“Okay, okay, just… you don’t have to yell,” Mônica said, holding both her hands up. Her eyes shifting to the violently-loaded gun, even as Matthew put it down again. “We’re friendly here, we’re okay, you don’t have to yell. But that sounds the same, doesn’t it? Someone throwing themselves in the middle and stopping what was meant to happen?”
She lowered her hands slowly, eyes shifting to Shawn to check if he was pulling out a gun, too. That’d be her luck, for this to turn out to be a two-gun ambush dependent on if Matthew kept his cool or not.
Still. He thought he was being heroic. That was fine. As long as she looked pathetic and kept him convinced, she was safe. Or he wouldn’t be able to pretend anymore.
“But the announcement didn’t say ‘Matthew was aiming for the six-time killer,’ did it? It showed it the way that would make people think the worst of you, so that other people would do the terrorist’s work, right?”
She was hoping she was right on that, because honestly she couldn’t actually remember what the announcement had said about it.
Speechcraft
Day 8. PM for Entry.
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ViolentMedic
- Posts: 1412
- Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:53 am
Interesting. So that was Ren he found buried at the campsite? Seemed to line up with Matt's story well enough.
Shawn could picture it now: Matthew stumbles across Katelyn's mumblecore support group, shots are exchanged, Ren croaks and Matt has to flee the scene once Katelyn whips out the grenade launcher. It sounded absurd on paper, but what hasn't been these past several days?
As Matt and Molly continued their exchange of words, Shawn's eyes couldn't help but drift towards Molly's bag, practically torn to shreds and missing a fair few necessities. He'd been pondering since the moment they arrived as to what would be the most ideal outcome to... Whatever this was. And after looking at that bag again, it began to dawn on him what that would be.
After all, on the one hand they had little to gain from antagonizing her, or worse. By her own admission she was missing a fair few of her things, and that sword - objectively awesome it may be - was ultimately impractical to lug around. If Matt were to put that gun of his to good use, all it'd really achieve was put another notch on his tally.
However. If they decided to buddy it up, then odds are she'd need to rely on them for supplies. And despite her attempts at helping, she proved to be utterly useless once the chips were down. No, they wouldn't have much to gain from hindering her, but they had plenty to lose from helping her. And at this stage in the game, Shawn had little patience for parasites.
"True, the announcements do tend to be... Intentionally vague" Shawn interjected, a hint of annoyance in his voice, before turning to Matt.
"They didn't say anything about how Matt here was only trying to defend himself..." he continues, before turning back to Molly. "...nor did they say anything about Lucio being in your way, as you went after your real target."
He pauses for a moment to clear his throat. "However, they don't lie about the end result, do they? At the end of the day, regardless of what we tell each other or ourselves, those are the only concrete facts we have to work with."
Shawn could picture it now: Matthew stumbles across Katelyn's mumblecore support group, shots are exchanged, Ren croaks and Matt has to flee the scene once Katelyn whips out the grenade launcher. It sounded absurd on paper, but what hasn't been these past several days?
As Matt and Molly continued their exchange of words, Shawn's eyes couldn't help but drift towards Molly's bag, practically torn to shreds and missing a fair few necessities. He'd been pondering since the moment they arrived as to what would be the most ideal outcome to... Whatever this was. And after looking at that bag again, it began to dawn on him what that would be.
After all, on the one hand they had little to gain from antagonizing her, or worse. By her own admission she was missing a fair few of her things, and that sword - objectively awesome it may be - was ultimately impractical to lug around. If Matt were to put that gun of his to good use, all it'd really achieve was put another notch on his tally.
However. If they decided to buddy it up, then odds are she'd need to rely on them for supplies. And despite her attempts at helping, she proved to be utterly useless once the chips were down. No, they wouldn't have much to gain from hindering her, but they had plenty to lose from helping her. And at this stage in the game, Shawn had little patience for parasites.
"True, the announcements do tend to be... Intentionally vague" Shawn interjected, a hint of annoyance in his voice, before turning to Matt.
"They didn't say anything about how Matt here was only trying to defend himself..." he continues, before turning back to Molly. "...nor did they say anything about Lucio being in your way, as you went after your real target."
He pauses for a moment to clear his throat. "However, they don't lie about the end result, do they? At the end of the day, regardless of what we tell each other or ourselves, those are the only concrete facts we have to work with."
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Applesintime
- Posts: 447
- Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2020 8:46 pm
- Location: In a magical place
Matthew wasn't too angry, because, yeah, what Molly was saying did kinda make sense. Ren threw themselves into the fray to protect a murderer and got killed for it. So did Lucio, but it was a lot worse on Molly than it was on him given that... well, Lucio was her brother. To him, Ren'd just been one of Katelyn's hang-arounders, someone who oohed and aahed when she drew some weird freaky shit (really, was it any wonder she started killing people the second she got the go-ahead to?) so it wasn't hard. It hadn't been Ren or him, because they were out for the count. But you know what? At least he took one of Katelyn's allies out. Kai was bad enough.
"Yeah. I guess... I dunno, this is all kindsa fucked up. Didn't expect to come out of a skiing trip with a fucking body count, but I don't think anyone did, unless you're one of those SOTF club weirdos." Katelyn had been one of them, or at least really close to one. And hey, what do you know, they'd done a bunch of killing too. Maybe it was just a little group of fucked up assholes who jumped at the chance to kill people.
"It's like... the announcements are sorta designed to get people pissed at each other. Worst possible light and all that, make people suspicious of each other." It was something Matthew had thought about, if he was just getting led on by the announcements. But no. Maybe one kill he could accept, some sorta mistake being played off, but Katelyn, Salem, Josh? They were just murderers, plain and fucking simple. He didn't need manipulated by Danya to know that they needed to die, otherwise more innocent people will just lose their goddamn life. Jack had proven that his whole thing wasn't a one-off and Ren had tried to kill him in defence of the current top-scorer. No reason to feel bad for either of them.
And looking at Molly, Matthew really doubted she'd be a repeating name on the announcements. Or a threat to anyone else.
"As I said, I'm not gonna shoot you. Don't know what you wanna do after this, but... you're free to go. I got all I wanted."
"Yeah. I guess... I dunno, this is all kindsa fucked up. Didn't expect to come out of a skiing trip with a fucking body count, but I don't think anyone did, unless you're one of those SOTF club weirdos." Katelyn had been one of them, or at least really close to one. And hey, what do you know, they'd done a bunch of killing too. Maybe it was just a little group of fucked up assholes who jumped at the chance to kill people.
"It's like... the announcements are sorta designed to get people pissed at each other. Worst possible light and all that, make people suspicious of each other." It was something Matthew had thought about, if he was just getting led on by the announcements. But no. Maybe one kill he could accept, some sorta mistake being played off, but Katelyn, Salem, Josh? They were just murderers, plain and fucking simple. He didn't need manipulated by Danya to know that they needed to die, otherwise more innocent people will just lose their goddamn life. Jack had proven that his whole thing wasn't a one-off and Ren had tried to kill him in defence of the current top-scorer. No reason to feel bad for either of them.
And looking at Molly, Matthew really doubted she'd be a repeating name on the announcements. Or a threat to anyone else.
"As I said, I'm not gonna shoot you. Don't know what you wanna do after this, but... you're free to go. I got all I wanted."
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ViolentMedic
- Posts: 1412
- Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 7:53 am
Mônica had thought maybe she could bluff her way into some protection. But while breaking down at the forest had maybe added to her ‘innocence,’ it had absolutely ruined her being any sort of useful. Dropping her supplies hadn’t helped. Being pathetic was a shield for her, would protect her from guys like Matthew, but at the same time it meant no-one would want to stick around her long.
She thought, maybe, she could do it if Shawn wasn’t here. Highlighting the worst of her actions, and ignoring the fact that it applied double to his friend. Not to mention any last-ditch attempt to Dani her way into Matthew’s good graces would be extra hard with an audience.
She fixed Shawn with a cold stare.
“Yeah. Only concrete facts. Since the terrorists haven’t mentioned you, you’re definitely clean. And I’ll just forget about any accusations yelled at you back at the road.”
She motioned dusting her hands and took a few steps towards the door. She left the torn-up bag behind. Nothing left in there anyway.
“I just know I want to live long enough to forgive myself, like Lúcio told me to. So thanks for deigning me with the privilege of leaving. Not like I was here first or anything?” Her frustration with the situation slipping out in her tone.
Mônica pushed her way through the nearest exit and left to go find a different building to hide in for the night. Better go before Matthew changed his mind. Would have been a bad choice anyway, with his temper.
((Mônica Oliveira continued in Memento Mori, Memento Vitae.))
She thought, maybe, she could do it if Shawn wasn’t here. Highlighting the worst of her actions, and ignoring the fact that it applied double to his friend. Not to mention any last-ditch attempt to Dani her way into Matthew’s good graces would be extra hard with an audience.
She fixed Shawn with a cold stare.
“Yeah. Only concrete facts. Since the terrorists haven’t mentioned you, you’re definitely clean. And I’ll just forget about any accusations yelled at you back at the road.”
She motioned dusting her hands and took a few steps towards the door. She left the torn-up bag behind. Nothing left in there anyway.
“I just know I want to live long enough to forgive myself, like Lúcio told me to. So thanks for deigning me with the privilege of leaving. Not like I was here first or anything?” Her frustration with the situation slipping out in her tone.
Mônica pushed her way through the nearest exit and left to go find a different building to hide in for the night. Better go before Matthew changed his mind. Would have been a bad choice anyway, with his temper.
((Mônica Oliveira continued in Memento Mori, Memento Vitae.))
Shawn furrowed his brow as Molly alluded to what Jezzie said back on the road, unamused to hear those baseless accusations brought up again. It was tempting to try and goad Matthew into putting a bullet in her, nip this problem in the bud before it had a chance to fester.
After all, if rumours started spreading about what he'd been up to these past few days then, well... He might be forced to drop the act and start taking a more proactive approach, which wouldn't be ideal at all. Not yet, anyway.
Alas, Matt had made up his mind, so Shawn kept quiet as Molly made her exit. A part of him regretted not having the chance to ask her about the supposed group that was out there, but at this point he suspected it was no longer relevant. In a game like this there was only so far that a large group could take you, before paranoia and infighting inevitably led to everyone turning on one another. Probably for the best to not entertain his curiosity any longer, focus on more important matters.
One of which, of course, was what he and Matt were to do next. Fortunately Matt hadn't made any mention of Jezzie's accusations, hopefully because he was more likely to trust his friends than the words of a raving lunatic. Which left Shawn curious as to what exactly his gun-toting ally was up to. He had an inkling, from what had been spoken thus far, so first things first he needed to confirm his suspicions.
"So..." Shawn began once they were alone again, slowly wandering towards the bar with his pickaxe by his side, turning around to lean back against the counter. "I take it you've been getting yourself in your fair share of trouble, huh? Never struck me as the type to lay low and keep your head down..."
After all, if rumours started spreading about what he'd been up to these past few days then, well... He might be forced to drop the act and start taking a more proactive approach, which wouldn't be ideal at all. Not yet, anyway.
Alas, Matt had made up his mind, so Shawn kept quiet as Molly made her exit. A part of him regretted not having the chance to ask her about the supposed group that was out there, but at this point he suspected it was no longer relevant. In a game like this there was only so far that a large group could take you, before paranoia and infighting inevitably led to everyone turning on one another. Probably for the best to not entertain his curiosity any longer, focus on more important matters.
One of which, of course, was what he and Matt were to do next. Fortunately Matt hadn't made any mention of Jezzie's accusations, hopefully because he was more likely to trust his friends than the words of a raving lunatic. Which left Shawn curious as to what exactly his gun-toting ally was up to. He had an inkling, from what had been spoken thus far, so first things first he needed to confirm his suspicions.
"So..." Shawn began once they were alone again, slowly wandering towards the bar with his pickaxe by his side, turning around to lean back against the counter. "I take it you've been getting yourself in your fair share of trouble, huh? Never struck me as the type to lay low and keep your head down..."
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Applesintime
- Posts: 447
- Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2020 8:46 pm
- Location: In a magical place
Matthew couldn't help but let out a sigh of frustration as Molly left with a few snarky remarks. He sorta got it, but like, there's no need to be a bitch about it. There was mention of the same thing that Jezzie had accused Shawn of too, which... honestly, Matthew couldn't really remember too much of what with all of the adrenaline going through him at that point. Something about Shawn being responsible for digging holes and killing Andrew because he fell into one? What, was he Stanley Yelnats or some shit?
It was... well, it was coming from a killer, and he wanted to just straight away discount the idea. But uh, Matthew couldn't. Not just yet, anyway. If he was hunting killers, and there was one hiding in plain sight, protected by Andrew's decision to kill himself... well, Matthew knew what he'd have to do.
"Mhm. Just, sorta... well, hunting down killers. Or trying to, anyway. You know how big this fucking island is? It's like trying to find a needle in a goddamn haystack. And when you do find people, it turns into a shitshow. I mean, like, five people on that one shitty road? Fucking ridiculous." Matthew grabbed his gun, hopped off the pool table, which creaked at him in anguish from his weight, and holstered it again, heading over to Shawn and maybe peering behind the bar to see if there's anything good there. No such luck, sadly.
"Ran into Jack, he tried to steal my gun, I shot him. Then I ran into Ren, asked 'em about Katelyn, they freaked and tried to kill me while yelling for her to run, shit escalated and I shot them dead and got off with some shrapnel and my left ear getting fucked. And from there, uh... I've just been looking for more people. But hey, at least I've got a buddy. Though, really gotta get you a gun." Matthew frowned. The pickaxe would be good in a close-quarters fight, don't get him wrong, but a gun was just better.
"What've you been up to?"
It was... well, it was coming from a killer, and he wanted to just straight away discount the idea. But uh, Matthew couldn't. Not just yet, anyway. If he was hunting killers, and there was one hiding in plain sight, protected by Andrew's decision to kill himself... well, Matthew knew what he'd have to do.
"Mhm. Just, sorta... well, hunting down killers. Or trying to, anyway. You know how big this fucking island is? It's like trying to find a needle in a goddamn haystack. And when you do find people, it turns into a shitshow. I mean, like, five people on that one shitty road? Fucking ridiculous." Matthew grabbed his gun, hopped off the pool table, which creaked at him in anguish from his weight, and holstered it again, heading over to Shawn and maybe peering behind the bar to see if there's anything good there. No such luck, sadly.
"Ran into Jack, he tried to steal my gun, I shot him. Then I ran into Ren, asked 'em about Katelyn, they freaked and tried to kill me while yelling for her to run, shit escalated and I shot them dead and got off with some shrapnel and my left ear getting fucked. And from there, uh... I've just been looking for more people. But hey, at least I've got a buddy. Though, really gotta get you a gun." Matthew frowned. The pickaxe would be good in a close-quarters fight, don't get him wrong, but a gun was just better.
"What've you been up to?"
Shawn sat back and listened, watching as Matt regaled his experiences thus far.
Turns out his suspicions were correct, and Matt was actively seeking out his more proactive competitors. Made sense, Matt always fancied himself as a heroic sort, and what better chance would he get to live out his action hero fantasies than a game like this? Reminded him a lot of Bethany's aspirations, only Matt had the means to make good on his intentions, and had proven himself unafraid of putting that gun of his to good use.
He nodded his head with a polite smile at being called buddy, trying to not look too eager about the prospect of Matt acquiring him a firearm. Having a well-armed ally was one thing, but one who trusted you enough to help acquire a better weapon? It was like Christmas had arrived early.
"Christ, where to begin..." Shawn sighed, running a hand through his greasy hair once it was his turn to talk. "Feels like I've been struggling to survive right from the word go. Was awake for five minutes before that idiot Spike came barging in, yelling and smashing up the place. Barely had the chance to wipe the sleep from my eyes before he tried to cave my head in with a television!"
Shawn glanced to his side at one of the beer bottles Molly was playing with earlier, reaching out to pick it up for a closer examination. A coors bottle, just like the one he found back at the research station, before ditching so that he could get away from Jezzie. This one would make for a fine replacement.
"Bumped into a couple others up at the research station, but... Like, it was a fucking mess up there. There was some girl who looked dead one second, then started stabbing people the next. Then I caught a glimpse of some crazy Mexican stand-off, dipped the hell out once bullets started flying. Fucking miracle nobody got killed..."
He looked down at that bottle, examining it closely as he bit his lip.
"I... I managed to find Bethany" he said, idly reading the label. "We travelled together for a while... She had a similar gameplan to you, kinda, though neither of us had much luck with our draws. Mostly just focused on trying to find you and Corbs, get the gang back together so that we can figure something out."
Shawn rapped his fingers on the pickaxe beside him. "Things were going ok for a while, until we..." he continued, gulping. "Until we bumped into Leslie and Aracelis."
He took a deep breath, a troubled look in his eyes. "They ambushed us. Caught us off guard, split us apart. All we could really do was scatter to try and lose them, try to regroup somewhere. Managed to get away, but in all the chaos, I... I lost track of her..."
Shawn looked up from the bottle, staring through the window at the heavy snowfall outside. For the briefest of seconds, he could almost swear he saw someone else out there, staring back at him.
"I looked everywhere, tried to find her, but... She was gone. Then, the next day, the news landed..."
He sniffles, trying to maintain a brave face. "Always thought Rebekah was a fucking weirdo..." he spat, pausing for a moment as he let out a long exhale, before looking back up at Matt. "After that, I've just been trying to survive really. Make it through this thing one day at a time, y'know?"
Turns out his suspicions were correct, and Matt was actively seeking out his more proactive competitors. Made sense, Matt always fancied himself as a heroic sort, and what better chance would he get to live out his action hero fantasies than a game like this? Reminded him a lot of Bethany's aspirations, only Matt had the means to make good on his intentions, and had proven himself unafraid of putting that gun of his to good use.
He nodded his head with a polite smile at being called buddy, trying to not look too eager about the prospect of Matt acquiring him a firearm. Having a well-armed ally was one thing, but one who trusted you enough to help acquire a better weapon? It was like Christmas had arrived early.
"Christ, where to begin..." Shawn sighed, running a hand through his greasy hair once it was his turn to talk. "Feels like I've been struggling to survive right from the word go. Was awake for five minutes before that idiot Spike came barging in, yelling and smashing up the place. Barely had the chance to wipe the sleep from my eyes before he tried to cave my head in with a television!"
Shawn glanced to his side at one of the beer bottles Molly was playing with earlier, reaching out to pick it up for a closer examination. A coors bottle, just like the one he found back at the research station, before ditching so that he could get away from Jezzie. This one would make for a fine replacement.
"Bumped into a couple others up at the research station, but... Like, it was a fucking mess up there. There was some girl who looked dead one second, then started stabbing people the next. Then I caught a glimpse of some crazy Mexican stand-off, dipped the hell out once bullets started flying. Fucking miracle nobody got killed..."
He looked down at that bottle, examining it closely as he bit his lip.
"I... I managed to find Bethany" he said, idly reading the label. "We travelled together for a while... She had a similar gameplan to you, kinda, though neither of us had much luck with our draws. Mostly just focused on trying to find you and Corbs, get the gang back together so that we can figure something out."
Shawn rapped his fingers on the pickaxe beside him. "Things were going ok for a while, until we..." he continued, gulping. "Until we bumped into Leslie and Aracelis."
He took a deep breath, a troubled look in his eyes. "They ambushed us. Caught us off guard, split us apart. All we could really do was scatter to try and lose them, try to regroup somewhere. Managed to get away, but in all the chaos, I... I lost track of her..."
Shawn looked up from the bottle, staring through the window at the heavy snowfall outside. For the briefest of seconds, he could almost swear he saw someone else out there, staring back at him.
"I looked everywhere, tried to find her, but... She was gone. Then, the next day, the news landed..."
He sniffles, trying to maintain a brave face. "Always thought Rebekah was a fucking weirdo..." he spat, pausing for a moment as he let out a long exhale, before looking back up at Matt. "After that, I've just been trying to survive really. Make it through this thing one day at a time, y'know?"
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Applesintime
- Posts: 447
- Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2020 8:46 pm
- Location: In a magical place
Shawn grabbed another beer bottle, probably so he could lob it at another gunwoman and save his ass once again. Matthew would have argued to break it, that way he had a shiv if he needed it, but really? There was the pickaxe and whatever else there was in his bag of holding violent tools, so he probably had the knife thing covered. Plus, hey, he had a friend with a gun now and that sorta made melee combat a little bit unviable, given any attacker would just get gunned down. Leaning back against the pool table, ignoring its creaks of protest once more, Matthew listened to Shawn's tale.
Spike tried to brain Shawn with a TV five minutes in. Couldn't help but feel like that might be a bit of an exaggeration. Like, he knew Spike, they were... sorta semi-buddies? Politically different but they worked out together sometimes, and from what Matthew gathered he wasn't the kinda guy to just... randomly try to kill someone. Like, Katelyn, she had enough red flags to trigger a stampede of bulls, but Spike? Maybe Shawn just saw him breaking shit outta frustration and misconstrued that.
Then someone who looked dead on the first day getting up to murder people. Didn't really get what Shawn coulda meant by that, but eh. What was more interesting was the Mexican standoff where bullets started flying, given Matthew had... been in one... aw fuck, they could have teamed up on day fucking one! Maybe! If that was actually the Josh thing.
Then Bethany, who was... apparently of the same mindset. They'd gotten along well enough back in JEM, and given that their draws had been apparently shit if Matthew had bumped into them, coulda turned this whole thing around. Dead Katelyn, dead Josh, dead killers in general. But, not to be. Because Leslie and Aracelis bumped into them. Interesting, given Leslie hadn't been on his radar before all this. Another target to add to the list.
But... something about Rebekah killing her didn't fit quite right in that story, and Matthew couldn't figure out why. Yeah, she'd killed Bethany, but... she seemed like Spike, in a way. The kind of person who wouldn't kill someone without having a very good reason.
There were a lot of people he would have said that about, though. Josh. Jezzie. Juanita.
So... maybe that wasn't a good like, indicator. Still. Mmm. He couldn't put his finger on it.
"Shit man, that sucks. I'm sorry. We'll get revenge on those two fuckers, eh?" Matthew tried to comfort Shawn as best as he could. "Can't do it while we're stuck in here, though. Ready to head out, see if we can find anyone?"
Spike tried to brain Shawn with a TV five minutes in. Couldn't help but feel like that might be a bit of an exaggeration. Like, he knew Spike, they were... sorta semi-buddies? Politically different but they worked out together sometimes, and from what Matthew gathered he wasn't the kinda guy to just... randomly try to kill someone. Like, Katelyn, she had enough red flags to trigger a stampede of bulls, but Spike? Maybe Shawn just saw him breaking shit outta frustration and misconstrued that.
Then someone who looked dead on the first day getting up to murder people. Didn't really get what Shawn coulda meant by that, but eh. What was more interesting was the Mexican standoff where bullets started flying, given Matthew had... been in one... aw fuck, they could have teamed up on day fucking one! Maybe! If that was actually the Josh thing.
Then Bethany, who was... apparently of the same mindset. They'd gotten along well enough back in JEM, and given that their draws had been apparently shit if Matthew had bumped into them, coulda turned this whole thing around. Dead Katelyn, dead Josh, dead killers in general. But, not to be. Because Leslie and Aracelis bumped into them. Interesting, given Leslie hadn't been on his radar before all this. Another target to add to the list.
But... something about Rebekah killing her didn't fit quite right in that story, and Matthew couldn't figure out why. Yeah, she'd killed Bethany, but... she seemed like Spike, in a way. The kind of person who wouldn't kill someone without having a very good reason.
There were a lot of people he would have said that about, though. Josh. Jezzie. Juanita.
So... maybe that wasn't a good like, indicator. Still. Mmm. He couldn't put his finger on it.
"Shit man, that sucks. I'm sorry. We'll get revenge on those two fuckers, eh?" Matthew tried to comfort Shawn as best as he could. "Can't do it while we're stuck in here, though. Ready to head out, see if we can find anyone?"
Shawn nodded his head in approval, raising his bottle as if to offer a toast to the fallen.
"Thanks man, really appreciate it..." he says, raising the bottle to within an inch of his lips, before remembering at the last second that it was empty.
"These last few days, I..." he continues, lowering the bottle. "I've been so focused on staying alive, I haven't really been able to think much on how to, like... Properly address this fuckin' mess we're all in, y'know?"
He taps the bottle with his finger, before turning to Matt with a determined look in his eyes. "So you know what... Yeah. You can count me in" he says, before slipping the bottle into his jacket pocket. "It's about time we start making a difference out there."
Sitting up from the counter, he hoisted the pickaxe over his shoulder before gesturing for Matt to lead the way, following behind him as the two set out together.
((Shawn Bellamy and Matthew Bell continued in Speechcraft))
"Thanks man, really appreciate it..." he says, raising the bottle to within an inch of his lips, before remembering at the last second that it was empty.
"These last few days, I..." he continues, lowering the bottle. "I've been so focused on staying alive, I haven't really been able to think much on how to, like... Properly address this fuckin' mess we're all in, y'know?"
He taps the bottle with his finger, before turning to Matt with a determined look in his eyes. "So you know what... Yeah. You can count me in" he says, before slipping the bottle into his jacket pocket. "It's about time we start making a difference out there."
Sitting up from the counter, he hoisted the pickaxe over his shoulder before gesturing for Matt to lead the way, following behind him as the two set out together.
((Shawn Bellamy and Matthew Bell continued in Speechcraft))