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

[decohere]

"Well what I mean is that... every cruise ends the same way, as far as we know. He fails to succeed in his goal, he grows bored and no longer has use of his captives, and their souls or whatever are..." Ava waves her hand vaguely. "So we have to do something different, to break the cycle. And what if that's help him achieve godhood? Is that any worse than what we already face?"

It sounds insane, she knows, and she wouldn't voice this to anyone else. Mostly she's hoping for Skulduggery to talk her out of it, exactly why it's a terrible idea.

[prodigalmess]

"Here you don't have to be an android though," Malcolm says. "You can do what you want."

It never dawned on him that there might be people here who are in better situations than they were in before. As dire as things were for him at home, Malcolm knows that he needs to go back. He can't stay here while his family potentially suffers.

But would Rin want to go back to a place where it has to follow the orders of others?

[light_mischief]

Skulduggery, having most certainly seen their display at the dinner, doesn't comment directly on the matter, but his head bows in momentary condolence. "It's good of you to want to watch out for them. Smarter of them to not have signed up in the first place." He chuckles. "All the people I would want to protect wound up signing up, which says nothing good about my choice in companionship."

His friends are all dumb, is what he means. He's also dumb, so at least it tracks.

[broshaw]

"Yeah, AND the boyfriend." He laughs, because even though he fucking hated that dude, he turned out to not be so bad in the end. Hopefully, he and Addie are happy wherever they are -- so long as they didn't die after trying to fly out to Cuba. "Long story, but his dad was a real fuckin' dick."

She knows the word enough that he doesn't think to explain it, just sorta nodding along, even when she asks him a question. "Uh, yeah, pretty much. Even before the Collapse, my life... kinda fuckin' sucked. It was hella boring and full of stupid drama and," he really doesn't want to get into it, "Well, here, I got free food, free alcohol, clean sheets... No real interpersonal conflicts or like, you know... evil crazy cults." Hahaha. "It's pretty chill, TBH."

[prodigalmess]

He's quiet for a moment while he processes what she said. He's not sure who Serac and Rehoboam are, but Maeve's reaction to her target's death is interesting. She's not as cold as some bounty hunters might be about such a thing.

Malcolm hands her one of the hatchets. "Elbow," he replies. "It's too heavy for the wrist. You've thrown a katana?" His eyes widen. "That's something I haven't done before."

[prodigalmess]

"What?" he replies a bit too quickly. Ava's with Skulduggery? She never said anything to him, but would she anyway? How could Malcolm not have noticed? Also, as much as he likes Skulduggery, the idea of losing out to a literal skeleton kind of hurts.

He clears his throat. "I mean... we're friends. So I can give it to her as... a friend." Friends still do that, he thinks.

"Not at all," he says, putting his hands up. "Please, show me how to do it."

[touchofcashmere]

"Oh I see." Now he feels sympathy for him. He knows what that's like. "I'm making some to give to a friend too." A faint smile.

And he's glad that Malcolm hasn't yet learned so he says: "Watch me carefully."

and then: "How long have you known each other?"

[broshaw]

It's true; even if they've got the whole different timeline thing going on, Sharky's still glad to see Pratt again. Have him around, that kind of shit. Even if it's more likely that Sharky is gonna have to throw down with the guy than throw down for him. "Yeaaah, he's cool, for a cop. Well, ex-cop. Whatever, it's complicated."

He's going to come into the kitchen to look for the worst bagged chips possible for him. He has to destroy his body somehow, apparently. "Yeah, I'm in his cabin. Our counselor sorta... kicked us all out, though? Mostly because she was the only chick and we were a bunch of weird strange guys, which is like, totally understandable -- uhhh. He, uh, didn't mention how I was gonna like, bear attack him, did he?"

Well, if he didn't, Sharky just did!

[broshaw]

Boy, if Sharky doesn't know that abrupt cut-off vibe. There's nothing like having someone you'd die for being unceremoniously piled into the ex-friend category. But he also knows that it's a bummer and a half to talk about, and they're not going to bum each other out right now, goddamn it!

"Oh, dude, I can totally see it," which he can, as he observes those little white spots that are, sort of, kind of like skulls. He himself will make a gimme-hand at a green one because green is a cool color, the other hand holding out the torn-open bag of marshmallows. "Take as many as you want, preeeetty sure they'll regenerate or whatever." He has no idea, but he's wildly assuming!

[secondtick]

(He just grins seeing the color that creeps into her cheeks, though the brightness in her eyes is new. But he liked it, just another way to read the mood and gauge how she was doing. He knew tonight was a lot, and it was about all that he was able to handle as well, but it was worth it to be here, with her, doing this. Her arms linked around his neck during a slow song like this wasn't something he'd have ever imagined.)

Thanks for giving me the shot. This is a lot better than what I was planning for, given what people kept saying about the last day.

[secondtick]

Is it?

(He hadn't noticed anymore, though it was a little chilly without a shirt and wet. Enough to sober him a little and cool him down as he rubbed the back of his neck as she stepped away. Ekko wasn't sure about how this would work, the revving up to go and uncertainty, but then he felt the hesitation on his end. Questions if they should or shouldn't, and maybe that's what she was working through now.)

I knew we said we could be whatever, but it doesn't change that I liked you for years.

But if it's getting late, I can let you finish up what you were doing. You know where I'm staying if you want to drop by after.

[light_mischief]

He laughs a little, because that is a... genuinely crazy idea, no doubt about it. But every solution to their problem, no matter how crazy, is worthy of consideration. After all...

"It really depends on what he'll do once he's ascended. Right now, the damage he causes is relatively limited. He can only draw on us. But if he were capable of reaching across realities, nobody would be safe. Our friends in our home realities would be in danger -- the very fabric of existence could be at risk, for all we know."

But of course, "Even if he had the best intentions, power corrupts. Absolute power, absolutely."

[skaikru]

( he'd done a decent job explaining himself, that's not where the disconnect stems from here. clarke's metric for monstrosities is just entirely hinged on how much of a threat they pose to her specifically — that'd been the first thing she'd asked natsuno when he revealed he was a vampire, after all: are you going to hurt me? — and despite the massive slight and continual emotional fallout after venti... mizuki wouldn't hurt her.

...right?

sitting here, holding hands, with a sloppy but sentimental friendship bracelet secured around her wrist, clarke doesn't think he would. real monsters don't organize picnics. )

What mood? ( this scoffing sort of acknowledgement of the camp around them is about as close to humor as clarke gets, but she's trying. ) I don't know about you, but I keep waiting for some sort of noxious gas to roll out from the treeline and kill us all. I don't get the point of this really just being a camping trip.

[opheliac]

(ah, so there it is. she had a hunch but she really thought that maybe that hunch was wrong and it was just her mind rapidly thinking too much or her paranoia. her face falls slightly dark and inexpressively as her eyes pierce to his browns. jinx is mute but only for a moment as she moves on pass him; well... not entirely. she stops beside him while looking onward to the campsite.)

And that's gonna be your downfall, Little Man. Likin' me is gonna be your biggest regret.

[skaikru]

Just — don't do anything stupid!

( it's a parting sentiment aimed at jinx's back. but like a bullet through gelatin, clarke loses the energy to fight halfway through the statement. there really is no stopping some people, especially some of the people stuck on this cursed cruise liner. the blue haired bomber is one of the first names that comes to mind when considering volatile, unstable, and sometimes dangerous — if her bite ever catches up with her bite, in clarke's experience — and really, the only way to stop people like that is

... permanently.

which isn't even an option here, so clarke's just left with hope — that jinx won't go on to hurt anyone on this expedition, and will stick to that unnerving good mood she seems to be in. let's pray for ekko or something. )

[secondtick]

Definitely not Zaun. The air is too clean and the food actually tastes like its supposed to.

(Despite all the awful things, and the morning announcements, Ekko wasn't having too horrible of a time. The only thing that annoyed him was how small of a space they were confined to, he could barely get his glider up and running before finding the edge of the barrier one way or another.)

But yeah, I can definitely make was we were talking about here. And back on the ship, I'm sure I can make whatever we need if I have the tools. The trick is how long it will take.

[decohere]

"All I know is that the world wasn't so great anyway." Ava sighs and stretches out, with an arm flung over her face. "But you're right. It's a stupid idea. I just figured all the good ones were already attempted."

[latersgators]

"Yeah. Well luckily there's no insects!" That's something at least. He would have absolutely abhorred the experience if he had to deal with leeches and ants and mosquitoes on top of everything else that's happened.

"You don't-- like most people you've met?" Steven ventures meekly. It just sounds like, what with them being 'forced together' and all that. Maybe Max (can he call him Max? He should probably ask before assuming) would prefer to be alone.

Steven wouldn't mind to be that way inclined. Unfortunately he's social and he wants to make friends. But he just keeps annoying half the people he meets and that hasn't been fun either.

"Did you-- go on the last. Outing?" The one that didn't go so well, not that that needs saying out loud.

[secondtick]

Probably would have agreed with you, until you tried to blow us up.

(Picking up his socks and shoes he didn't bother to put them back on as he walked back. He could tell that she was still working things out, and he was probably just making it worse, making things complicated.)

The only part I regret was giving up before. I won't make that mistake again.

[millay]

She considers this. "Tauva is my preferred, but it's because of the whiskey. Then again, the pool bar is always good if you like the frozen drinks." And she does like those sometimes, too. Really, it was one of those things.

Maeve's certain it will fuck them over less than most of the things that they could do. "I'll have to pack some stuff from the craft place then. I'm not certain what exists on the ship for it. I've only seen origami butterflies."

[latersgators]

"Me too!" Only it seems Skulduggery has left a much better impression. Steven could learn a thing or three from his pleasant (pun not intended) and friendly and unassuming demeanour.

"It's quite mind-boggling though. I mean, I thought London was plenty big. And then I think about everyone on the planet. And then our solar system, how many galaxies are out there. And I guess you're not even-- not even from the same universe. It's mental. Can't wrap my head around it all."

[light_mischief]

Skulduggery reaches over and pats her arm sympathetically. "I didn't say it was a stupid idea. It's certainly a crazy one, but crazy doesn't mean stupid."

[decohere]

"All things considered. Sanity isn't going to get anyone very far in these circumstances."

[opheliac]

(it's quick and a sharp move but she grabs on his wrist and yanks him close to her. her brows narrowing with a small quirk of her upper lip in a scowl.)

I can still kill you, y'know. And if we gotta go up against each other in the next killin' spree, I'm not gonna hesitate. Don't think 'cuz we're messin' around, I won't.

[latersgators]

"A captain? Not the captain of the ship though? What crew?" Steven wasn't here for the pirate recruitment drive and honestly he's not cut out for being a pirate. He's too clumsy and too kind and too... unsuitable in general.

"Don't tell me you're planning a mutiny." That's-- so piratey that Steven sounds a little excited about it. But also so ridiculous. This isn't a tiny ship anyone could simply just commandeer. And he doesn't want the original captain to get hurt, even if he is mean and slightly delusional.