even if he did like his flat - not sure how he came into possession of the flat now, thinking about it, since it couldn't've been his mum's flat - and Gus. Not having a job is still making him feel a little bit guilty. But he's got Marc and he's got a few books and everything seems to be provided in the ship, so... maybe he doesn't have to worry about it all.

"I'm glad you came with." They're still a package deal somehow even though they're two separate people now. "I could manage without you, of course... but I don't think I want to."

[ ........

if he thinks about it, mizuki never exactly said anything about giving up on that pursuit to go immortal, but he'd kind of assumed... and the slight mixed panic and want kicks up again, if this is still a possibility. no no, no-- (and in the back of his mind, yes, yes though--) ] I thought...

Do you still want to, just to be with me? [ the illusion of the flower flickers in his hand. he can't want like this, he can't have hope like this, he can't. ] I don't... I don't want to tell you that you shouldn't. But what I've been saying just now--it's painful, to be with people only for a short while. This would be what would happen, if you really go through with it. People should live as they naturally do. I wouldn't encourage this for anyone, even if--

[ even if he wants it so badly, not to be alone. ]

So young. Maeve’s daughter would never be older than she was. At least not with the body that she had. She was meant to be young forever. “Well, if someone you co-parented with doesn’t tell him about you, I’ll be surprised.” And she’d have some very serious words to say. “But I guess we don’t know how time works here or back home. I’m sure he’ll remember you anyway.”

She looks down, considering the question. “No. She’s safe.” In the Valley Beyond. She just has to find Bernard. “I…” She sighs. Can I trust you? The words are right there, but she’s still not sure. “What are raiders?” Is what she asks instead.

[don't laugh don't laugh you'll ruin it don't fucking laugh]

Just a strange little man. You wouldn't like him, I'm sure.

[raises brow] It's not like I get to pick, you know. You're from whatever time you came from.

Yeah. I know what you mean. My therapist back home gave me tips on dealing with situations where I couldn't stop seeing the bad and being scared of everything falling apart. I've had to apply them to everything a lot, since ending up on the ship.

[Make of that what you will, Clarke.]

"Was there some last time? I guess-- I didn't think to ask, or check if we had enough food. Or if there's someone here who's not one of us, or anything like that..." That's how he imagines the fight breaks out. Artificial scarcity or some kind of foreign instigator trying to start something between them or something.

"You won't have any of that to worry about, of course... no meat on your bones..." Steven, on the other hand. He'll have to blame Marc for all those protein shakes when the time comes.

"So you were dead and... then someone brought you back?" Steven has no idea how that is supposed to work. Why anyone would do that. It-- seems a little cruel? But maybe that's just his perception of life and how it should be. "Was your name always 'Skulduggery Pleasant'?"

Well, I would be lying if I said that it wasn't a little scary in concept… but so long as I'm with you, I think it'll be okay.

[ He knows it's not the same, but he is a traveler back home. He doesn't usually settle down somewhere. Even at Rhodes Island, they only consider him temporary. Just a mercenary. And maybe it's that very thing that keeps him from really thinking about what it would be like to lose his close connections… because he has so few. The closest he may have is Gummy and the Doctor. He can't wrap his head around losing them currently because he knows he'd start crying if he tried. He'd equate it very akin to losing everyone from his hometown again. And if this is how Venti feels all the time…

He doesn't want him to deal with that. Not alone, at least. Not anymore. ]

If you're there with me, it won't be so bad, I think. Obviously, I doubt I'll handle it super well or anything like that, but we can support each other through the tough times, right?

[ He sits upright now, and gives Venti a very sweet smile. ]

I don't need encouragement, it's alright. I've already decided this is what I want.

Not her fault marshmallow is sticky, she tries wiping the rest off on her shirt.

"How do you get past that then. The overthinking?" Because she does. And she's hoping that maybe talking through it with somebody who is obviously not too wound up about it might be good for her. Stop thinking of it as this whole problem that she has to solve.

"I'm mostly fine now, I have it... under control. Except. What if I... you know, go through him? Or can't keep... focus and turn invisible. I don't think that's the sort of thing people get off on."

I don't mean here. I mean now.

Well, I'm planning on driving the bus... And, then, that's really it. I didn't think I had to come up with any sick games. [sighs] Sorry to disappoint.

[a pause] Is this supposed to mean something to me?

"One day he'll have to find value and self-worth in other things," Ava does feel a bit sorry for poor (now literally) Maximilien. He worked hard to define himself in the face of a society that didn't allow him full rights, and now that identity has been stripped away. "He doesn't find much meaning on the ship, nothing to really own or status to build."

She frowns, wishing she could think of anything to help. "We joked about auditing the Captain," but she doubts Max would ever go through with it. Not because he's a coward, but there simply isn't much to be gained by it.

"Look. Be obsessed all you want. But you know how sometimes you stare at the same thing for far too long, you stop seeing it? Give yourself a mental break, then come back to it with fresh perspective. Maybe you'll find inspiration in Max's moves. Also I'll need somebody to restrain me from asking him to teach me how to do the robot."

"On leave." [a light scoff...] I'm more than capable of keeping track of my own passengers, thank you.

When I remember to be. [like, y'know. when he has hands.] Why?

[his mouth draws into a thin line.]

It's not what you meant to ask, but it's what you said. I can't answer a question you're afraid to speak into being.

I can't drive at all.

"Last time was a recreation of a novel called Battle Royale. You seem media-savvy, perhaps you've heard of it." If not, he'll be more than happy to explain: "Everyone was forced into bomb collars that would detonate if they refused to fight to the death. And then they... well. Fought to the death."

He seems to understand that part, so no reason to elaborate there!

"And nobody brought me back, precisely." He... doesn't actually know for sure, and saying that feels a little close to a lie. "Well. Nobody's come forth and claimed responsibility, anyway. I did it myself." He shrugs. "As for my name... I chose it before I died, and I saw no point in changing it." After all, it fits even better now that he's a skeleton.

You can't ask for a hint before you've even tried guessing. That's not how that works.

[Now that is unsurprising!]

Does that mean I can drive?

[He knows the answer is no, but come on. He's gotta ask...]

[... okay so. this guy is definitely fucking with him, right. what is this.]

... You're... welcome...? [just audibly uneasy he has no idea how to approach this.]

I'm not anything in particular right now. Should I be?

You could, but the whole "lapsing into unconsciousness" part could be a bit problematic.

And I have to lapse into unconsciousness? That's a mandatory part of the process? You couldn't make an exception for me?

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JUNE EVENT: CAMP

CAMP AION

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