((Myles Roux continued from Honey and Saliva))
Evening had given way to night, and the night had passed and eventually become a particularly scummy morning. The heat was bad, but the humidity was even worse. More than once, he'd had to stop to take his hat off and run his hands through his sweaty hair for some relief, and by the time he'd made the trek down from the higher elevations of the island, he'd given in and slipped his jacket off, stowing it in his reclaimed bag.
He'd found most everything, he thought; water was probably most important, so he'd made very sure that he had retrieved all of that. The first-aid kit, bread, and crackers were also rattling around in the bag, along with one or two protein bars. The rest of the bars probably tasted as much like crap as the first one Myles had tried, so he hadn't looked for them very hard. Ditto the little instruction booklet for the lipstick gun. He'd glanced through it at the beginning before tossing everything away in the first place; besides, it couldn't be that hard to operate. Point the end that the bullet comes out of at someone else, press the trigger.
He clearly wasn't the only one thinking about pulling triggers.
Myles had been standing on the pier, staring at the fresh, dark stains marring the wood, when the announcement startled him. He wasn't startled now, or even really surprised, still standing and staring at the worn wood. He wasn't mad or scared anymore, like he'd been yesterday. He wasn't sure how he felt at all.
He knew almost all of the names that Danya had listed off, but only a couple of them really meant anything. Beryl and Nick. Dante. And Blaise.
Maybe he should have been more surprised.
It was pretty quiet out here, just the sound of the water lapping at the wooden supports. The pier creaked under Myles's feet as he walked further out, and the sound hung in the air. Nobody around to call out to, or to call for him.
Myles picked out a spot that seemed like it hadn't been splattered with blood from whichever of the names, and he sat down, holding his bag in his lap and staring out over the water.
If he waited around long enough, he'd probably feel something more, eventually.
Rakshasa Country
Now open
Rakshasa Country
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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Somersault
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:56 am
((Tonya Collins, continued from They're Magically Delicious!))
Once, Tonya had read that in times of great stress, mothers trying to save their children were almost imbued with superhuman qualities, able to lift cars, stop escalators, fight polar bears, do all sorts of crazy stuff to ensure the safety of their child.
If shit was real, she was really hoping it’d kick in sooner rather than later.
Since she had left the temple, left all the whack-ass bothers being to try holding people up with a wood gun or whatever shit they were tryna pull, she’d been walking, she’d been resting, tying to scurry outta sight whenever she saw another person out here. Shit work, really, grunt work, but if the end result that she was still here, still breathing when the sun came right back up overhead, she was obviously doing something right. Still staying clear of people she knew. Still doing it all.
Still hadn’t really been using the machete glinting in her hand, but she would, Tonya knew that. She had the strength, didn’t she? Wasn’t gonna be a little bitch, get it all over and done with.
Guessing by the shit terrorist man was saying in his murder PSAs, people were already starting on that. That, ‘course, being both being little bitches and dying and getting it over and done with.
She’d been walking, over to what seemed like the docks or whatever, when they’d started blaring, and honestly, Tonya couldn’t have cared less about most of the names that she heard. Oh no, crazy boxing dude turned out to have bit a bitch, sure made sense, sure, tall girl falling asleep all over the place got stabbed by her magic man ex, sure, sure, sure. Hearing Toby got killed was bad, sure, but Toby was also an idiot who said stupid shit all the time, so she wasn’t surprised that he thought with his dick and got shot by Tirzah for it. Just an idiot, all that was. Nothing more than that. Dick-thinking idiot. All Toby was, now, all he could ever be.
It had to be like that, ‘cause if she was gonna let herself start feeling all guilty, there was no way back,’cause she’d have to be in those things too. Her grip tightened on her machete as she continued walking towards the pier, wood creaking beneath her weight as a figure slowly cane into focus.
In the morning sun, it was easy to make out people, ‘specially little bitches who had hair like snow mixed in with bubblegum and cotton candy. And like, cotton candy and gum swept off the street. She walked closer now, closer until she was sure he could hear her.
Hmm. Didn’t know he was that small till he got up close. ‘Round her height, but sitting. Alone. A sitting duck.
The blood sickened the air, the stench almost rancid like rotten meat, but all it did was make her clench the machete in her hand, knuckles ashy from pressure. Another reminder of what she had to do. Just a duty, just a job, just a way to see her again.
“Tell me this: what’s one reason why I shouldn’t stab you in the gut just like that?”
The words came out hissed, as sharp as the blade. Just one reason. Just one thing. Just one swing, and it’d all be over.
Once, Tonya had read that in times of great stress, mothers trying to save their children were almost imbued with superhuman qualities, able to lift cars, stop escalators, fight polar bears, do all sorts of crazy stuff to ensure the safety of their child.
If shit was real, she was really hoping it’d kick in sooner rather than later.
Since she had left the temple, left all the whack-ass bothers being to try holding people up with a wood gun or whatever shit they were tryna pull, she’d been walking, she’d been resting, tying to scurry outta sight whenever she saw another person out here. Shit work, really, grunt work, but if the end result that she was still here, still breathing when the sun came right back up overhead, she was obviously doing something right. Still staying clear of people she knew. Still doing it all.
Still hadn’t really been using the machete glinting in her hand, but she would, Tonya knew that. She had the strength, didn’t she? Wasn’t gonna be a little bitch, get it all over and done with.
Guessing by the shit terrorist man was saying in his murder PSAs, people were already starting on that. That, ‘course, being both being little bitches and dying and getting it over and done with.
She’d been walking, over to what seemed like the docks or whatever, when they’d started blaring, and honestly, Tonya couldn’t have cared less about most of the names that she heard. Oh no, crazy boxing dude turned out to have bit a bitch, sure made sense, sure, tall girl falling asleep all over the place got stabbed by her magic man ex, sure, sure, sure. Hearing Toby got killed was bad, sure, but Toby was also an idiot who said stupid shit all the time, so she wasn’t surprised that he thought with his dick and got shot by Tirzah for it. Just an idiot, all that was. Nothing more than that. Dick-thinking idiot. All Toby was, now, all he could ever be.
It had to be like that, ‘cause if she was gonna let herself start feeling all guilty, there was no way back,’cause she’d have to be in those things too. Her grip tightened on her machete as she continued walking towards the pier, wood creaking beneath her weight as a figure slowly cane into focus.
In the morning sun, it was easy to make out people, ‘specially little bitches who had hair like snow mixed in with bubblegum and cotton candy. And like, cotton candy and gum swept off the street. She walked closer now, closer until she was sure he could hear her.
Hmm. Didn’t know he was that small till he got up close. ‘Round her height, but sitting. Alone. A sitting duck.
The blood sickened the air, the stench almost rancid like rotten meat, but all it did was make her clench the machete in her hand, knuckles ashy from pressure. Another reminder of what she had to do. Just a duty, just a job, just a way to see her again.
“Tell me this: what’s one reason why I shouldn’t stab you in the gut just like that?”
The words came out hissed, as sharp as the blade. Just one reason. Just one thing. Just one swing, and it’d all be over.
Um. What.
Myles wasn't sure how long he'd sat before the approaching footsteps snapped him out of his daze, and he'd turned to see Tonya, George Hunter's rep for why you should really figure out how condoms work, marching towards him with a blade glinting in her hand. Fight-or-flight kicked in, and promptly failed him. He was sitting at the end of the pier, and there was nowhere to go. Myles froze.
And then she got almost right up in his face and said... that.
That wasn't how you said hello, even when you had a machete in your hands.
Instead of answering verbally, Myles grabbed the bag from his lap and hurled it at Tonya's face with all the force he could manage, then made to scramble past her back up the pier.
Myles wasn't sure how long he'd sat before the approaching footsteps snapped him out of his daze, and he'd turned to see Tonya, George Hunter's rep for why you should really figure out how condoms work, marching towards him with a blade glinting in her hand. Fight-or-flight kicked in, and promptly failed him. He was sitting at the end of the pier, and there was nowhere to go. Myles froze.
And then she got almost right up in his face and said... that.
That wasn't how you said hello, even when you had a machete in your hands.
Instead of answering verbally, Myles grabbed the bag from his lap and hurled it at Tonya's face with all the force he could manage, then made to scramble past her back up the pier.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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Somersault
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:56 am
((GMing approved by Zee))
Why the fuck had she given him a chance to speak? There was no way in fucking heaven or hell that this was a smart idea, ‘cause like, murder was as murder does, which was, it was meant to be done real quickly and like, without giving them time to run away.
Fine, it was cool, because lil’ Miss Prissy’s partner in hoing was staring at her like a dead fish, which meant that yeah, she should do it cause wasn’t even tryna get up and so she moved in-
And promptly got a face full of bag. Tonya stumbled, feet falling backwards on instinct, weighed down by her bags and gravity. The impact of the dock like a motherfucker, but it didn’t hurt as much as the sight of him running off.
That. Little. Bitch.
With a guttural scream, Tonya wrenched herded up from the ground, and took off sprinting at the ass-hat. This time, she wasn’t gonna hesitate. This time, she was gonna wring the life outta his scrawny little neck because she had so much to live for and he was not about to get in her way.
This time, as she made contact with him, sending them careening over, she only had time to faintly register the cracking of the wood railing, and the water rushing up to meet her.
Why the fuck had she given him a chance to speak? There was no way in fucking heaven or hell that this was a smart idea, ‘cause like, murder was as murder does, which was, it was meant to be done real quickly and like, without giving them time to run away.
Fine, it was cool, because lil’ Miss Prissy’s partner in hoing was staring at her like a dead fish, which meant that yeah, she should do it cause wasn’t even tryna get up and so she moved in-
And promptly got a face full of bag. Tonya stumbled, feet falling backwards on instinct, weighed down by her bags and gravity. The impact of the dock like a motherfucker, but it didn’t hurt as much as the sight of him running off.
That. Little. Bitch.
With a guttural scream, Tonya wrenched herded up from the ground, and took off sprinting at the ass-hat. This time, she wasn’t gonna hesitate. This time, she was gonna wring the life outta his scrawny little neck because she had so much to live for and he was not about to get in her way.
This time, as she made contact with him, sending them careening over, she only had time to faintly register the cracking of the wood railing, and the water rushing up to meet her.
Welp, Myles sure as heck was feeling something now, and that something was panic!
Tonya and all 30 pounds that she had on him crashed into him at an angle, driving most of the breath out of his lungs. The wooden railing he collided with in the next moment took care of the rest before it splintered, and the only mercy was that it left Myles unable to squeal embarrassingly as they went right through the rotted wood and into the water.
The water closed over Myles's head, salt stinging his eyes and nose. He slapped blindly at Tonya, struggling to free himself from her grasp as she dragged him down, down, oh fuck-
Whether he got a lucky hit in or if this dumb bitch just realized that she needed to breathe too, Tonya's grip loosened, and Myles wrenched himself free enough to claw his way back up to the surface, gasping and sputtering as he broke back through.
"Fuck off!" He snapped at her, voice thin and weak in between gasps. He slapped water in Tonya's direction as she surfaced after him, hoping to get it in her eyes, and then flailed away as quickly as he could. Still gasping for breath and with panic clouding his thoughts, he couldn't decide exactly which way to go for escape. All he wanted was to put as much distance between them as possible.
Tonya and all 30 pounds that she had on him crashed into him at an angle, driving most of the breath out of his lungs. The wooden railing he collided with in the next moment took care of the rest before it splintered, and the only mercy was that it left Myles unable to squeal embarrassingly as they went right through the rotted wood and into the water.
The water closed over Myles's head, salt stinging his eyes and nose. He slapped blindly at Tonya, struggling to free himself from her grasp as she dragged him down, down, oh fuck-
Whether he got a lucky hit in or if this dumb bitch just realized that she needed to breathe too, Tonya's grip loosened, and Myles wrenched himself free enough to claw his way back up to the surface, gasping and sputtering as he broke back through.
"Fuck off!" He snapped at her, voice thin and weak in between gasps. He slapped water in Tonya's direction as she surfaced after him, hoping to get it in her eyes, and then flailed away as quickly as he could. Still gasping for breath and with panic clouding his thoughts, he couldn't decide exactly which way to go for escape. All he wanted was to put as much distance between them as possible.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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Somersault
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:56 am
Beach, beach, beach. Tonya fucking hated the beach, and the bitch tryna throw saltwater in her face was not making that opinion change any time soon.
She had hit the water face-first, taking in a eyeful of the sea and all the salt contained within it, stinging them as she continued to hold on to this a-hole as they continued sinking further and further into the depths. She'd left her bags behind on the dock, even the fucking machete, but she still had her arms, and she still had this post-baby body, and damn her if she wasn't gonna try to use that to her advantage.
She was gonna drag him down, drag him down to the depths 'cause that was where Tonya had been making her home for over a year and a half now, 'cause he deserved it and she could finally do this shit and it was gonna be-
Interrupted by another slap to the face, simultaneously shaking her out of her frenzy and the death grip she'd been holding on her potential murder victim. She gave more than a couple shits about that. First shit was 'cause she'd been using him as a way to not drown, 'cause she knew rat's ass about swimming other than like not drowning, second shit was 'cause now she had to think, had to stop just fighting and think about the fact this bitch had a name and she knew that name, the fact this bitch had a family, someone praying for them, how this bitch looked more and more like a wet rat-child and- No. No. No.
"Why the fuck should I, slut!" She screamed in response, trying to drown out any response bitch had to have. Tonya had instinctively raised her hands up when the water came, and she was screaming, now, still, because it was the water stinging her eyes and not tears, and now she was flailing back, whichever way. Trying to grab onto something, anything, to drag him back, back to meet his maker.
She was in it, in it to win it, because she was not a weak bitch.
Not again.
She had hit the water face-first, taking in a eyeful of the sea and all the salt contained within it, stinging them as she continued to hold on to this a-hole as they continued sinking further and further into the depths. She'd left her bags behind on the dock, even the fucking machete, but she still had her arms, and she still had this post-baby body, and damn her if she wasn't gonna try to use that to her advantage.
She was gonna drag him down, drag him down to the depths 'cause that was where Tonya had been making her home for over a year and a half now, 'cause he deserved it and she could finally do this shit and it was gonna be-
Interrupted by another slap to the face, simultaneously shaking her out of her frenzy and the death grip she'd been holding on her potential murder victim. She gave more than a couple shits about that. First shit was 'cause she'd been using him as a way to not drown, 'cause she knew rat's ass about swimming other than like not drowning, second shit was 'cause now she had to think, had to stop just fighting and think about the fact this bitch had a name and she knew that name, the fact this bitch had a family, someone praying for them, how this bitch looked more and more like a wet rat-child and- No. No. No.
"Why the fuck should I, slut!" She screamed in response, trying to drown out any response bitch had to have. Tonya had instinctively raised her hands up when the water came, and she was screaming, now, still, because it was the water stinging her eyes and not tears, and now she was flailing back, whichever way. Trying to grab onto something, anything, to drag him back, back to meet his maker.
She was in it, in it to win it, because she was not a weak bitch.
Not again.
Myles didn't bother to answer as Tonya fired back at him. Nothing he hadn't heard before, and she was trying to kill him. He wasn't about to stop to trade insults, especially when she couldn't even come up with anything creative.
He was no athlete, but he could swim just fine, and he dragged through the water to the shade of the pier. Reaching one of the wooden supports, he grasped onto it, treading water for just a moment to try and catch his breath. The wood was slimy underneath his fingertips, but he held on despite his distaste, moving around the side to keep it between himself and Tonya. She evidently couldn't swim that well; he could probably lose her under here while she kept flailing around and spitting vitriol at him. What had he ever done to her, anyway? Nothing that plenty of other people hadn't also said or done.
"I have more friends than you," he snapped back at her once he'd caught his breath somewhat. His voice sounded oddly muted, enclosed between the surface of the water and the bottom of the pier. Between that and the pounding of his heart in his ears, everything sounded far away.
"You think- you think you could just do this and it'd be over? They'd find you and kill you." Stupid. Was he the only one thinking ahead? The only person who knew that no matter what anybody told them over a speaker, relationships and friendships and enmities weren't just going to evaporate just like that? People could say that high school didn't matter all they wanted, but they either told themselves that to feel better that they didn't have any friends, or they were already set for life and thought that it didn't matter what they did or who they ticked off.
Well, it mattered now. It was all that mattered now, all that determined who you could trust and who would put a knife in your back, who was a good target on paper and who would end up putting a target on your head instead.
Nick. Nick was going to learn that. So many people had loved Beryl, and now she was gone, and nobody who knew either of them would rather have him around than her.
Tonya was probably going to learn the hard way too, but Myles didn't want to be the hands-on lesson, no matter how right he was. He pushed away from the wood pillar with his feet and half-backstroked to the next one in line so he could keep an eye on Tonya's approach.
He was no athlete, but he could swim just fine, and he dragged through the water to the shade of the pier. Reaching one of the wooden supports, he grasped onto it, treading water for just a moment to try and catch his breath. The wood was slimy underneath his fingertips, but he held on despite his distaste, moving around the side to keep it between himself and Tonya. She evidently couldn't swim that well; he could probably lose her under here while she kept flailing around and spitting vitriol at him. What had he ever done to her, anyway? Nothing that plenty of other people hadn't also said or done.
"I have more friends than you," he snapped back at her once he'd caught his breath somewhat. His voice sounded oddly muted, enclosed between the surface of the water and the bottom of the pier. Between that and the pounding of his heart in his ears, everything sounded far away.
"You think- you think you could just do this and it'd be over? They'd find you and kill you." Stupid. Was he the only one thinking ahead? The only person who knew that no matter what anybody told them over a speaker, relationships and friendships and enmities weren't just going to evaporate just like that? People could say that high school didn't matter all they wanted, but they either told themselves that to feel better that they didn't have any friends, or they were already set for life and thought that it didn't matter what they did or who they ticked off.
Well, it mattered now. It was all that mattered now, all that determined who you could trust and who would put a knife in your back, who was a good target on paper and who would end up putting a target on your head instead.
Nick. Nick was going to learn that. So many people had loved Beryl, and now she was gone, and nobody who knew either of them would rather have him around than her.
Tonya was probably going to learn the hard way too, but Myles didn't want to be the hands-on lesson, no matter how right he was. He pushed away from the wood pillar with his feet and half-backstroked to the next one in line so he could keep an eye on Tonya's approach.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
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Somersault
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:56 am
Just as the water continued to fall off of her body, little drop by little drop, the anger fell, too. She could've tried to reach for it, grasp for it like it was the only life preserver keeping her ass afloat, but she couldn't, not right now. Not when each breath she took was weighed down by denim and the dank ocean water.
Bitch was speaking now, acting as if he was better than her, acting as if he had some kinda real shit going on in his life, which like, hello, nah bitch, you dress like a reject for some shitty-ass bubblegum punk band, but that wasn't what really was on her mind at the moment. What was on her mind was frantically doggy-paddling to one of the support things underneath the dock, some kinda manner to not die here, because that wouldn't be good, certainly not great, even if it meant she had to still listen to him, still listen to him go on and on.
"If you really think I don't know that," Tonya retorted, while holding on to the pole for dear life. Maybe she wasn't swimming no more, just trying to keep floating, but she felt more off-balance than ever before, all 'cause of that little bitch, that little- "Then, Myles, you the real fucking idiot."
There, fine. There, see? She was using his name, using his actual name, 'cause he was a person with a brain, a heart, a family, and a stupid-ass mouth, and she couldn't forget that, no matter how much she tried, no matter how much she willed it. The venom in her voice had washed out with the tide, leaving nothing but a crackly rasp in it's place. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
"'Sides, you may got a lotta friends, but a lotta people ain't too fond of the lil' sidekick of Teeny-Ass Tyrant." She was talking to him, talking to Myles now, and bits of it felt like home, felt like the hallways all over again, trading insults like cotton candy, constantly gagging for more, bitch this, bitch that, flurry of words all rushed and rapid.
He was swimming away now, and this time, Tonya was 'bout to let him go off to that pole, 'cause honestly, bish was tired, and bish had to go catch her breath for maybe just a couple of seconds more.
"Maybe I'm the first, but how you gonna deal with all the rest?"
A raised eyebrow. A question. A challenge.
A return to form.
Bitch was speaking now, acting as if he was better than her, acting as if he had some kinda real shit going on in his life, which like, hello, nah bitch, you dress like a reject for some shitty-ass bubblegum punk band, but that wasn't what really was on her mind at the moment. What was on her mind was frantically doggy-paddling to one of the support things underneath the dock, some kinda manner to not die here, because that wouldn't be good, certainly not great, even if it meant she had to still listen to him, still listen to him go on and on.
"If you really think I don't know that," Tonya retorted, while holding on to the pole for dear life. Maybe she wasn't swimming no more, just trying to keep floating, but she felt more off-balance than ever before, all 'cause of that little bitch, that little- "Then, Myles, you the real fucking idiot."
There, fine. There, see? She was using his name, using his actual name, 'cause he was a person with a brain, a heart, a family, and a stupid-ass mouth, and she couldn't forget that, no matter how much she tried, no matter how much she willed it. The venom in her voice had washed out with the tide, leaving nothing but a crackly rasp in it's place. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
"'Sides, you may got a lotta friends, but a lotta people ain't too fond of the lil' sidekick of Teeny-Ass Tyrant." She was talking to him, talking to Myles now, and bits of it felt like home, felt like the hallways all over again, trading insults like cotton candy, constantly gagging for more, bitch this, bitch that, flurry of words all rushed and rapid.
He was swimming away now, and this time, Tonya was 'bout to let him go off to that pole, 'cause honestly, bish was tired, and bish had to go catch her breath for maybe just a couple of seconds more.
"Maybe I'm the first, but how you gonna deal with all the rest?"
A raised eyebrow. A question. A challenge.
A return to form.
She didn't know anything.
Myles moved another pillar back, heart still pounding, breath still not coming as easily as he wanted, but Tonya was slowing down to snap back at him instead of trying to cut him open or drown him. Whiny, bitter leftovers. Couldn't even come up with an original insult. All of the people in that circle were the same, thinking it would hurt him somehow to claim that he was only Ivy's tag-along, like they hadn't been best friends for their entire lives, like she hadn't been warmer and kinder to him during all those years than any of them had ever even pretended to be.
Who was Tonya in the company of? Julien? Sierra? Jerks that everyone already knew would snap at the first sign of an excuse. Myles had come up with a plan for dealing with those kinds of people in the very first hours here - it was just a matter of getting things together the way he intended.
He didn't need to share all of that with Tonya, of course. She only mattered in the moment. "If they're all as good at this as you are, I don't think I have anything to worry about," he tossed out almost flippantly over his shoulder, and made a break for the shallows at the pier's side.
Myles moved another pillar back, heart still pounding, breath still not coming as easily as he wanted, but Tonya was slowing down to snap back at him instead of trying to cut him open or drown him. Whiny, bitter leftovers. Couldn't even come up with an original insult. All of the people in that circle were the same, thinking it would hurt him somehow to claim that he was only Ivy's tag-along, like they hadn't been best friends for their entire lives, like she hadn't been warmer and kinder to him during all those years than any of them had ever even pretended to be.
Who was Tonya in the company of? Julien? Sierra? Jerks that everyone already knew would snap at the first sign of an excuse. Myles had come up with a plan for dealing with those kinds of people in the very first hours here - it was just a matter of getting things together the way he intended.
He didn't need to share all of that with Tonya, of course. She only mattered in the moment. "If they're all as good at this as you are, I don't think I have anything to worry about," he tossed out almost flippantly over his shoulder, and made a break for the shallows at the pier's side.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
((Camila Cañizares continued from don't show, tell))
Tonya couldn't swim.
People were shouting, the wood of the pier was grossly slippery, fragments of sensory detail rushed by Camila in a real-time motion blur- eggshell flecks of color and detail and the perfunctory explosion that swallowed her up when she threw herself into the water.
Already, she'd forgotten the broken arm. That hurt. The presence of Regina against her hip became more urgent as she swelled with the heaviness of water. The water cushioned Camila, a full-body embrace. Camila felt lulled to sleep, a lullaby that made her feel newly born as she hovered through the murkiness that forced her eyes shut. The iciness of the water numbed her skin so thoroughly she felt warm.
The moment passed, she broke the surface with an efficient wheeze to remind her lungs of oxygen.
With only one good arm she could only drift, but drift she did with baby kicks of her legs, zeroing in on Tonya and noticing Langley's lapdog only in the distance.
"What the hell are you-?" The ocean crested all at once, a little wave briefly consumed Camila's head. She emerged unscathed and not bothered, continuing,
"I'll float you- back to shore-!" She closed the distance with hard breaths punctuating each few syllables like gunshots. "What- ggh- are you doing?" Her arm craned out of the water, as if to strike Tonya for some deserved reprimand. Instead she held her shoulder, familiar-like as Camila effortlessly floated where Tonya seemed to struggle against the laws of physics.
Tonya couldn't swim.
People were shouting, the wood of the pier was grossly slippery, fragments of sensory detail rushed by Camila in a real-time motion blur- eggshell flecks of color and detail and the perfunctory explosion that swallowed her up when she threw herself into the water.
Already, she'd forgotten the broken arm. That hurt. The presence of Regina against her hip became more urgent as she swelled with the heaviness of water. The water cushioned Camila, a full-body embrace. Camila felt lulled to sleep, a lullaby that made her feel newly born as she hovered through the murkiness that forced her eyes shut. The iciness of the water numbed her skin so thoroughly she felt warm.
The moment passed, she broke the surface with an efficient wheeze to remind her lungs of oxygen.
With only one good arm she could only drift, but drift she did with baby kicks of her legs, zeroing in on Tonya and noticing Langley's lapdog only in the distance.
"What the hell are you-?" The ocean crested all at once, a little wave briefly consumed Camila's head. She emerged unscathed and not bothered, continuing,
"I'll float you- back to shore-!" She closed the distance with hard breaths punctuating each few syllables like gunshots. "What- ggh- are you doing?" Her arm craned out of the water, as if to strike Tonya for some deserved reprimand. Instead she held her shoulder, familiar-like as Camila effortlessly floated where Tonya seemed to struggle against the laws of physics.
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Somersault
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:56 am
Oh, yes, Tonya didn't know nothing 'bout some petty high school bullshit, but she'd been content in that knowledge all throughout her high school life. Sure, drama this, drama that, girl got caught two-timing her man with her man's twin brother, even though both looked like bulky shovels, but what had kept her going was the promise of something better. Something resembling a better life for her outside the pettiness of all this high school shit, a chance to start and be Tonya the human being, not Tonya the teen mom. Give her story, on her terms, not whichever lucky bitch saw the baby bump first.
So, yeah, she'd be damned if she wasn't gonna fight like hell for to be there for that after story right here. For Patrice, for everyone, for everything, just as soon as she managed to get a better grip on this pole and let little Myles toddle off as if he knew what the real deal was.
He did not, nah, but whatever, just meant that in the end, she wasn't gonna be the lucky son of a bitch to run him through. Meant she wasn't gonna have to be 'round to see it.
Just as she began to kinda make her way over to the next pole, or really just size it all up all bug-eyed as if she was gonna go wrestle it into submission, there was her.
"Girl, what're you doing!?" She called out, more of reflex than anything else, because of course, her friend, her best friend, her competent, responsible, cooking food for her child and her family friend, was still running with a broken arm and into the water as if she was fuckin' Jesus, here to save the whore and help her repent.
A smile slowly started to creep up on Tonya's face, but so did the flames, the flames burning on the side of her face, movie quotes for $400, but she still stayed stuck to the pole. Let Camila grab hold of her like some kinda doll, breathed in, out.
'Course Cam was here, here to fix up everything, patch up the boo-boos and tell her hot mess of a friend that everything was gonna be okay, be the strong-ass pillar compared to the girl who crumbled just like that and got knocked up just like that. Even here, she was trying to be some kinda hero, and Tonya despised it. Hated it. All of it.
...Well, most of it.
"Little-ass bitch," a hand released it's death-grip, pointed to the retreating figure in the distance. "Tried to drown my ass!"
Camila was being the good person here, but Tonya was nowhere near prepared to reveal that she was the fucking-awful one. Not yet.
So, yeah, she'd be damned if she wasn't gonna fight like hell for to be there for that after story right here. For Patrice, for everyone, for everything, just as soon as she managed to get a better grip on this pole and let little Myles toddle off as if he knew what the real deal was.
He did not, nah, but whatever, just meant that in the end, she wasn't gonna be the lucky son of a bitch to run him through. Meant she wasn't gonna have to be 'round to see it.
Just as she began to kinda make her way over to the next pole, or really just size it all up all bug-eyed as if she was gonna go wrestle it into submission, there was her.
"Girl, what're you doing!?" She called out, more of reflex than anything else, because of course, her friend, her best friend, her competent, responsible, cooking food for her child and her family friend, was still running with a broken arm and into the water as if she was fuckin' Jesus, here to save the whore and help her repent.
A smile slowly started to creep up on Tonya's face, but so did the flames, the flames burning on the side of her face, movie quotes for $400, but she still stayed stuck to the pole. Let Camila grab hold of her like some kinda doll, breathed in, out.
'Course Cam was here, here to fix up everything, patch up the boo-boos and tell her hot mess of a friend that everything was gonna be okay, be the strong-ass pillar compared to the girl who crumbled just like that and got knocked up just like that. Even here, she was trying to be some kinda hero, and Tonya despised it. Hated it. All of it.
...Well, most of it.
"Little-ass bitch," a hand released it's death-grip, pointed to the retreating figure in the distance. "Tried to drown my ass!"
Camila was being the good person here, but Tonya was nowhere near prepared to reveal that she was the fucking-awful one. Not yet.
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Primrosette
- Posts: 1184
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:58 am
- Location: In the Dark Abyss
Adonis had been drawn to the noises that had been coming from the pier as soon as he had gotten out of the woods and he was sure that he had recognized one of the voices. He found himself jogging over to the pier and he stopped right in front of it. Noticing a lot of blood that was making him feel uneasy and he heard splashing and people's voices in the water. He then moved off to the side of the pier a bit.
His eyes were squinting a little as he was staring at the water and he was sure that he knew someone who was swimming by their hairstyle. How could he had found him by pure luck? Adonis had no idea honestly and now he was going to make sure that he wasn't ever going to let him out of his sight. Adonis was not going to leave him alone. Again.
Myles.
((Adonis Cohen continued from I've Got Some Work to Do, I'm Going To Eat Your Heart Out))
"Myles! What happened to you?!" Adonis called out to him as he was putting both his bags down beside the pier and he was trying to keep it away from all the blood that was still on it. It was not a scene that he wanted to linger on, so his eyes were trying to follow Myles' movement. "Who else is down there? Are they a.... threat to you?"
I'm already at that stage of not trusting other people, huh? Well, I do have to keep careful....
His eyes were squinting a little as he was staring at the water and he was sure that he knew someone who was swimming by their hairstyle. How could he had found him by pure luck? Adonis had no idea honestly and now he was going to make sure that he wasn't ever going to let him out of his sight. Adonis was not going to leave him alone. Again.
Myles.
((Adonis Cohen continued from I've Got Some Work to Do, I'm Going To Eat Your Heart Out))
"Myles! What happened to you?!" Adonis called out to him as he was putting both his bags down beside the pier and he was trying to keep it away from all the blood that was still on it. It was not a scene that he wanted to linger on, so his eyes were trying to follow Myles' movement. "Who else is down there? Are they a.... threat to you?"
I'm already at that stage of not trusting other people, huh? Well, I do have to keep careful....
Oh sure, that's how this was going. Tonya marched up and threatened to gut him, then tried to drown him, and here came somebody to her rescue, and never mind the person trying to escape her pitiful attempt at murder.
Myles threw himself up onto the wet sand, panting, and stayed braced on his hands and knees for a minute until another new voice called him by name. God, finally. The universe about owed him a break.
"Where did you go!?" He burst out as soon as he looked up and confirmed that it was indeed Adonis approaching. Myles sat back on his heels and then pushed himself up to his feet, mingled relief and indignation chasing away the lingering fear. "You- you and Angie ran off and left me, and then I had to spend the night alone, and then Tonya attacked me! With a machete!" Myles flung one arm out back towards the other pair struggling through the water as he closed the distance between himself and Adonis, haphazard steps throwing up small sprays of sand.
Come to think of it, she hadn't actually managed to cut him at all. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, his ribs and back were beginning to hurt where she'd tackled him into the pier's railing, but it wasn't any of his blood up there. Served her right. Tonya and her new friend could drift out to sea for all he cared. They'd be doing everyone else a favor.
Myles threw himself up onto the wet sand, panting, and stayed braced on his hands and knees for a minute until another new voice called him by name. God, finally. The universe about owed him a break.
"Where did you go!?" He burst out as soon as he looked up and confirmed that it was indeed Adonis approaching. Myles sat back on his heels and then pushed himself up to his feet, mingled relief and indignation chasing away the lingering fear. "You- you and Angie ran off and left me, and then I had to spend the night alone, and then Tonya attacked me! With a machete!" Myles flung one arm out back towards the other pair struggling through the water as he closed the distance between himself and Adonis, haphazard steps throwing up small sprays of sand.
Come to think of it, she hadn't actually managed to cut him at all. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, his ribs and back were beginning to hurt where she'd tackled him into the pier's railing, but it wasn't any of his blood up there. Served her right. Tonya and her new friend could drift out to sea for all he cared. They'd be doing everyone else a favor.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
No time for smiles.
"He's doing a bad job of it, then." Camila figured it'd be just like someone of that never-worked-a-day-in-their-life demeanor to leave a job unfinished, if one could call the macabre act of murder a job? Camila was grateful. She still had one friend who had yet lived to tell the tale of their encounter with the barbarism of humanity.
Still, Camila would have to leave the moment Tonya was safe. That fact haunted the quiet corners hidden in the back of her mind.
"Is your stuff on the pier?" Even this close Camila had to yip like a dog to be heard. Something about the ocean's overbearing presence washed noise out of the ear, rendered the senses sterile. "He doesn't seem to be interested in ending it." Langley's handbag dog was talking to someone else, by the looks of it.
Camila felt a tick of something at that, gravity sinking her stomach a bit closer to falling out through her groin. Distrust, but she wasn't so far gone as to consciously dedicate effort to the idea that Tonya had motives of her own. Camila flailed, steering her own body being less deliberate and more prayer as she tried to fight the inexorable push of tides constantly threatening to bash both of them into the pier's hardwood embrace. Only barely was she stable, but she was determined to get Tonya to shore even if her usable limb count was shy of where she'd prefer it be.
"Get the-"
Another wave crested, another unwanted mouthful of brine and fish.
"Pprghh-pptthpph-!" She spat water that had almost gone down the wrong pipe blindly, instinct putting Tonya at risk of spray-it as opposed to say-it. "Now would be a good time for you to learn how to float- work with the water, not against it!" In another life Camila could have been a certified swimming instructor and this could have... probably been about as hard as it was now.
"He's doing a bad job of it, then." Camila figured it'd be just like someone of that never-worked-a-day-in-their-life demeanor to leave a job unfinished, if one could call the macabre act of murder a job? Camila was grateful. She still had one friend who had yet lived to tell the tale of their encounter with the barbarism of humanity.
Still, Camila would have to leave the moment Tonya was safe. That fact haunted the quiet corners hidden in the back of her mind.
"Is your stuff on the pier?" Even this close Camila had to yip like a dog to be heard. Something about the ocean's overbearing presence washed noise out of the ear, rendered the senses sterile. "He doesn't seem to be interested in ending it." Langley's handbag dog was talking to someone else, by the looks of it.
Camila felt a tick of something at that, gravity sinking her stomach a bit closer to falling out through her groin. Distrust, but she wasn't so far gone as to consciously dedicate effort to the idea that Tonya had motives of her own. Camila flailed, steering her own body being less deliberate and more prayer as she tried to fight the inexorable push of tides constantly threatening to bash both of them into the pier's hardwood embrace. Only barely was she stable, but she was determined to get Tonya to shore even if her usable limb count was shy of where she'd prefer it be.
"Get the-"
Another wave crested, another unwanted mouthful of brine and fish.
"Pprghh-pptthpph-!" She spat water that had almost gone down the wrong pipe blindly, instinct putting Tonya at risk of spray-it as opposed to say-it. "Now would be a good time for you to learn how to float- work with the water, not against it!" In another life Camila could have been a certified swimming instructor and this could have... probably been about as hard as it was now.
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Somersault
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:56 am
"Yes, my stuff is on the fucking pier." Her words were cut off, harsh, urgent as her need to get the fuck back on dry land.
Idiot. Idiot. Stupid, stupid idiot. After all this time, after all this shit, Camila was trying, and Tonya wanted nothing more than to get her away. From her, from here, to give a lady some kinda room to breathe. It was suffocating, the space beneath the pier, and she could still hear the voice of Myles off in the distance, probably complaining to one of his bitch-ass friends.
The water was rising, now. Still washing over, still leaving them with little room to breathe and even less for flailing. It washed over, her eyes closed, and she felt the hand reaching out, trying to make her walk like a baby, trying to help her up, and-no. No. No. No.
"I can work with the fucking water, okay!"
She coughed up a little water, blinked it out of her eyes, because it would not be like this. Tonya Collins was going to save her fucking self, 'cause she could fucking swim, and 'cause she was fucking tired of everyone thinking that she couldn't do fucking shit. Even in the water, the sun still rose, and she felt like it was beaming directly on her, heating, heaving, and she wanted nothing more than to let it all burst out.
She could do it. Tonya could do it. She knew that, had it deep within her, and now, with everything, with anything, she did it.
"Just let me fucking swim," Her arms lashed out, eyes closed again, because she wasn't gonna look, just had to give herself some space, space to actually go and like, live. Camila could just leave, why wouldn't she leave, why couldn't she go, because no, she had to help and fix fuckin' Tonya up, Tonya the failure, Tonya the stupid bish, Tonya who always got help when she didn't ask for it because she didn't need it. It felt like sparks in her mind, the volcano bursting, soda rocket goin' pop pop pop, like flashes of fury and feeling because for once she \would do it all on her own all on her own and she wasn't gonna let this meddling bitch stop her-
"I WAS THE ONE WHO TRIED KILLING HIS ASS."
Other than the waves rushing in, the birds flapping over head, and of course, her heartbeat thundering in her ears, everything was quiet for once.
"Happy?"
Go. Go. Please go.
You don't want to be here.
"Leave." For once in her life, Tonya wasn't shouting.
She was pleading.
Idiot. Idiot. Stupid, stupid idiot. After all this time, after all this shit, Camila was trying, and Tonya wanted nothing more than to get her away. From her, from here, to give a lady some kinda room to breathe. It was suffocating, the space beneath the pier, and she could still hear the voice of Myles off in the distance, probably complaining to one of his bitch-ass friends.
The water was rising, now. Still washing over, still leaving them with little room to breathe and even less for flailing. It washed over, her eyes closed, and she felt the hand reaching out, trying to make her walk like a baby, trying to help her up, and-no. No. No. No.
"I can work with the fucking water, okay!"
She coughed up a little water, blinked it out of her eyes, because it would not be like this. Tonya Collins was going to save her fucking self, 'cause she could fucking swim, and 'cause she was fucking tired of everyone thinking that she couldn't do fucking shit. Even in the water, the sun still rose, and she felt like it was beaming directly on her, heating, heaving, and she wanted nothing more than to let it all burst out.
She could do it. Tonya could do it. She knew that, had it deep within her, and now, with everything, with anything, she did it.
"Just let me fucking swim," Her arms lashed out, eyes closed again, because she wasn't gonna look, just had to give herself some space, space to actually go and like, live. Camila could just leave, why wouldn't she leave, why couldn't she go, because no, she had to help and fix fuckin' Tonya up, Tonya the failure, Tonya the stupid bish, Tonya who always got help when she didn't ask for it because she didn't need it. It felt like sparks in her mind, the volcano bursting, soda rocket goin' pop pop pop, like flashes of fury and feeling because for once she \would do it all on her own all on her own and she wasn't gonna let this meddling bitch stop her-
"I WAS THE ONE WHO TRIED KILLING HIS ASS."
Other than the waves rushing in, the birds flapping over head, and of course, her heartbeat thundering in her ears, everything was quiet for once.
"Happy?"
Go. Go. Please go.
You don't want to be here.
"Leave." For once in her life, Tonya wasn't shouting.
She was pleading.