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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(There were a few that despite the dim light could be seen, there were more than one near misses and close calls. But he had always managed to make it out, where as others made it to the wall. Some were from her, most of them weren't. One from careless experiments, one from a incident learning to fly. But compared to most, he'd gotten off easy.

When she stepped back over, he placed a hand on her side just above the waist. He noticed her eyes, the intensity that seemed to grow in them. It made her a little easier to read, though he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.)

That's all I ever wanted to do.

(a happy hum rumbles in her throat and even attempt to wiggle her nose -- despite whether or not that's something she can even do. jinx shifts a little and finally straightens out his shirt a bit so she can slip it on. and just like that, she is now covered for the most part and to be obnoxious, she reaches her arm around to slap him pretty hard on the back. if he stumbles over, good because that was her intention.)

So! — What were you doin' out here anyway? Lookin' around to see if any animals are about even though I've seen zip of those.

(It was a bit big on her, but something about it was kind of sexy and still had Ekko's eyes drifting over, at least until the sharp pain from the slap in the back that made him take a step forward to keep from going face first into the water.)

They were talking about the stars earlier, and the fresh air. Figured I'd make the most of it a bit longer when I heard you splashing around.

No fish, so I figured I'd check it out.

Yeah, it's a lil' weird, isn't it? Almooost as if this place isn't actually real.

(then she raises her eyebrows to him and holding a smirk -- indicating to him that this what she had been hypothesizing about the last few days. but she had been keeping this theory to herself since everyone's been having such a good time and the vibes been fantastic! so why would she mess with it by bringing it down with a buzzkill?)

Maybe, but then you have to wonder what is real. If this isn't real, then is the ship real. Or is all of this just fake?

(It was a pretty hard question to justify because it all came back to what made something real. For Ekko Jinx was real, the impulses and urges that she had were real. For her Milo and Calggor were real, but it wasn't that way for Ekko. So what made a world or something real or not? And in the end, did it really matter what was real when it came to the end?)

Even if it's not real, we are.

Thinkin' about that is just gonna make my head implode and it's waaaay too late at night for that. A girl's gotta have her beauty sleep.

(besides she fell down that rabbit hole more than once and way too often. and her mentality had been pretty well so far -- last she needs to sit up late at night pondering.)

Then think about something you can be certain about. Something that's here and you can see, hear, and touch. If this place is real or not, after tomorrow we're not going to be here. So that part doesn't matter.

(But what they did there, everything that happened while they were at camp. That would matter.)

Hmmm... NOPE! Still don't feel like thinking.

(a teasing grin as she begins to gather up all of her hair. having to do this all her life, it doesn't take her no more than a few seconds to scoop it up in her hands without letting any strands touch the ground.

now that she has her locks in her possession, jinx casually and finally walks out of the water to the shore.)

I'll do the rest of the thinking for tonight then.

(He certainly had a lot to take in and process with everything that had happened that night, and the things that had unfolded throughout the last few days. Ekko followed Jinx out of the water, slowed a little by the weight of the shorts which clung to him in a less than flattering way. Contrasted by how well his shirt seemed to cling to Jinx, which made him clear his throat and look away again for just a moment as he adjusted the waistband before grabbing his socks and shoes.)

Or we could just both stop thinking.

(even with her hair in her hands, she does a spin to face him enthusiastically with an enormous leer.)

I say we do that!! No brains on this trip.

No brains, no thinking. Go it.

(Which would lead to a few bad decisions, but Ekko didn't think about it, instead just caught Jinx by the wrist and pulled her close. His lips pressed against hers not quite as forceful as the one she'd initiated. He just wanted to ensure that it was real done last time. It was different this time, he hadn't been caught unaware. And this time he could take in every part of it. Not caught off guard in shock and barely able to process what was happening.)

(with that tug from him, her hair gracefully falls out of her grasp and back on the earth to their feet. the look for a split moment she grants him is confusion but when he pulls her in then a kiss, her eyes widen. her pinks glistening as her face flusters but in seconds the surprise wears off -- then gradually giving in and returning the kiss.

this kiss is definitely different than hers and it makes her mind trail off if ekko truly has feelings for her and it's not all sexual tension. of course, he did say he had her eye on her since they were little but... that's powder. not jinx. which raises the question: does he have feelings for powder or jinx? either way, she bats that thought for now and it'll be something to ponder on much later. for now, she just wants to enjoy this with her arms linking around his neck to press her lips on his deeply; possibly with more passion than before.)

Edited 2022-06-18 22:15 (UTC)

(Ekko wasn't entirely certainly certain himself which the answer was, he had liked powder before. But then Powder had died a long time ago, these weeks with Jinx had been eye-opening though, and made him realize that maybe that wasn't so much the case. From the hunger of the kiss the effect seeing her naked had on him certainly drove how bold he was being now, it was more than just sexual tension. Jinx was brilliant, and talented with engineering, as good if not better than he was. She was bold, outspoken, creative and artistic, all things that Ekko liked as well. So the kiss is genuine, but the desire for more is there as well, both in one. Powder and Jix, Love and lust, a dichotomy blurred as the lines were crossed.

He'd stepped closer as they kissed, wrapping his arms around her, she had to be cold in that wet shirt and so he'd help keep her warm.)

(she does feel the love within this kiss and truly, it does frighten her a bit. because it's the ability she feels she can't really return. jinx, as the zaunites, call her "a loose cannon" and she wonders if that nickname reached up to the top-siders by now. but not only she is that but she is also "a problem" according to sevika. if one tend to loom around her for too much longer, disaster will strike. no matter how careful, how articulate she tries to be with every movement, the results will always end the same way.

so love is something, she believes, she can't reciprocate regardless if she feels the same way. because death follows her, it clings to her -- her love ones or anyone she holds dear will die horrifically whether on purpose or on accident. so the love she feels in their kiss does scare her but... for now, she'll let it slide and won't run. despite her every bone of her body wanting to. if anything, she just tightens her hold on him more -- hoping he won't break or crumble like her world tends to do. )

Edited 2022-06-19 00:05 (UTC)

(Ekko was willing to take the chance, after all he knew his way out of a sticky situation. And there was never a day he couldn't make the most of in one way of another. She was the unexpected, and for most that meant problematic, for Ekko it was the variable to keep things fresh, to keep them exciting. Jinx was a person not a bad penny to be discarded, not that any of them had a cent to lose.

He was sturdier than he was as a kid, no longer frightened, no longer hiding. And she could squeeze as tightly as she wanted because he wouldn't cry out or call for mercy. As she held on he began to move a bit, a slow rhythm as he started singing the song from earlier in the night. What would not be their song.)

(ah...okay, she should stop this before it's a little too loving. so finally, she breaks their kiss slowly -- biting her bottom lip with a quick unease gaze away from him. to make it more awkward and not know what to do with herself nor her hands, she just rubs his shoulders then taking a step back.)

Uh, um. It's... gettin' late.

(is it obvious at this point jinx has no idea how to deal with him being romantic like this? he really shouldn't, honestly. one would sit down with the other and address if there's something hidden going on but jinx isn't the type to address it. she will just flee and ignore this and hopes it never gets brought up in conversation or he ever...confesses. but he won't, she thinks. because there's no way. it's entirely impossible that this is anything more than just..."friends" doing casual sex.)

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.

(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.

Edited 2022-06-25 02:23 (UTC)

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.

(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.

(Ekko didn't blink, just stared her down. The grin didn't leave his face, he knew what she was doing. And it showed just how confused she was.)

I wouldn't want it any other way. Go ahead, I'll do my best to stay alive until you have the chance to take your shot. And even then, I'll have your best interest in mind. And if that means taking you out, I will.

(her pinks then searches his and something about his grin is a little contagious. as much as she doesn't want to admit, everything about him is contagious. she hates it but it's also very alluring. a small scoff with a smirk slowly creeping up her face then letting go his wrist.)

I'm keepin' the shirt.

(then a sway as she walks over to the deck that's nearby them; humming as she just lets her long hair drag along the earth. she'll have to shower regardless so if it gets muddy, then it just gets muddy.)

(Just make it a game, keep it fun and light, don't get too serious and it won't hurt as much. He couldn't back down not and still say he was serious about how he felt. So it was best to bring her back around, and the grin did just that.)

Good thing I've got a few extra. It's yours.

But like you said it's getting late. You know where to find me though, just tab on the window.

(Because the alarm was very much operative and had proven it works. Still he couldn't help but to watch Jinx as she walked away, eyes fixed on those hips wrapped tightly in that wet t-shirt.)

Yeah, yeah. I'll keep that in mind, Hot Stuff. Likewise with you.

(as she makes her way to the deck, jinx takes a seat at the edge -- letting her bare feet touch the water briefly.)

— Don't let the Chompers come and bite your fingers off while you sleep.

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JUNE EVENT: CAMP

CAMP AION

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