JUNE EVENT: CAMP

[sailmods]

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!

Comments

[serialskiller]

"The same memories. It's just that a purge of the digital memories can't clear out what's stored in the human brain. Not completely. I'm not sure the company that created me realizes that, though. I'm not going to be the one to tell them--would you?"

It gives Marc a quiet, uncertain look--because it's not sure, what a human would do in its position.

[neverleave]

[Fine, be like this, you weird eldritch toddler. Natsuno glares but steps away without another word, hanging out right outside the group crowding the bus.

Once the few people he actually gives a crap about board the bus without getting injured or killed, he'll join them, this time without looking at the captain.]

[opheliac]

You can't be serious. Shimmer is a very easy way to get these losers to play the games the way you want. — Not that I'm sharin'. But my question is you gotta know in depths of why I got it. Or...

(...)

— Or am I gonna need it for something? Does this have anything to do with Silco?

[hellonspectacles]

[well that’s just rude]

I was expecting there to be something but I hadn’t the slightest idea what. That’s why I was looking. [duh]

Why, what did you think I’d find?

[whoops, Pal’s nose is bleeding]

[myagic]

Weird. He's normally pretty grumpy.

[It clearly has nothing to do with Rita bossing him around, right? Right?]

...Somehow, nurturing your leadership skills doesn't seem like something the captain would have in mind.

What sort of rules did they leave you with, anyway?

[mooninthewater]

… You’re probably right, but I don’t really want to be. [ If everyone is miserable here all the time… that would make everyone lose morale so quickly, wouldn’t it? He knows it’s not up to him or anything to make other people happy. In fact, doing so might just achieve the opposite effect.

But what if he could be a reason people smiled, at least? ]

Besides, isn’t it more fun if we can all be happy and potentially piss off the Captain ‘cause of it~?

[neverleave]

["Too bright." Sunlight weakness, then, which means this guy really is another vampire. Not shiki, not Claudia's kind - but like anything that rose from the grave, inherently suspicious until proven otherwise.]

Or a bat. [...] Can you turn into other animals? Is bat too cliched?

[serialskiller]

Yes and no. If something bad happens every time, no one will ever sign up for expeditions. If some are good and some are bad, people will still go out of curiosity to see what it is this time. It's a form of psychological torture, asking us to be complicit in our own suffering by making us sign up for whatever happens to us.

[Optimism is not in Murderbot's programming. But it feels right, somehow.]

[saltandpepperbeard]

Ah. Ed is indeed very cool by necessity to survive. And therefore very protective of his reputation. And he's not going to let the Blackbeard name and brand get turned to fluff for some weird little man in colorful clothes. On the other hand, the people here have seen Ed share the title of captain, watched him draw a flag and put beads in his beard, and flirt pretty blatantly through a dueling match. So if anyone's damaged Ed's reputation at this point, it's not exactly been Stede.

Honestly, Ed should have said no, because yeah, this is stupid and he'll look dumb and silly if anyone even bothers to notice they're here. But Stede wants him to go to the dance. Ed wants to go with Stede. The shit he indulges in because of this ridiculous man...

"Stede, mate, you're the ballsy bastard who lured Blackbeard to the woods in the dead of the fucking morning," alright, so Lucius did the luring, but on Stede's orders, "and dared to ask him to a dance." And he agreed.

[opheliac]

(she only lets their embrace linger for a bit longer until she finally takes a step back; appearing calming but not entirely.)

Okay...okay.

(jinx shuts her eyes and exhales out a deep breath to compose and center herself.)

— It's nothin' big. Just one measly date.

(she looks back over to lumine with a short smile then back over at the crewmates on the dancefloor or various areas in the mess hall.)

What can go wrong 'sides literally everything?

[opheliac]

"Freak"?

(she lets the name call roll off her tongue as she pulls back; standing upright again.)

Huh! — Well, that's a name I haven't been called yet! Beats "Psycho" or "Crazy". Definitely prefer than that the others.

[touchofcashmere]

He smiles fondly. He can't help it. Yes even in this suit instead of the black leather he looks dangerous. Even in the ridiculous clothing they had been forced into, he looked dangerous. There is something intimidating about Ed, an aura, perhaps, as Diana would say--

And yet--

He takes in a breath through his nose and lets it out. Then smirks and curls a hand through Ed's beard.

"I could lure Blackbeard anywhere." And he tugs him in, to press a gentle kiss as he's wanted to do all evening. It's easier here at the door when they have to go in and have decided to go in and one kiss won't be too distracting.

He pulls back only enough to rest their foreheads together.

"But Ed is the one I asked to the dance." And he will just have to make them both look good. He will have to be the one to keep up. But there's no need to let Ed in on that so instead he gives that beard another little tug.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Mr. Teach? It could change your life."

[latersgators]

"I was... I d'know what I was doing." In the end it didn't feel important, in the grand scheme of things. He should have done more with his life.

He did get to be a hero for a little while though. Tried his best even though he wasn't cut out for it. That was alright, wasn't it? Steven never expects that anyone would have anything good to say about that. Nobody really notices when he tries and when he doesn't. But for a while he did feel like he was doing something important. The only thing that matters is that he knows. Marc knowing too is just a bonus.

"Don't miss scraping my skin on sand and floorboard when I trip myself up over my ankle chain but. I miss waking up in bed with you." It seems rude to complain about Mr. Sharky's snoring when he snores a bit himself, but. Mr. Sharky's is really loud...

"I like-- sleeping with you," Steven murmurs, turning his head and doing something that dangerously resembling nuzzling with Marc.

[firewalled]

...You mean you're not in control? I mean, I thought you picked people up when you wanted to.

[Is he not the one deciding on all of this? To be fair, that makes some amount of sense... A normal cruise ship would have a schedule. That said, this is definitely not a normal ship.]

[nostradamnit]

"Great power, great scale, but it lacks in precision. The ship feels more fully-realized, but there's no attempts to genuinely mimic life there. Unless we count the 'ghosts'. I'm not sure we should, though."

He drops the mushroom on the ground, stomping on it with one foot. It crumbles in an unsatisfyingly non-mushroom-like way.

[saltandpepperbeard]

Damn right--Ed should probably be a bit more concerned about the fact that Stede has an odd sway over him and could easily lure him to his ruin if so desired. Now, though, the kiss is soft and sweet--and doesn't last too long because they both understand the risks of continuing.

But Ed is the one I asked to the dance. He likes being Ed, not Blackbeard, for Stede--the friend the Gentleman Pirate can ask to a dance, the man he can share the title of captain with, the guy he can act a little sweet on and kiss. No one kisses Blackbeard like that. With Ed, Stede can be physically close without the violence that characterizes the reign of Blackbeard...

Ed's starting to get used to this. That's probably going to bite him in the ass someday.

"Not Mr. Teach--" he says, and it's less harsh than he told Friday once upon a time, but there's something low and warning, a soft growl that resonates with their faces pressed so close. "Just Ed."

Stede's already altered the course of Ed's life, so it's not sure what more a dance could do. Time to find out.

[gapmoe]

[ ingo is about to ask for a name so he can note that down... but the last part takes up most of his faculties, as it were. ]

... Why would I be slain on a camping trip, sir?

[justneedsomehelp]

"Me? No way. Sounds like they want to be able to control and manipulate you. Make you do what they want, punish you when you don't... that's no way to live." Marc should know. He's lived that way practically every day of his life and he knows... it's not healthy. He also knows it's a hard cycle to break out of.

[firewalled]

I-

[Rich reels back as if she's shoved him, and he has to take a moment after that to compose himself. Surely, she's just in shock and lashing out in her fear, but it doesn't make the words sting any less.]

Listen. I'm not taking pity on you. I can tell you myself, I fucking hate when people treat me like a charity case, so I wouldn't do that to you.

[There's an angry edge in his voice, but more at... whoever made them both feel this way. Whoever made them this afraid of getting help.]

It'd matter to me if you died, though. So I want to try to help. That's all it has to be, I promise. You can tell me to fuck off as soon as I know you're safe, and I'll go.

[justneedsomehelp]

"You wouldn't be the first guy to not know what he was doing, buddy." That's just the human experience sometimes, right?

But then he did step up and became a hero. He helped save the world and that's-- the important thing. It doesn't matter if anyone notices that they died for this. Well-- beyond hopefully Layla if she's still out there. If she's okay. Marc's never cared about being remembered. He's wanted the opposite more often than not, really.

"Yeah..." He breathes out a sigh, eyes drifting half shut when Steven turns in, just-- enjoying the comfort of the gesture, the closeness that makes something inside of him ache for a moment. He misses Steven even closer than this. He'll never get over the strange feeling like he's-- missing something. Like he's not quite whole.

But this makes up for it, almost.

He does slide his hand up to rest at the back of Steven's neck, playing through the short hair at the nape of his neck carefully. "I like it too, Steven. But we'll be back there soon, alright?"

Soon.

Although if they're going to get this cozy with each other-- "You wanna step outside for a bit? Get some fresh air?"

[gapmoe]

[ if this gentleman hadn't considered something as vital as food... perhaps he is entirely mechanical?

which is convenient, but it seems a bit of a shame that he can't experience one of the only good parts of this nightmare cruise. :< ]

It appears that way, yes! [ though just to be safe, he takes another peek at the papers of his very important clipboard, then nods. ] Should you have any questions, sir, please do not hesitate to find me and ask! My name is Ingo, and I am part of the "Libra" cabin, for your reference.

[justneedsomehelp]

"I don't really know who Bill is, but... If he was involved in the blip, he was brought back. If not-- then hopefully, he made the best of the hell hole that was left after." He shrugs his shoulders awkwardly. There's not a lot of comfort he can offer there.

"Why is it better like that? For neither of you to see each other?"

[justneedsomehelp]

Why? What exactly happens after?

[Marc's a paranoid guy by nature and this-- isn't helping.]

What is it you don't want us to see? Or feel, or whatever.

[gapmoe]

[ rita... why..........

at any rate, that surprised look ingo is already directing at her turns yet more owlish, as if the idea of not caring about his assigned duty is nigh unfathomable. protectively, almost, he clutches his super important clipboard tighter before he recovers. ]

Well, I could not in good conscience make light of something I have been entrusted to carry out!

[gapmoe]

[ the time bomb has been set... which is not helped in the slightest by how genuinely excited ingo looks (showing less on his ever stony face and more through the sheer vibes he radiates) at being asked about the song.

still, though. he looks a little embarrassed, in this oddly demure way. ]

While I am very flattered, my own musical ability could never compare to the composers of this piece! [ in case the whistle rendition being slightly off in more than one way didn't clue him in. ] It is a theme associated with my place of work: Gear Station, sir!