Lana touched her earlobes.
Over and over.
Repeatedly.
Just to check that she just wasn't feeling something that was there.
Her entire life, there had always been a small loop of tubing, tucked behind her ears and resting inside her ear canals. Lana had always had a hearing impairment, which meant that she had to have hearing aids. The memories of her going to be checked up, to see how her hearing was, to check to see if her aids were still working, were part of her childhood memories. Those aids represented a lot of things for her. The main thing they represented, however, was support. With the aids, she could listen to things almost as well as others.
Losing them was a terrible outcome.
And losing them here? Was a living nightmare.
Lana had woken up some time ago, and needless to say, she was scared out of her wits. Not just because she lost her aids, though that wasn't helping at all. But it was...
She remembered reading blog posts about it. Seeing people's thoughts on it, a few years ago. She even saw a few clips of it, though she wished she could just erase it all from her memory.
And now they were back.
They targeted them.
They killed the teachers. Lana remembered that Lomelli was on the trip, and so was Davidge. She remembered his bleeding body, placed there like a wild trophy. They wanted them to kill each other as well.
Lana remembered being speechless, feeling the blood drain from her face.
And when she woke up? Even before she remembered what had happened, she had known she was in hell. Her first sight, literally, upon waking up, was a bird's corpse right next to her head. It must have been some kind of crow. It had startled her, and got her up straight away before she even knew that she was... here.
There were other birds here as well. Dead birds. Lana loved animals. She liked taking care of them at the shelter, and she liked writing about them for a reason. Seeing so many dead birds frightened and saddened her. Some of them looked like they may have been beautiful before they died. She couldn't tell anymore.
And as if to add insult to injury, her aids were gone. They were something that were supposed to help her.
Lana's eyes darted across the courtyard as she sat on the ground. She had been growing restless. She knew someone could sneak up on her, or do something literally behind her back. The birds weren't helping, nor was the headless statue.
She wanted to leave. She wanted to go home. She wanted to just curl up into a ball and disappear.
...
No. Lana was going to stay strong. Just because there were dead birds, killers, and lack of hearing aids didn't mean she was going to lose her composure quickly. She was strong, damn it. Lana wasn't a weakling.
Just keep it cool for now.
Birds, Bats, and General Flying Things
Thump
Stephanie woke up with a groan, pinching her eyes shut against the light and rubbing her temples. The headache pounding against her skull was not an uncommon occurrence for her in the morning, but as always remained an unwelcome one. Groaning again, Stephanie turned over and opened her eyes, expecting to be greeted by the bright red of her bedside clock. Instead she found herself face to face with the carcass of some bird or another she couldn't identify. It took her mind a full second to register just what she was looking at, before she bolted upright into a sitting position.
Everything came flooding into her mind at once. Getting on the plane, waking up surrounded by what appeared to be soldiers, seeing Davidge get shot, the speech that followed, and now.... this. Her mind was spinning with all this information, and she couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. She stood up, careful to not place her hands on any of the dead birds, when she noticed the bag next to her. Something about the bag triggered something in her brain that finally made everything fall into place, and she collapsed to her knees, tears springing from her eyes. She was going to die. Her and everyone else in her class. The teachers and all the other chaperones were already gone, and they weren't going to be lasting much longer.
After a few minutes of quietly sobbing, Stephanie wiped her eyes, sniffling and standing back up. She needed to get moving, away from where she was currently. The sooner she got away from anything reminding her of death, the better off she would be. Quickly grabbing the bag, she hoisted it up, grunting slightly from the unexpected weight, before slinging it over her shoulder. She would look in it later, for now she felt like she needed to get moving. She took about 10 steps before she noticed someone else a fair distance away from her, too far for them to have heard her, but close enough that she could make them out. Even from that distance, Stephanie could easily make out who it was.
"Lana!" she shouted before she could even think about what she was doing. She took off at a run, the bag jostling against her side as she dashed towards her friend, making sure to avoid the birds on the way. She stopped just short of her friend, doubling over and placing her hands on her knees and panting. She looked up expectantly at the other girl, a smile plastered on her face.
Stephanie woke up with a groan, pinching her eyes shut against the light and rubbing her temples. The headache pounding against her skull was not an uncommon occurrence for her in the morning, but as always remained an unwelcome one. Groaning again, Stephanie turned over and opened her eyes, expecting to be greeted by the bright red of her bedside clock. Instead she found herself face to face with the carcass of some bird or another she couldn't identify. It took her mind a full second to register just what she was looking at, before she bolted upright into a sitting position.
Everything came flooding into her mind at once. Getting on the plane, waking up surrounded by what appeared to be soldiers, seeing Davidge get shot, the speech that followed, and now.... this. Her mind was spinning with all this information, and she couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. She stood up, careful to not place her hands on any of the dead birds, when she noticed the bag next to her. Something about the bag triggered something in her brain that finally made everything fall into place, and she collapsed to her knees, tears springing from her eyes. She was going to die. Her and everyone else in her class. The teachers and all the other chaperones were already gone, and they weren't going to be lasting much longer.
After a few minutes of quietly sobbing, Stephanie wiped her eyes, sniffling and standing back up. She needed to get moving, away from where she was currently. The sooner she got away from anything reminding her of death, the better off she would be. Quickly grabbing the bag, she hoisted it up, grunting slightly from the unexpected weight, before slinging it over her shoulder. She would look in it later, for now she felt like she needed to get moving. She took about 10 steps before she noticed someone else a fair distance away from her, too far for them to have heard her, but close enough that she could make them out. Even from that distance, Stephanie could easily make out who it was.
"Lana!" she shouted before she could even think about what she was doing. She took off at a run, the bag jostling against her side as she dashed towards her friend, making sure to avoid the birds on the way. She stopped just short of her friend, doubling over and placing her hands on her knees and panting. She looked up expectantly at the other girl, a smile plastered on her face.
Lana tried to keep herself calm.
She knew that it wasn't a good idea to freak out. It was one of those things, you know? You have to stay strong. Lana was strong. Not just physically, but emotionally. Unflappable. That was the mindset she wanted to go for. Someone who wasn't going to freak out at a bunch of bird...
Gah, those still upset her. Those birds. She wondered what happened to them. Did a virus outbreak happen? This appeared to be some kind of aviary, by her guess; some ways away she could dimly see what appeared to be bird-related souvenirs in a display case. They sent them to a wildlife conservation?
She doubted it.
Calm, calm, Lana. The birds weren't upsetting. No one was going to come up to her and stab her senseless. It was calm. Calm was what she needed.
She took a deep breath.
See? She could be calm, right?
At that, Lana heard a muffled noise, that sounded somewhat vaguely like... her name? Okay, she wasn't sure if her mind was making up things, or if someone was calling out for her and she could barely hear them.
But Lana got an answer quickly, as she saw someone run up to her.
"Stephanie?" she shouted, as her friend approached.
She felt herself slightly tense up. It was involuntary, but she couldn't help it. Already this place was getting to her. Stephanie was a childhood friend, ever since elementary. They were close for a very long time. And heck, it was clear that the island was already making her tense around her.
But she needed to stay strong. She wasn't going to freak out, right? Right.
As Stephanie stopped in front of her, Lana looked up. She was smiling, but she could tell she was crying. It was kind of sad, to see her like this.
And yet, Lana couldn't help but smile back. She was alright.
"Stephanie..." she started, raising herself to her feet.
Lana tried to think of something to say.
"Are you feeling okay?"
She knew that it wasn't a good idea to freak out. It was one of those things, you know? You have to stay strong. Lana was strong. Not just physically, but emotionally. Unflappable. That was the mindset she wanted to go for. Someone who wasn't going to freak out at a bunch of bird...
Gah, those still upset her. Those birds. She wondered what happened to them. Did a virus outbreak happen? This appeared to be some kind of aviary, by her guess; some ways away she could dimly see what appeared to be bird-related souvenirs in a display case. They sent them to a wildlife conservation?
She doubted it.
Calm, calm, Lana. The birds weren't upsetting. No one was going to come up to her and stab her senseless. It was calm. Calm was what she needed.
She took a deep breath.
See? She could be calm, right?
At that, Lana heard a muffled noise, that sounded somewhat vaguely like... her name? Okay, she wasn't sure if her mind was making up things, or if someone was calling out for her and she could barely hear them.
But Lana got an answer quickly, as she saw someone run up to her.
"Stephanie?" she shouted, as her friend approached.
She felt herself slightly tense up. It was involuntary, but she couldn't help it. Already this place was getting to her. Stephanie was a childhood friend, ever since elementary. They were close for a very long time. And heck, it was clear that the island was already making her tense around her.
But she needed to stay strong. She wasn't going to freak out, right? Right.
As Stephanie stopped in front of her, Lana looked up. She was smiling, but she could tell she was crying. It was kind of sad, to see her like this.
And yet, Lana couldn't help but smile back. She was alright.
"Stephanie..." she started, raising herself to her feet.
Lana tried to think of something to say.
"Are you feeling okay?"
Stephanie smiled at her friend, standing up straight once she had caught her breath. Placing the bag on the ground, she took a step forward, throwing her arms around Lana in a tight embrace. Of all the luck in the world, Stephanie had found her best friend in this hellish situation. Tears threatened to spring from her eyes again, but she managed to keep them at bay as she released Lana from her hug.
"I'm doing fine, all things considered." She said with a slight waver in her voice.
She was still coming to grips with the fact what exactly was happening. SoTF was supposed to be done and over with. Four years had passed without incident, and now all of a sudden this happens. She couldn't help but think it was all so unfair. So many of her friends had been on this trip, and chances were none of them would make it out alive. Even if there was a rescue, it wouldn't come for quite some time, much like the one from the previous time this had happened. She had her doubts that a rescue would even happen, not after two in a row. They would have increased their security greatly.
Smiling slightly awkwardly at her friend, Stephanie shuffled her feet, looking down at the bag she had placed down. It had some numbers marked on the side, probably some form of identifier. She had no idea what was in the bag, but the fact that she had been reduced to a number in the eyes of the people who did this made her want to leave the bag where it was. She didn't know what it would do as far as proving a point, but she knew doing so would be dumb. That and she recalled something about the contents of the bag. Better to keep it for now.
Looking back at Lana, Stephanie sighed. "So... what now?" she said, hoping that her friend would have some idea of what to do.
"I'm doing fine, all things considered." She said with a slight waver in her voice.
She was still coming to grips with the fact what exactly was happening. SoTF was supposed to be done and over with. Four years had passed without incident, and now all of a sudden this happens. She couldn't help but think it was all so unfair. So many of her friends had been on this trip, and chances were none of them would make it out alive. Even if there was a rescue, it wouldn't come for quite some time, much like the one from the previous time this had happened. She had her doubts that a rescue would even happen, not after two in a row. They would have increased their security greatly.
Smiling slightly awkwardly at her friend, Stephanie shuffled her feet, looking down at the bag she had placed down. It had some numbers marked on the side, probably some form of identifier. She had no idea what was in the bag, but the fact that she had been reduced to a number in the eyes of the people who did this made her want to leave the bag where it was. She didn't know what it would do as far as proving a point, but she knew doing so would be dumb. That and she recalled something about the contents of the bag. Better to keep it for now.
Looking back at Lana, Stephanie sighed. "So... what now?" she said, hoping that her friend would have some idea of what to do.
Stephanie hugged her, and Lana returned it.
She was safe. She knew there was currently no answer on anyone else. For all she knew, some of her classmates were currently as still and lifeless as the birds scattered around their feet.
But one of her friends were safe. And Lana knew that was good.
As Stephanie released her grip, Lana kept smiling.
One person was safe. Hopefully the others were as well. Lana didn't know what to do. It was strange, thinking of the sudden threat to your life. It seemed as if so far away and yet so recent ago they were on their way to Disneyland. Lana had always wanted to see it. When she was a small girl, she remembered seeing the ads on television, and asking her parents if they could go, like many children. It was only then that she could actually be able to see it.
One moment she had been thinking of Disneyland. And yet, within a period of time she was thinking about life and death. It wasn't really anything you associated with Disney.
What about Dave? Lana had to ask herself. She knew he probably wasn't going to take it well. In fact, what about a lot of people? Her wrestling team mates? Mike? Sophie? Rose?
No ideas were coming up as to what she wanted to do. Playing wasn't an option. Neither was escape. Hide?
Lana heard Stephanie say something, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Hmmm?" she looked up. "Can.. can you repeat dat?"
Her voice slightly slurred. Growing up, Lana had a hard time pronouncing some things. Her condition had made it difficult to talk clearly, and as a result she had to have speech lessons. Nowadays, she usually spoke much more clearly and was able to enunciate well. However, because of the stress and the loss of her hearing aids, it had slipped back.
"Sorry. It's..."
She gestured up to her ear, demonstrating the situation.
She was safe. She knew there was currently no answer on anyone else. For all she knew, some of her classmates were currently as still and lifeless as the birds scattered around their feet.
But one of her friends were safe. And Lana knew that was good.
As Stephanie released her grip, Lana kept smiling.
One person was safe. Hopefully the others were as well. Lana didn't know what to do. It was strange, thinking of the sudden threat to your life. It seemed as if so far away and yet so recent ago they were on their way to Disneyland. Lana had always wanted to see it. When she was a small girl, she remembered seeing the ads on television, and asking her parents if they could go, like many children. It was only then that she could actually be able to see it.
One moment she had been thinking of Disneyland. And yet, within a period of time she was thinking about life and death. It wasn't really anything you associated with Disney.
What about Dave? Lana had to ask herself. She knew he probably wasn't going to take it well. In fact, what about a lot of people? Her wrestling team mates? Mike? Sophie? Rose?
No ideas were coming up as to what she wanted to do. Playing wasn't an option. Neither was escape. Hide?
Lana heard Stephanie say something, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Hmmm?" she looked up. "Can.. can you repeat dat?"
Her voice slightly slurred. Growing up, Lana had a hard time pronouncing some things. Her condition had made it difficult to talk clearly, and as a result she had to have speech lessons. Nowadays, she usually spoke much more clearly and was able to enunciate well. However, because of the stress and the loss of her hearing aids, it had slipped back.
"Sorry. It's..."
She gestured up to her ear, demonstrating the situation.
The slur in Lana's voice took Stephanie somewhat by surprise. Granted it wasn't due to unfamiliarity, but hearing it now after so many years just seemed to compound the situation in her head that much more. At the same time it wasn't hard for her to fall back into old habits, almost instinctively slowing her overall speech and making sure she established eye contact with her friend before speaking, making it easier for them to communicate.
"What do we do now?" Stephanie repeated, making a shrugging motion with her arms at the same time, before looking around.
It felt somewhat eerie that they hadn't run into anyone else yet. Granted, she had only just woken up, and she had absolutely no idea just how big the island was, but the current situation of just her, Lana, and a bunch of dead birds felt slightly creepy. She felt like she had seen this exact scenario in a movie or game or something, but couldn't exactly place which. Shaking her head slightly, she brought herself back from her silent musings, looking briefly at her friend again before remembering the bag on the ground next to her. With a sigh, she finally decided she should open the bag and see what exactly she was given.
Crouching down to the pack, she unzipped the top. The first thing that came to her attention was the sizable first aid kit, on top of which lay a set of thin poles connected with some form of thread. Grabbing the poles, she lifted them out of the bag, and two things became immediately apparent. The first was the large reel and handle attached to the thickest of the poles, which anyone would immediately identify as a fishing pole. The second was that someone had been thoughtful enough to attach a hook to the end of the line ahead of time, a pleasant surprise for Stephanie when the metal decided to swing around and lodge itself in the side of her hand.
"Fuck!" Stephanie said suddenly, dropping the pole and attempting to dislodge the barbed hook from her hand.
"What do we do now?" Stephanie repeated, making a shrugging motion with her arms at the same time, before looking around.
It felt somewhat eerie that they hadn't run into anyone else yet. Granted, she had only just woken up, and she had absolutely no idea just how big the island was, but the current situation of just her, Lana, and a bunch of dead birds felt slightly creepy. She felt like she had seen this exact scenario in a movie or game or something, but couldn't exactly place which. Shaking her head slightly, she brought herself back from her silent musings, looking briefly at her friend again before remembering the bag on the ground next to her. With a sigh, she finally decided she should open the bag and see what exactly she was given.
Crouching down to the pack, she unzipped the top. The first thing that came to her attention was the sizable first aid kit, on top of which lay a set of thin poles connected with some form of thread. Grabbing the poles, she lifted them out of the bag, and two things became immediately apparent. The first was the large reel and handle attached to the thickest of the poles, which anyone would immediately identify as a fishing pole. The second was that someone had been thoughtful enough to attach a hook to the end of the line ahead of time, a pleasant surprise for Stephanie when the metal decided to swing around and lodge itself in the side of her hand.
"Fuck!" Stephanie said suddenly, dropping the pole and attempting to dislodge the barbed hook from her hand.
"I dun know", Lana replied. "I dunno. I..."
Almost subconsciously, she had tried to repeat herself. She knew how badly she could have problems enunciating. Even if she couldn't hear herself that well, she had an idea of how bad it could get.
Luckily, Stephanie had long been aware of this, and had repeated herself while shrugging. It was a plus, really, to be around a friend who was familiar with this sort of thing.
Stephanie crouched down to open her bag, apparently having decided to look through it. Lana realized she hadn't looked at her things too much yet. She had been focusing too much on the loss of her aids and the dead birds lying about. Did she want to know what was in her bag? It was something she wasn't sure about as of yet.
As she removed some objects, including what appeared to be a first aid kit, out of the bag, Lana noticed that there appeared to be a set of poles. It took Lana a beat to realize what it was, until she saw the thread attached.
A fishing rod? That was... odd. They expected Stephanie to attack others with... a fishing rod. Was she supposed to bludgeon them to death or som-
Stephanie had cried out in pain, dropping the rod.
"Holy-" Lana cried out, leaning forward to get a closer look.
"Are you okay?"
Almost subconsciously, she had tried to repeat herself. She knew how badly she could have problems enunciating. Even if she couldn't hear herself that well, she had an idea of how bad it could get.
Luckily, Stephanie had long been aware of this, and had repeated herself while shrugging. It was a plus, really, to be around a friend who was familiar with this sort of thing.
Stephanie crouched down to open her bag, apparently having decided to look through it. Lana realized she hadn't looked at her things too much yet. She had been focusing too much on the loss of her aids and the dead birds lying about. Did she want to know what was in her bag? It was something she wasn't sure about as of yet.
As she removed some objects, including what appeared to be a first aid kit, out of the bag, Lana noticed that there appeared to be a set of poles. It took Lana a beat to realize what it was, until she saw the thread attached.
A fishing rod? That was... odd. They expected Stephanie to attack others with... a fishing rod. Was she supposed to bludgeon them to death or som-
Stephanie had cried out in pain, dropping the rod.
"Holy-" Lana cried out, leaning forward to get a closer look.
"Are you okay?"
((Ilya Volkov continued from Fight the Break of Dawn))
Where did he go from here?
Set aside questions of life, death, loyalties, treachery, terror and despair and this turned out to be Ilya's most immediate concern. In life, Ilya blocked out his schedule by the hour, filling it out with even private activities that didn't require him to start or end at a specific time. The game swept it all away and left him with a void of uncertainty to fill his days with.
He glanced at the map in his hands, looking at all of the locations marked on it. Was there any difference between them aside from general proximity to his location? Perhaps, but the map couldn't tell him the location of any other students. He could think of a handful of people whose company he wouldn't mind, assuming they didn't try to shoot him, first. But at that point, God only knew if he'd ever see them again. So geographic proximity would have to do as a factor in choosing his destination.
Heading south, he came upon the eastern inlet, an area that looked like a scrapyard of rust floating on the water. It made him pause from the overlook and watch. Oddly enough, it was a bit of a beautiful sight. Certainly striking and unique. He'd snap a photograph to save if he was on vacation and had a camera, but the thought of the photographs he could have been taking just made him melancholy. He should have been at Disneyworld, but he wasn't. Nothing he could do would change that.
The best way he could put those thoughts away was to distance himself from the trigger, so his southward journey continued. South and a bit west, to be precise, to the Aviary. As he walked, imagining himself as a hiker with a target painted on his back, he heard another girl shouting "fuck" loud enough for passerby to hear. Perhaps he should keep a running tally of how often he'd hear something like that.
It came from the courtyard, where one girl stood, clutching her hand, and another leaned in to examine it. Ilya peered at them both, since the latter looked familiar. A smile graced his face. He'd found Batgirl.
Lana Torres participated in the wrestling team along with Ilya, and even though their different genders meant they didn't often spar, they still shared pointers about their technique, and got comfortable enough with each other to share hobbies outside the sport. He'd attempted to introduce her to the works of Nabokov in the past year or so, and in return she introduced him to her proclivity to the anthropomorphic. His nickname for her came from her preferred species, though he made it clear that it was complimentary. After all, most people would immediately associate it with the comic book character, an athletic, capable, admirable young woman around Lana's age, instead of a flight of fancy about taking on actual physical characteristics of an animal.
"Lana!" he said, lifting his hand to give her a lazy wave. "What seems to be the matter, aside from our universal problem?" He approached the two of them and got close enough to see that Lana's friend had a hand injury of some sort. "I think it's time we made use of our first aid kits." He reached into his daypack and pulled out the first aid kit, opening it for the first time.
Where did he go from here?
Set aside questions of life, death, loyalties, treachery, terror and despair and this turned out to be Ilya's most immediate concern. In life, Ilya blocked out his schedule by the hour, filling it out with even private activities that didn't require him to start or end at a specific time. The game swept it all away and left him with a void of uncertainty to fill his days with.
He glanced at the map in his hands, looking at all of the locations marked on it. Was there any difference between them aside from general proximity to his location? Perhaps, but the map couldn't tell him the location of any other students. He could think of a handful of people whose company he wouldn't mind, assuming they didn't try to shoot him, first. But at that point, God only knew if he'd ever see them again. So geographic proximity would have to do as a factor in choosing his destination.
Heading south, he came upon the eastern inlet, an area that looked like a scrapyard of rust floating on the water. It made him pause from the overlook and watch. Oddly enough, it was a bit of a beautiful sight. Certainly striking and unique. He'd snap a photograph to save if he was on vacation and had a camera, but the thought of the photographs he could have been taking just made him melancholy. He should have been at Disneyworld, but he wasn't. Nothing he could do would change that.
The best way he could put those thoughts away was to distance himself from the trigger, so his southward journey continued. South and a bit west, to be precise, to the Aviary. As he walked, imagining himself as a hiker with a target painted on his back, he heard another girl shouting "fuck" loud enough for passerby to hear. Perhaps he should keep a running tally of how often he'd hear something like that.
It came from the courtyard, where one girl stood, clutching her hand, and another leaned in to examine it. Ilya peered at them both, since the latter looked familiar. A smile graced his face. He'd found Batgirl.
Lana Torres participated in the wrestling team along with Ilya, and even though their different genders meant they didn't often spar, they still shared pointers about their technique, and got comfortable enough with each other to share hobbies outside the sport. He'd attempted to introduce her to the works of Nabokov in the past year or so, and in return she introduced him to her proclivity to the anthropomorphic. His nickname for her came from her preferred species, though he made it clear that it was complimentary. After all, most people would immediately associate it with the comic book character, an athletic, capable, admirable young woman around Lana's age, instead of a flight of fancy about taking on actual physical characteristics of an animal.
"Lana!" he said, lifting his hand to give her a lazy wave. "What seems to be the matter, aside from our universal problem?" He approached the two of them and got close enough to see that Lana's friend had a hand injury of some sort. "I think it's time we made use of our first aid kits." He reached into his daypack and pulled out the first aid kit, opening it for the first time.
The hook wasn't in too deep, but the barb on the end made things a somewhat complicated. Stephanie instinctively waved off Lana, indicating that she would be fine, but at the same time didn't move to back away from her. She couldn't help but find a certain amount of amusement in the situation, she hadn't even been awake for an hour and she was already finding ways to get hurt. Hopefully it wasn't going to be indicative of the short time she had remaining. Which was another thought entirely she didn't want to be having at that moment.
Her inner musings were cut short by a sudden voice calling out Lana's name, causing Stephanie to jerk suddenly. She had still been holding on to the hook, and as a result she ended up tearing it out. She inhaled sharply as the admittedly minor injury set in, but were quickly ignored to turn her head to see who had been calling and casually talking at Lana. Who knew if she could even hear a word he was saying right now? Her friend's condition wasn't exactly a secret, but it had been so long in her memory that she had been without hearing aids.
Once again before she could even formulate her thoughts, the newcomer, who she was now able to identify as Ilya, a friend of Lana's and occasional acquaintance of her own through the mutual friend, had already moved on to looking through his first aid kit to try and help her with her small injury. She waved him off, smiling and shaking her head.
"No need, I have my own, but thank you for your concern." She would have felt bad forcing someone else to use their supplies on her, especially when she was perfectly capable of treating herself. She ducked back down after this, opening her own med kit and digging through the contents in search for a band-aid or something of the like while her companions caught up.
Her inner musings were cut short by a sudden voice calling out Lana's name, causing Stephanie to jerk suddenly. She had still been holding on to the hook, and as a result she ended up tearing it out. She inhaled sharply as the admittedly minor injury set in, but were quickly ignored to turn her head to see who had been calling and casually talking at Lana. Who knew if she could even hear a word he was saying right now? Her friend's condition wasn't exactly a secret, but it had been so long in her memory that she had been without hearing aids.
Once again before she could even formulate her thoughts, the newcomer, who she was now able to identify as Ilya, a friend of Lana's and occasional acquaintance of her own through the mutual friend, had already moved on to looking through his first aid kit to try and help her with her small injury. She waved him off, smiling and shaking her head.
"No need, I have my own, but thank you for your concern." She would have felt bad forcing someone else to use their supplies on her, especially when she was perfectly capable of treating herself. She ducked back down after this, opening her own med kit and digging through the contents in search for a band-aid or something of the like while her companions caught up.
Lana couldn't help but wince a bit. That had to hurt. Having a hook stuck inside your hand definitely wasn't a good experience. But Stephanie made a waving gesture which seemed to indicate that she was fine. Still, it was a good idea to remove it, disinfect the wound, and possibly, bandage it up.
Suddenly, Stephanie's head had snapped up, as if someone had approached. Lana turned her head, and saw Ilya.
Ilya was another member of the wrestling team. They had talked before, and were on good terms. She tilted her head to the side as he opened the first aid kit.
It was clear that he hadn't changed as well. Lana smiled at this.
She touched her ear and shook her head, hoping he would get the hint.
Stephanie said that she had her own kit, which she could use. As Lana saw a glimpse of her hand, she saw that the hook had been ripped out, leaving a gash. It only looked more painful. There had to be a way to make sure it didn't cause too much trouble. Granted, there were first aid kits, so that was a start.
Lana couldn't help but look down at her own bag, in spite of Stephanie saying that she didn't need any help. She had noted it before, but there appeared to be some kind of hunting rifle resting near it. It was pretty obvious that the gun was her weapon, and they expected that she used it to.... well, hunt.
Lana wasn't going to hunt, of course. Of all the things in the world right now, that was something she was sure of.
Suddenly, Stephanie's head had snapped up, as if someone had approached. Lana turned her head, and saw Ilya.
Ilya was another member of the wrestling team. They had talked before, and were on good terms. She tilted her head to the side as he opened the first aid kit.
It was clear that he hadn't changed as well. Lana smiled at this.
She touched her ear and shook her head, hoping he would get the hint.
Stephanie said that she had her own kit, which she could use. As Lana saw a glimpse of her hand, she saw that the hook had been ripped out, leaving a gash. It only looked more painful. There had to be a way to make sure it didn't cause too much trouble. Granted, there were first aid kits, so that was a start.
Lana couldn't help but look down at her own bag, in spite of Stephanie saying that she didn't need any help. She had noted it before, but there appeared to be some kind of hunting rifle resting near it. It was pretty obvious that the gun was her weapon, and they expected that she used it to.... well, hunt.
Lana wasn't going to hunt, of course. Of all the things in the world right now, that was something she was sure of.
Ilya saw Stephanie rip something from her hand as she looked up at him like a deer in the woods alerting herself to a potential predator. The sight made him wince. He'd really have to stop doing that. After all, a little bit of blood coming from a hand wouldn't be the worst thing he'd see out there.
"Oh good, good," he said, looking through the first aid kit. My, this had a diverse array of tools. Practically anything you could ask for, except a serum for resurrection, or perhaps a prosthetic limb to replace one lost. Oh well, their captors couldn't work miracles, unless one counted abducting them in the first place. If a word existed for the opposite of a miracle, perhaps performed by Satan or Nyarlathotep, Ilya wasn't aware of it.
The kit snapped shut and he picked it back up, smiling at Lana. At least she was... pointing at her ears? He squinted and examined them, searching for a new detail. Her collar had the bomb to make her fight like a good girl, so there wasn't much point in adding something to her ears. But of course, that wasn't it. It was something missing, not something new.
"Oh no," Ilya said, holding a hand to his face. He groaned. "I really wish I could call that a surprise. But no, they haven't left us a single creature comfort or compensation. Govnososih!" He smirked at the thought of their captors asking their Russian friends what that meant.
Not that it solved the problem about Lana's poor hearing. Ilya didn't know just how deaf she was without her hearing aids, because he'd never seen her without them. If it wasn't serious enough to make survival on her own the most unlikely of prospects, Ilya would eat his daypack.
"So." He walked in front of Lana, where she could see his lips move. Lana could read lips, couldn't she? "We're all on good terms, last I checked. None of us are in a bad state of mind, and the situation sucks enough without company." He hesitated, realizing how badly some of that could be interpreted. Who wanted company in this twisted game?
Ilya did. Loneliness and deah barreled down on him like avalanches, but he could postpone their arrival for a few days more. He extended his hand. "Partners?"
"Oh good, good," he said, looking through the first aid kit. My, this had a diverse array of tools. Practically anything you could ask for, except a serum for resurrection, or perhaps a prosthetic limb to replace one lost. Oh well, their captors couldn't work miracles, unless one counted abducting them in the first place. If a word existed for the opposite of a miracle, perhaps performed by Satan or Nyarlathotep, Ilya wasn't aware of it.
The kit snapped shut and he picked it back up, smiling at Lana. At least she was... pointing at her ears? He squinted and examined them, searching for a new detail. Her collar had the bomb to make her fight like a good girl, so there wasn't much point in adding something to her ears. But of course, that wasn't it. It was something missing, not something new.
"Oh no," Ilya said, holding a hand to his face. He groaned. "I really wish I could call that a surprise. But no, they haven't left us a single creature comfort or compensation. Govnososih!" He smirked at the thought of their captors asking their Russian friends what that meant.
Not that it solved the problem about Lana's poor hearing. Ilya didn't know just how deaf she was without her hearing aids, because he'd never seen her without them. If it wasn't serious enough to make survival on her own the most unlikely of prospects, Ilya would eat his daypack.
"So." He walked in front of Lana, where she could see his lips move. Lana could read lips, couldn't she? "We're all on good terms, last I checked. None of us are in a bad state of mind, and the situation sucks enough without company." He hesitated, realizing how badly some of that could be interpreted. Who wanted company in this twisted game?
Ilya did. Loneliness and deah barreled down on him like avalanches, but he could postpone their arrival for a few days more. He extended his hand. "Partners?"
Having dug through the entire contents of her medkit, Stephanie finally found the band-aids at the bottom of it. She made sure to keep a mental note of everything else in there, even taking the time to read a few of them to see what they did. Removing one of the large bandages from the box she found, she finally looked at her wound fully. It wasn't really that bad, nothing that wouldn't be healed up in a few days. At least, if she remembered to take proper care of it. She put the bandage over the cut, making sure to pay attention to her other companions at the same time.
Lana informed Ilya of her hearing issues, which he reacted pretty much how she would expect anyone to. Then he offered some form of partnership or truce, which Stephanie more or less figured would be coming at some point. She couldn't say she was exactly the biggest fan of that. True, they needed to stick together if they wanted any chance of rescue, if that was even a chance at all. Part of Stephanie would have preferred that she could have just stayed alone with Lana, but in the grand scheme of things having Ilya around wouldn't hurt. Assuming he didn't have some form of ulterior motive in joining up with a deaf girl and an out of shape nerd, even if the former was also a pretty accomplished wrestler.
Stephanie pocketed the box of band-aids, as well as the lighter and scissors she found within. Having those things in easy reach seemed like a good idea. She closed the medkit, placing it back in her bag and standing up. She remained silent, figuring that allowing Lana to take care of any alliances with her friends would be the best idea right now.
Lana informed Ilya of her hearing issues, which he reacted pretty much how she would expect anyone to. Then he offered some form of partnership or truce, which Stephanie more or less figured would be coming at some point. She couldn't say she was exactly the biggest fan of that. True, they needed to stick together if they wanted any chance of rescue, if that was even a chance at all. Part of Stephanie would have preferred that she could have just stayed alone with Lana, but in the grand scheme of things having Ilya around wouldn't hurt. Assuming he didn't have some form of ulterior motive in joining up with a deaf girl and an out of shape nerd, even if the former was also a pretty accomplished wrestler.
Stephanie pocketed the box of band-aids, as well as the lighter and scissors she found within. Having those things in easy reach seemed like a good idea. She closed the medkit, placing it back in her bag and standing up. She remained silent, figuring that allowing Lana to take care of any alliances with her friends would be the best idea right now.
It seemed to take a beat for Ilya to get an idea of what she was referring to. But he quickly caught on, and groaned. It seemed odd that they would take her hearing aids, now that she thought of it. Perhaps they were setting her up to fail on purpose, for whatever reason. Or perhaps it was somehow an "advantage", which she doubted.
In any case, she was without them, and would have to make do for a while. Surely she could write something down if she needed to. Or just make sure to watch body language closely. Either way. Now that she had calmed down a bit, it wasn't the end of the world that her hearing aids were currently missing. It was just a drawback. There were probably still ways of getting about, right?
Ilya's statement, from what she got of it, did imply they took other things, though. Lana hadn't looked through her bag much yet to see if they took anything else. If they did take anything else from her, she wasn't going to be too happy about that.
He was now offering to team up.
Lana looked between Stephanie and Ilya, back and forth, seeing the former tend to her hand. It was probably a good idea, really. It would mean that the three of them would be safe, and would have safety in numbers. A "buddy system", if you will.
She reached out for Ilya's extended hand, and briefly looked at Stephanie to get her opinion.
"Stephanie?"
In any case, she was without them, and would have to make do for a while. Surely she could write something down if she needed to. Or just make sure to watch body language closely. Either way. Now that she had calmed down a bit, it wasn't the end of the world that her hearing aids were currently missing. It was just a drawback. There were probably still ways of getting about, right?
Ilya's statement, from what she got of it, did imply they took other things, though. Lana hadn't looked through her bag much yet to see if they took anything else. If they did take anything else from her, she wasn't going to be too happy about that.
He was now offering to team up.
Lana looked between Stephanie and Ilya, back and forth, seeing the former tend to her hand. It was probably a good idea, really. It would mean that the three of them would be safe, and would have safety in numbers. A "buddy system", if you will.
She reached out for Ilya's extended hand, and briefly looked at Stephanie to get her opinion.
"Stephanie?"
Ilya clasped Lana's hand in his and shook it. Both of them had a firm grip and a strong shake, Ilya thought. Their partnership would be a good one, with each of them at the top of their physical game. Lana had some sort of firearm with her, which would be their biggest help of all, and Ilya's presence would help offset the disadvantage that came with her bad hearing.
The weak link in the trio should, by all rights, be Stephanie. She clearly had the physique of an inactive girl who thankfully didn't overeat on a regular basis, which made her look weak and ensured that she could be overpowered in a close-range scenario. Then there was the fact that she had somehow managed to get injured on her own weapon. That was going to have to change. He'd have to tell her to be more careful. If it was impossible for her to learn how to carry fish hooks around safely, she'd have to abandon that weapon somewhere before she could do some real damage.
But all of that could wait until later. Technically, she hadn't said yes yet. "Good, good," Ilya told Lana. "I'm glad to have your company." He turned his head and offered a handshake to Stephanie. "What say you?"
The weak link in the trio should, by all rights, be Stephanie. She clearly had the physique of an inactive girl who thankfully didn't overeat on a regular basis, which made her look weak and ensured that she could be overpowered in a close-range scenario. Then there was the fact that she had somehow managed to get injured on her own weapon. That was going to have to change. He'd have to tell her to be more careful. If it was impossible for her to learn how to carry fish hooks around safely, she'd have to abandon that weapon somewhere before she could do some real damage.
But all of that could wait until later. Technically, she hadn't said yes yet. "Good, good," Ilya told Lana. "I'm glad to have your company." He turned his head and offered a handshake to Stephanie. "What say you?"
Stephanie stood silently as the two exchanged handshakes. She still had her misgivings about Ilya, but if Lana was okay with him then she supposed that she could be too. If it came down to it she was fairly confident that Lana would vouch for her. Not that she would need to, hopefully. Stephanie may not have been in as good shape as her two companions, and she did manage to somehow injure herself, but aside from those two factors she felt like she would be of some help. Somehow.
Ilya extended a hand towards her next, which Stephanie looked at for a moment before shaking hands with the boy. Her hands were completely dwarfed by his, but she did her best to give him a firm handshake, before retracting her hand.
The alliance of sorts agreed upon, Stephanie went back to her own thing, bending down and collecting the parts of her fishing pole. Being aware of the fish hook that hung off the end of it, she handled it with care, removing one of the band-aids from the box in her pocket and wrapping the barbed end with it. At least this way she wouldn't have to worry about it sticking in her again, and if she ever needed to use the fishing pole then it was easy to take off. She put the pieces of the pole into her bag, and then stood up again, looking back and forth between her two companions.
"We should probably move away from.... here." she said, directing herself in the direction of Lana so she could see her lips better.
Ilya extended a hand towards her next, which Stephanie looked at for a moment before shaking hands with the boy. Her hands were completely dwarfed by his, but she did her best to give him a firm handshake, before retracting her hand.
The alliance of sorts agreed upon, Stephanie went back to her own thing, bending down and collecting the parts of her fishing pole. Being aware of the fish hook that hung off the end of it, she handled it with care, removing one of the band-aids from the box in her pocket and wrapping the barbed end with it. At least this way she wouldn't have to worry about it sticking in her again, and if she ever needed to use the fishing pole then it was easy to take off. She put the pieces of the pole into her bag, and then stood up again, looking back and forth between her two companions.
"We should probably move away from.... here." she said, directing herself in the direction of Lana so she could see her lips better.