Our Conversations

[ViolentMedic]

“Right. Same as us,” Molly said.

She didn’t say ‘we didn’t kill anyone.’ Though perhaps there was a hint of it in how carefully neutral her tone was.

She didn’t quite flinch at the snow being kicked at her, just blinked a little before shaking it off. “Ah, it’s fine. A little bit of snow’s the least bad thing that can happen here, right? It is pretty freezy out, though. Hey, like, uh…?”

She raised her voice so that the loving couple could hear her, too. Now that they’d stopped clinging onto each other so tight, she felt less awkward about interrupting.

“Guys? It’s freezing, right? Maybe we should move this whole reunion somewhere else?”

Their only on-island goal aside from ‘not die’ had been completed. Another goal was needed, even if it was something as small as ‘find somewhere warm and ratless ideally.’

[Deamon]

He said she must have had a good reason and Aracelis didn't respond to that. She was worried that whatever she said would have let slip that the killing of Constance was a simple murder. Because the truth was that there wasn't a way to explain away their actions, hers or Leslie's. The thing they did have going for themselves was that they hadn't repeated the trick, although that was also partly luck. Bethany had managed to wander off and die to someone else. Plus, she had started it anyway, so they could have written that off as self-defense if needed. But at its core that first action had been something that had been done out of convenience and to form an alliance.
But Aracelis didn't vocalize anything, merely offering a weak smile.

Then before the moment could settle fully Molly spoke up from over with Leslie, it was an inadvertent lifeline but Aracelis was going to take it either way.

"Yeah," Aracelis said, pulling her jacket tighter for emphasis. "We should go find somewhere," She looked over at Leslie, Molly vanishing from her field of vision as she did so.

"At least for a little while right?"

[Jilly]

Sweat rolled down the back of Leslie's neck as he stared back at Aracelis like a deer stuck in the headlights of an oncoming lifted truck careening down a road as if it owned the world.

1 became 2, and again 2 became 4. Omens always arrived in 4's, but even with just the 2 he didn't like this at all. He wasn't supposed to get caught up with other people. This wasn't how he said he would be after waking up scared and shivering after watching their teacher die. He didn't want to be known.

The weight of the bags over his shoulder suddenly crushed him. If he ran away right now, could he slip away without anyone noticing? Would he be fast enough to break away before Lúcio could catch him? Would he bitch out halfway again?

"Y-yeah. Sure. I guess," he barfed out. He scratched at his eyebrow, not out of feeling itchy but out of the momentary safety of not having to maintain eye contact that burned away at his soul.

"For a little while."

[VoltTurtle]

"Going somewhere else sounds good," Lúcio agreed, nodding at Molly.

Something about the phrase "a little while" felt ominous to him, in a way he couldn't place. Nonetheless, he brushed it aside. Leslie was a bit of a wild card, but Aracelis wouldn't do anything to hurt him. There was nothing to worry about now except one of the real villains of the week running into them, and he had already survived running into Shu no worse for wear.

"I think I've got an idea of where to go," he said, starting to make his way down the old road.

((He only stopped to make sure everyone else was coming with.))

[ViolentMedic]

Molly watched Aracelis look, very specifically, at Leslie as she said ‘for a little while.’ Molly’s own, already semi-forced smile faltered.

She didn’t like this.

She didn’t like Aracelis’ silence on what she’d done, even if she’d given her the excuse not to talk about it. She didn’t like Leslie saying they’d just done what everyone else was doing, when that was blatantly untrue. She didn’t like how they looked at each other when ‘for a little while’ was said. And she knew Lúcio would ignore it all, because how could things be bad when his girlfriend was here?

...But she didn’t really want to acknowledge it, either.

So she turned back to Lúcio and gave him a thumbs up, pushing the smile back onto her face. “Lead on~”

She left Leslie’s side and jogged ahead to follow Lúcio, making sure to smile at Aracelis as she did so. Though the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

She could let Lúcio have this.

For a little while.

((Mônica “Molly” Oliveira continued in My Brother's Keeper.))

[Deamon]

It was settled. It had been easier than Aracelis had expected. Leslie hadn't required convincing. It must have been her familiarity, or him remembering that he'd said they'd look for Lúcio. Aracelis thought it would have been good for them. No one would mess with a group of four. They could hunker down with Lúcio and Molly, she could recover. They wouldn't have to continue moving across the island, never stopping and always looking for the quickest and easiest way to get supplies. For a while they could share.

And she could be with Lúcio, someone she knew would be there for her. Someone who would care for her.

As Molly and Lúcio set off she looked over at Leslie.

"Thank you." She whispered, before turning and quickly following behind the siblings.

((Aracelis Fuentes continued in My Brother's Keeper))

[Jilly]

Guess that was that. Leslie watched the others as they started taking off, following suit as he was pulled by his leash through the snow. The pained smile didn't leave his lips for quite some time.

For a little while, this would be fine; he could plot his escape later. But in his heart of hearts, he reminded himself over and over that this repireve couldn't last forever.

((continued in the sleeping quarters))