Survival Of The Fittest

((Jamie Li continued from the Final Countdown))

Well, this was different.

It had been one thing to wander about some dark tunnels for a few hours and lose all sense of bearing or direction, but it was another to exit those tunnels in a completely different locale than you'd been at before. When she'd entered the dank underbelly of the island at the beginning of her stay, Jamie had noticed the mountain being a lot closer than it currently lay - in fact, she found it difficult to believe that she'd actually come THAT far across the island in the time that she had. Nonetheless, when she'd thrown open the door and seen a large house with a brilliantly green tennis court in front of it, a part of her felt the need to wander over to the courts and explore.

Who cares that you're in a fight to the death with your classmates? There's always time to check out the TENNIS COURTS!

It wasn't that her reality hadn't yet sunk into Jamie Li's mind, it was more that she was trying desperately to ignore it. She'd almost melted down in the tunnels when she'd seen that her sole method of salvation was to be a pool noodle, an object that oddly enough, she continued to hold onto, whacking random objects as she passed by them. Her investigation into the large tennis courts went exactly as she'd assumed it to go. They were tennis courts, made of clay, and had obviously cost a great deal to make and maintain. The island had obviously been evacuated hastily, though, as the weeds were beginning to occasionally sprout up through the path stones, indicating that the grounds hadn't been tended to in some time. Everything seemed ordinary, and that in itself was almost terrifying. After a thorough examination of the tennis courts revealed no information that could be of any use to her at all, Jamie and her pool noodle exited the courts, beginning to wander along the outside of the fenced-in area.

All of that left Jamie at about the same place she'd started out; scared, tired, and freaked right out, at this point trying pretty much anything to keep her mind from actually thinking about her potentially hopeless situation. Unfortunately, the pool noodle made for a poor conversationalist, and reality took that moment to butt its way through.

So here it is, Jamie. The moment of truth. What the fuck are you thinking? You're running around with nothing to defend yourself but a plastic floatation device, and a ton of explosives strapped to your neck?! Have you lost your mind? Why not just pack it in, roll over and play dead?

For a moment, she chewed on her lip, and casually brushed a stray hair out of her eyes.

Why DIDN'T she just pack it in? It was a really good question. At mere inches over five feet tall, there was vitrually nobody in her entire graduating class that she'd physically be able to match up against and win. It wasn't like she had anything to threaten anyone with.

Look out, here comes vicious Jamie Li, looking to kill a bitch with the POOL NOODLE OF DOOM! Ugh. So what now? Is it really worth fighting against? Fuck the police, fight the power? Really? Why should I even bother? The odds are utterly astronomical that I even manage to last a week; let alone a day, and even then...the only possible physical advantage that I have over anyone disappears the more fatigued I get. Come on, Jamie? Why bother? You're in a no-win situation, here.

There was a lot of sense being made in her internal thought processes, but...something...

...something caught her, in the back of her mind.

Mom and Dad. The old "I'm not mad, Jamie, but I'm very disappointed". Gets 'ya every time. So how would they feel if their daughter didn't go out fighting? Didn't go out kicking and screaming, bitching and complaining? They'd be disappointed. Lay on the Asian parent guilt. Fuck, I don't want to deal with the Asian parent guilt eating at my eternal soul! The hell with that!

Wandering around the one side of the courts, Jamie knelt down to pick at some weeds.

So it that it? I fight so that my parents aren't disappointed in me?

She laughed out loud.

"How can I be such a downer?"

Of course she would fight. The fact that she'd doubted it, well, it just made it all the more hilarious. Getting into mischief, mayhem, and trouble was something that Jamie Li had a habit of, mainly because of her propensity to stand up for what she believed in, and to follow her own path in life. She'd aspired to become a professional wrestler, to entertain crowds for a living instead of going to a top medical school or earn a business degree. Why? It was her plan. She'd fought with her parents over it, and she'd stood up for herself. How was this any different?

Truth was, it wasn't.

Jamie knew that it wasn't. A smile crept across her face. The facts were brutal, horrific. She was media-conscious, she knew all about the horrors that had gone on during Survival of the Fittest. She'd heard of the rapes, the murders that went on. People like that Adam Dodd character who'd come back a shell of themselves. She'd watched him speak on television once. The man was a hollowed-out shell. Sure, he had charisma, but his eyes were dead. Jamie remembered thinking that, recalling how dead his eyes had looked when he'd spoken. There was someone who'd essentially died in 'Survival of the Fittest'. His body had survived, but his soul had died.

"The hell if I'm going to come out like that. I'm gonna walk out the goddamn front door with a smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye. Yeah!"

Right then, Jamie Li knew that she was not going to be a wrestler anymore. Maybe in a past life, perhaps. She had a new set of goals; a new career aspiration.

She was going to be a survivor.

"Yeah...a survivor. Fuck right!"

Hope had been restored. Mission accomplished. At least ...for now.

((Lily Ainsworth continued from Death is not a Game))

Lily started off following the others, but once she buried her nose in the instruction manual for her assigned weapon, she had become more or less lost. She kicked herself, scowling as she hiked through the woods, stopping every so often to see if she could hear anyone. She sighed, stopping for a moment and leaning against one of the bigger trees to compose herself.

"Knowin' my luck, I've gone in the complete opposite direction." She sighed, dusting off the edges of her skirt. She reminded herself to change into clothes that were a little easier to move around in. "Well, A great novel is concerned primarily with the interior lives of its characters as they respond to the inconvenient narratives that fate imposes on them."

She giggled as this, straightening herself out and continuing on her way. "Thanks a bunch, Richard Schickel."

Ultimately, she had no say in how events would progress and in the end she was more than happy to go with the flow. It kept the undeniable terror at bay. Every so often, when her mind would wander, she'd find a tightness in her chest and a shortness of breath, but she just went over one of her quotes and she'd feel as right as rain again. The foliage shifted under her feet as she caught sight of an open area beyond the end of the woods.

She grunted as she climbed over a downed log, finally finding herself at the edge of a large expanse of open space and immediately before her was the tennis court, and on it was one Jamie Li. Lily recognized her instantly and thus placed immediate trust in the small girl. She stepped forth out of the woods, waving as she jogged over.

"Jamie! Hey!" She smiled politely, no malice in her gaze.

((Rekka Saionji continued from Death is not a Game))

When he first met Lily, 'air-headed' was certainly the word to choose in describing her personality. That was just off of first impressions of course. Having fled the open aired Gazebo, the two spent a little bit more conversing while keeping an open look-out for any potential predators in the area. Rekka couldn't exactly recall when Lily decided to wander on forward, but it probably occurred some time during his constant side trips to pull a random herb or stone off the ground. To say that the trip towards a body of water was unfruitful would be a terrible lie. The insides of Rekka's side pouch of the daypack jingled happily with a handful of differently textured stones, small amounts of greenery not limited to berries, and common shrub-life used for basic first-aid. He even came across a sturdy tree branch, only slightly covered in moist moss. It would serve as his walking stick for now, but there were further plans prepared for all the materials gathered.

Thanks god for my mother and those long years of wildlife training. Looks like it'll be put to test against the rest of my class. Yeah. I still have to accept that they're now enemies. Enemies that are just as frightened and shaken as one another. Fear births anxiety. Anxiety and uneasiness creates panic. Panic goes hand in hand with fear, and then we have pandemonium. I need to hurry up and get my tools in order to just survive out in the wild. Amaterasu-no-mikoto only knows what I'll do when it comes down to confrontations...

The gun still was cozily packed into his daypack. Push came to shove, it was an amazing tool to use. However Rekka just couldn't see much of a benefit to holding it in broad daylight. People would be like a pack of starving wolves for any bone that would give them a higher chance of surviving another night. Point and case is the group that they left behind. They would probably be sorely pissed that Lily was not tagging along. Rekka was also very sure 'Leader' might go so far as to say that he was the source of that break-off. Why? Probably because of that gun. Guns gave you power, unless you figure out a way to deal with them. That would be Rekka's challenge after finding Dawne.

A couple moments more of tracking Lily's footprints and Rekka came across a clearing that brought a frown back onto his face. More signs of civilization is always a beacon of hope, but why did it need to be in such an OPEN clearing?! Rekka just couldn't shake that one aspect away from it all. The reason they left the gazebo was because of lack of cover, and now the two of them found themselves right back into the situation. Worst of all--woodlands surrounded the area. Luckily Lily wasn't that far ahead of him now, as he clutched the fedora to his head and gave chase. No excessive noise; who knew who else was in the area?

And what does Lily do? She goes bouncing over while waving to a person named Jamie! What should have made Rekka quick to silence the attention-whoring gesture, instead brought a slight chuckle out of his pale lips. He wasn't sure why, but it may have something to do with how his companion could keep the tension at bay with her antics. That alone deserved gratitude fit for an empress. It would have to wait though. This 'Jamie' person was unfamiliar to him and as such, he kept his mind ready to flick his scissor blade halves out should the worst case scenario occur.

Never can be too careful...but let's wait a bit before tossing accusations. Seems Lily knows her.

As Lily tossed her greetings to 'Jamie,' Rekka brought himself to a halt a few paces by his companion's side. Dusting off the filth that had hitchhiked a trip, he used his free hand to remove the fedora and spoke out with a bow, "I'm sorry for the sudden appearance Miss. Allow me to make amends by telling you our names. My name is Rekka Saionji and this here is Miss Lily Ainsworth."

Manners were one of the few cards that Rekka still held that kept his mind on track. Even as out of context as they were at this point in time. Now wasn't the best time, manners present or not, to be talking in the open at midday. So, he would propose a suggestion.

"If I may be so rude, can we move to someplace nearby that is not so...exposed? The thought of one of them having a clear view from the woods does not bode well with me."

As he asked that, his gaze was side tracked to the strange object that was in Jamie's possession. Nothing of the likes he had ever seen before. A look at Rekka's current face would be that of a hilarious stupor and curiosity, as he unconsciously blurted out,

"What a strange stick you have..."

The noisy arrival of figures from the bushes near to the tennis courts had surprised Jamie, and for a few moments, she seriously contemplated taking off in the other direction. It would have been the smart move, and probably would have ensured her safety from any knife-wielding assailants. Naturally though, Jamie didn't like doing things the safe way. A little danger spiced things up a little, and if a potential player wandered out of the bushes packing a pistol, odds were that she'd be done anyways by the time that she realized what was going on.

It was a pleasant surprise, then, that the two figures who wandered out of the forest didn't seem to be the "player" types; one of whom was immediately recognizable to her, the other was yet another faceless Bayview student. The one girl, Lily Ainsworth, was a unique one, that much was true. They'd had a few classes here and there, and since both Lily and Jamie tended to socialize outside of the "popular" circles, they'd crossed paths outside of school a few times. She was a nice girl - a little flighty, perhaps, but Jamie'd never known her to be anything but pleasant. As far as the other boy went, well...Jamie vaguely recalled seeing him at school, but no information immediately came to mind.

Neither of them seem the dangerous type, but...guess it doesn't hurt to keep my guard up.

Seeing the smile directed her way, Jamie returned it, holding back a little bit still due to the pressure of their situation.

"Hi, Lily. How're you holding up?"

Her companion stepped forward and introduced them both. Obviously, she already knew Lily, but Rekka, the boy...the name still didn't really ring any bells with her. Nonetheless, he seemed polite, and obviously a bit worried as he immediately urged the group to take shelter in a more secluded area. His attention then turned to her pool noodle, which he questioned with a sense of confused awe.

Really? He's never seen a pool noodle before? Oh, come on!

Smirking, Jamie took the pool noodle in her hands and lightly tapped him on the head with it. "It's a pool noodle...like a little floaty thing, for the water? Not a whole heck of a lot of good for fighting with, but I'm A-okay if we find ourselves trapped in a swimming pool!"

Glancing back at Lily, she gestured to the tennis courts.

"There's nobody on the courts, so we can head over that way if you guys really want to..." She paused. "I know maybe it's a little late to say, but can you believe that this is actually fucking happening!? I-I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. They really expect us to KILL everyone? I mean, I know they've taken other classes, but...I just can't see...killing?"

Her shoulders slumped. Jamie was lucky. As yet, she'd not been forced to experience any potential horrors; hell, she didn't even know if her classmates had begun to murder each other at all. But a feeling in the pit of her stomach...told her that it was a belief that was foolish and naive.

God only knew how long it would take for her to learn the truth.

Lily smiled graciously at Jamie, eyes closing as she let out a slow breath of air. It took a lot of energy to remain as positive as she was, but she wouldn't stop now. Someone needed to stay happy, to keep everyone else feeling as good as possible for as long as possible. She needed them to be happy, or maybe she'd feel like she failed somehow. She shook her head briefly, clearing the thoughts from her head.

"I'm holdin' up well, I kind of made the luck of the draw with my weapon." She admitted, patting the side of her assigned bag. She made no movement to reach in and pull out the sub-machine gun, she didn't want to end up scaring Jamie off. She liked Jamie, she was an interesting girl who in Lily's eyes didn't get hung up on the same things most normal people did. Besides, if she remembered correctly, she wanted to be a wrestler and that was just plain nifty.

"I think I said some things when I woke up that might've scared a few people off, yeah?" She laughed lightly, rubbing at the back of her head. "You know how I get sometimes, just miles away."

She sighed, it wasn't easy for her to connect with people. So what she usually did is offer everything she has to make them happy and she wasn't about to go and start changing now. She set down her bag and sat down where she had once stood, taking a quick break.

"We've been walkin' forever and I could admittedly use a break." She laughed. Though Jamie's words did make sense. "I don't think they expect us to kill everyone." She sighed and began to use what she knew from her books.

"If anything, I think they expect most of us to die. I mean, imagine the screening process it must take for them to choose the contestants and think of how many students are here." The assembly flashed through her mind real quick. "There's at least two hundred of us here."

This was one of those moment when previously flighty Lily became serious, her words growing a logical edge.

"Yeah, they want us to kill each other." She nodded once, smiling weakly at Jamie.

"But I think they also want us to die."

((I appreciate the fact that some of us are busy and such, but I'd really like to get it moving, and as such, will be getting her moving ))

Jamie grimaced at the girl's last thought. Dying was something that was supposed to have been so very far off, and now...well, she didn't like the idea of dying very much. There was so many different things that she'd wanted to do before checking out; have kids, start a family, travel the world...unfortunately, her chances of living out the week varied from "slim" to "none".

Even I'd have trouble dealing with those odds...but when have I ever been one to bet with the house? The hell with that, I'd rather make up my own odds...

As far as Jamie went - she'd always told people that her personal motto was that she "was going to live forever". Why change that line of thinking now? She recalled a line from a movie that she'd seen years ago - she could barely remember the movie, or where it was from, but the quote had always stuck with her, and to have it come to mind now...she had to get out of here. She didn't like the way that this one boy was eyeing her up and down, and the air seemed uncomfortable. Lily was a good sort, but staying in one place too long probably wasn't the smartest idea in the world. She didn't know how everyone else was thinking, but if the area was devoid of death and destruction, then who knew how long it was going to stay like that? Drumming her fingers on the pool noodle, she looked at Lily and smiled.

"I can appreciate the need for rest, but I've been here at these courts a little long, myself. You're right - they want us all to die, but..." She stretched out the last syllable and smirked. "...I don't think that I'm going to oblige them. I'd prefer to keep moving. I'm going to head towards the outskirts of the island...I think it's safer than wandering around inside of it, you never know who you're going to run into in such an enclosed space. You two are welcome to follow along, but...if not, I guess I hope we meet up sooner or later."

Jamie smiled, genuinely hoping the best for Lily. She hadn't ever been a close friend or anything, but the girl had a good heart.

"Good luck, Lily. I'll be off...thataway!"

As she grasped her pool noodle and took off into the forest, her mind stretched out to that movie quote. For the life of her, she still couldn't remember what the film was, but that it was a conversation between two men.

I take it that the odds are against us, and the situation is grim? Sounds like fun!

Like fun, indeed. This promised to be a flat-out fucking ball; of that she was certain.

((Jamie Li continued elsewhere))

((Dawne Jiang continued from Bump in the Night))

Dawne had finally found her way out of the felled forest, although she hadn't gotten out in the location she had expected. This turned out to be a good thing, because rather than have to go over the mountain, the girl instead managed to go around it. The resulting walk was still a long one, but it could have been much worse.

The walk was still a long one however, and it didn't take long for Dawne to become tired. She pressed on, constantly looking over her shoulders as her fatigued legs pressed forward, her body wanting to stop but her mind telling it to push forward. Through some woods, past some buildings, until finally she came across... a tennis court. It was the first true sign of sophistication that Dawne had seen, and it brought a smile to her face.

From her perspective, Dawne could see that there were a couple people standing in the court, one male and one female. Normally Dawne would have dismissed the sight of people and move on, except for the fact that something about the male caught her eye. The way he stood, the way he was dressed, there was no mistaking it. Despite her fatigued, Dawne took off into a run.

"Rekka!" Dawne yelled at the top of her lungs, practically launching herself into her boyfriend. After practically drowning the poor boy in kisses, Dawne untangled herself. "I'm so glad I found you." The relief in the girl's voice couldn't have been more obvious. Everything around her meant nothing to her, not even the other girl. She had found Rekka. That meant that there was one more person she needed to find, hopefully before it was too late.

Lily watched Jamie make her way towards the edge of the island, out of sight and out of mind as it were. However, with the arrival of the new girl something was kicking at the inside of her head with full force. Lily struggled to her feet and bit her lip, giving Rekka one solid look as he was regaled with kisses from the girl.

"It looks like you found who you were looking for." She smiled softly, dipping low to hook her hands around her bag. "I don't know what I'm looking for yet, but I'm going to go try and find out."

With that, Lily once more made her way into the trees. For a moment she was there, but in the next she was swallowed by the countless branches.

((Lily Ainsworth continued in Walkabout.))

The playful gesture from Jamie brought a small frown onto Rekka's face. Apparently, the object was a floating device for shallow waters and seemed to be a very common item within culture. A swimming pool, while not unknown, was a very foreign place to the young man. He had never set foot into the recreational area--one could say that his idea of a 'pool' would be the ocean itself. It wouldn't be lying of course. Rekka usually was at the docks in Alaska or on a fishing vessel when it came to aquatic adventures. Dawne was never really the water-loving type anyways, or outdoor loving for that matter.

"Ah...so that's what it is. You'll have to excuse me. The closest thing to a swimming pool I have been to would be the Alaskan Sea, be it swimming near the docks or on my father's fishing vessel." Rekka explained, briefly breaking eye contact so he could readjust his fedora. "I'm really naiive when it comes to some modern day aspects of life. I guess you get that way when you're raised to live with the land and sea."

He laughed sheepishly. That's when his mind reminded him this wasn't the time or place to luxuriously cradle themselves with relief. Lily, rather out of character-like, pointed out the reality quite aptly. There were at least 200+ students in their grade alone that went on this trip. It was safe to say somebody was going to go stark-mad early on, so danger will always be imminent. Panicking about that wouldn't do them any good though.

Rekka spun both of his scissor halves into view and set aside the branch he found from the woods. Bringing himself to a squatting position, he quickly meddled around with the halves so that they would reconnect again temporarily. It was a small trick one of his classmates showed him back at Bayview and now being put to use for survival.

Luck be with him that he decided not to come on the trip...

"There's not much sense in letting fear sink its jaws into us Lily," Rekka spoke out kindly to his female companion. His voice held conviction and strength, fed by the desire to keeping them all alive. "It's exactly what our gracious host wants us to fall into, a driving sense of insanity that leads to the heart of this show I suppose."

He moved to extract his sports bag, grabbing a hold of the scrunched up edges that kept the string straps in place. With a blade in his free hand and a couple snipping moments later, Rekka was capable of extracting the prize he sought. In his hand was the rope straps that was looped into sports bag--something that would be a part of his project in the near future. For now, the slightly sliced bag and rope was all placed into the SOTF daypack.

The sounds of footsteps rapidly charging on the ground snapped Rekka's attention to the source. He mentally cursing himself for not noticing sooner! Jerking the unified scissors back into two, he kicked into a pivot on his left foot to quickly spin around and...

...got hailed upon by an endless kissing glomp storm from his girlfriend??

"Mmrnpgh!?!" That properly translated to 'Dawne?! I can't b-breathe...' to those who cannot speak the addling language of slobber-drip. The meaning of his message sunk home though, as Ms. Jiang got off not too long after and gave him a few moments to gasp for that breathe of life. He was happily reminded that Dawne's kissing frenzy effectswas not affected by being on a madman's bloodsport.

Rekka looked up to see that face he fell so deeply for and grinned. He reeled her back in for an embrace and placed a single, loving kiss right on her saturated lips. "Nice to see you too. You nearly got your first victim on the show Miss Jiang. How terrible, death by kisses. Sounds like something straight out of your romance manga!"

Using that physically fit body of his to hoist both of them into a standing position, Rekka took a moment to give the girl a strong embrace and take in every detail. Her slightly dirtied skin, petite-ly curved frame, certain unmentionables that made him frown for a brief moment, and most importantly--the structure of her face resting on top of his beating heart. He was sure Dawne would kick away before relinquishing his grip, but this tender moment was just what the doctor called for to deal with all that was going on. If she bothered to look up, he had the genuine smile of a man who just found his true happiness. Rekka forced his body to pull away from the feeling he could definitely stay with forever more, but daylight was burning and their classmates won't stop their schedule so that the two of them could have their 'tearful' reunion.

A quick look down at his girlfriend revealed a few things. One, she was a total mess. That part was to be expected, since he figured it was a symptom for being on this hell-bent show. Two, she looked absolutely fatigued. Dawne was never the one to over-achieve in physical education, so this was going to be a rough set of days for her. If his girlfriend's condition wasn't enough to slowly summon back his stress, then the realization that Lily AND Jamie were no longer with them definitely did the trick. Jamie he didn't know enough to make an accurate assessment, but that noodle didn't look any good at fending off crazied students. Lily was at a huge risk ever since the two of them left that boy's group.

What was his name? H-Hu...go? No, it started with an 'A.' Aaron I think? I've grown too accustomed referring him as 'Leader.'

Granted she had a gun, and a good one at that, but his conscious wouldn't forgive him for letting a lady go about in a dangerous place by herself. That only meant one thing, going after the two of them and making sure they're alright. First things first, he had to care for Dawne.

"You look like a sight for sore eyes my dear, pun intended. Told you should have come along those nature trips my folks offered!" Rekka teased, searching his bag for anything he could use to fix her up with and found the items in question.

He pulled out one of the two, lacquerware bento boxes from his bag; in addition to a bottle of water, a cloth from the med-kit and zip-locked aloe stalk. Knowing they were going into the outdoors for the class trip, Rekka made sure to pack an arm or two from the backyard. Apparently it wasn't a big enough threat for Danya's men to remove, so he was grateful on that part.

He sat them both down and brought Dawne's face closer so he could use the healing powers of the aloe branch. It would be cool, albeit a bit slimy, to her torched cheek and shorten its road to recovery. There was no need for words to come out, as Rekka let his trained hands run their course along Dawne's rounded cheek. After an even coating was applied, he lightly pressed the excess with the cloth at hand and then re-packaged everything. Before doing so, the used portion of the aloe was sliced off by one of the blades around his finger.

"Try not to remove that cloth for a while. It'll help heal you faster." he spoke calmly, pointing towards the non-bandaged patch on her cheek.

Rekka offered the food and drink to her first, then proceeded to ask as he cleaned off blade, "Let's rest here a while before we get going again Dawne. No sense moving about on an empty stomach!"

The bento (boxed lunch) was simple enough. Rice was neatly packed into the corner and was the second largest portion present. Its solo accomplice was a cute, octopus cut hot dog floating right on top of the white grain sea. To the right of the rice area was three pieces of golden brown, mochiko battered chicken still glistened in a moist sheen; all in slightly hardy servings. The last two sections were dedicated to a slightly jarred salad, complete with the packet of dressing on the side. The meal was elegantly prepared and definitely had the touches the Saionji family was known for.

Rekka would be saving the other one for later, making a note to watch how much food he still had left and how long it would be there. Out of all the classmates, he probably had the most 'sustaining' food on him...but it wouldn't last long. Bentos like these had to be eaten fairly soon or else they'd rot and be useless altogether. Outside of the ration provided by Danya, there was only a 6 piece set of pastries his mother packed as a snack for later. It may help as a starch and sugar boost, but no where close to a military-esque ration. Food was going to be burned very quickly, and Rekka needed to start hunting.

His attention now shifted more towards the branch from the forest and the rope. It wasn't the best of materials, but he would attempt to create a bow with it. Taking out the scissor blade and preparing for the ordeal, his hand began cutting grooves into both the south and north ends. He knew the lack of undivided attention may irk Dawne somewhat, so he snickered and casually tossed out,

"I missed you~"

Slap imminent? Yup. His cat-like smirk continued to be happily placed on as he dug through the slightly torn backpack for Dawne's extra clothing. Now that she found him, there really wasn't much of a need to keep holding onto such items. Besides, he didn't feel like taking up cross-dressing just for SOTF. Not like Danya and the viewers would care to see him get into women's clothing that's half his size. The thought was amusing he had to admit!

Fixing another layer of pressure to the bound stick between his legs, Rekka took a moment to 'gently' lay the clothes near his beloved. His anticipation for her reaction was almost ravenous; ever matching the growling of his own stomach. Aside from the protection within the wrapped articles, there was a small present he was hoping wouldn't be brushed aside because of their circumstances.

Rekka made short work of tending to Dawne's wounds, something she was more than grateful for. The soothing sensation of the aloe did wonders for the girl's sun burnt face. She cracked a smile, watching as Rekka started pulling stuff out of his bag. He handed her something wrapped in various bits of her clothes which she snuck into his bag while they were packing. Dawne smiled mischievously as she unwrapped the clothing to reveal what was inside. As she removed the first layer of clothes, something caught her eye as it tumbled out of the hoodie. Picking up the object, she saw that it was a hair pin, beautifully made with an orange blossom as it's centerpiece.

"Oh Rekka... it's so beautiful." she said as she attached the piece in her hair. Deep down however, the symbol of love made her chest ache. Rekka was so in love with her, and she had betrayed that love. It was something she had tried so desperately to forget, but every memory of that night flooded back into the front of her mind. She didn't deserve that clip. She didn't deserve him. Dawne kept the clip in her hair for a moment so Rekka could see how it looked before removing it, under the pretense of not wanting to ruin it in the dirt. Really, she just felt like she wasn't worth wearing the symbol of his love.

Continuing to unwrap the package, she finally got to what was actually inside. The firearm sat in the center, a single clip of ammo placed beside it. Removing the weapon, she took the clip and experimentally slid it into the open space of the gun. It seemed to fit properly, so she took that as a sign that she did it right. Placing the gun on the ground, she turned back to Rekka, just as he started to offer food. Dawne gratefully took the food, not realising until that moment just how hungry she had been. As she ate, Rekka began working on something, mentioning how he had missed her.

"Missed you too." Dawne said in a half hearted manner. The devotion in this man made her hurt even more. She didn't even want to consider what would happen if she told him she had been unfaithful to him, with a mutual friend at that. It would break his poor heart, and even worse, he would forgive her. That would be the worst part of it for Dawne. She could handle him getting angry, but knowing him, that simply wouldn't happen. Finishing off the last of the food he gave her, she sat and stared at the man as he continued working. After a while, she felt herself nodding off, so she decided to get some rest. After telling Rekka as much, she curled up on the hard surface, and fell asleep almost instantly.

----

Dawne didn't wake up until early the next morning, as the voice of the man who had thrown them into this game blared over a PA system. In her groggy state, she missed most of the announcement. Not that she particularly cared one way or the other. Even if she was fully alert, she would have ignored him. Sitting up, her muscles cried in protest from being on the hard ground for so long. Rekka was nearby, looking like he hadn't slept at all that night. He probably hadn't, standing guard over her to make sure no one tried to hurt his beloved. Dawne felt another twinge of guilt.

Beep.

Dawne shot upright, now fully alert as the collar around her neck emitted a small sound. She hadn't heard the announcement, but she recalled something about dangerzones. Were they in one right now? She couldn't think of any other reason why the collar would make a sound, especially since it was silent the entire time up to that point. It continued to beep in a slow, rhythmic pace. If they didn't move, they would no doubt be killed.

Dawne began collecting her things, but stopped herself, glancing again at Rekka. She knew that he would protect her to the end, even if it cost him his life. She also knew that she didn't deserve that. If she left with him right now, she would be nothing more than a burden to him. A burden that he didn't deserve.

Grabbing the gun that Rekka had given her, she held it in her hands. Looking again at Rekka, she felt her eyes start to well up with tears. She knew at that moment what she was going to do. She wasn't leaving that area. If she was going to die, she was doing it on her own terms. Dawne Jiang would not be a burden. For anyone.

"Rekka.... run." she said, holding back her tears. Just for good measure, she took the gun and pointed it at the boy. "I'm not leaving this area. I don't want to burden you. If you come any closer, I will shoot. So please.... just run. I don't deserve to live..."

((Permission to GM Dawne by Rocky.))

Happiness washed over as he saw the joy come across Dawne's face, but the troubled look didn't go unnoticed to his eyes. Dawne held her gaze down just like when they first started dating--heavy with inner guilt and so very distant. The split in her reply was all the proof he needed to confirm his suspicions. Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot he could say or do to give the comfort she wanted, so Rekka respected the aura of solitude Dawne emitted and continued to curve the wooden pole until his eyelids could take no more. Sleep finally graced him with its presence and off he drifted back to his troubled dreams.

---

Sleeping on the artificial stiffness was not an experience he was willing to do again, as Rekka awoke to the rising sun. Doing a very quick prayer from his mother's clan, he was extremely happy they survived the first day. The suspense of not knowing the death count was suffocating as it is.

He shouldn't have thought about that. It was then their host decided to send a complimentary wake-up call to all of his guests, complete with a death count. Not only did he list who died and who did the deed, but openly pranced upon the details like a children's tale! Jamie and Lily's names weren't called, so a small sense of relief was there. He knew it wouldn't last. Danya wanted to make sure they ALL know who's playing the game--no exceptions.

"Omar Burton, Alex Rasputin, Kris Hartmann, Clio Gabriella, Reiko Ishida, Nick Reid, Janet Binachi..." Rekka continued to lock those names into his memory. They killed, some more than others, and he had to assume they would be ready to do the same if placed into similar situations.

Danya's 'Good Morning SOTF' didn't end there. The beeping on his collar brought creeping dread he didn't think needed to be dealt with so early in the game. Dawne and himself were in the danger zone and if they didn't evac to the woods immediately, they'd join the ranks of the deceased with a few missing limbs.

He wouldn't need to awaken the sleeping girl though, as the surprises kept on coming. Rekka's slender eyes widened as the one person he didn't think would, was now facing him with the very same gun. Hands trembling too hard to keep a grip on his bow, it fell to the ground. All thought trains came to a halt at the sight of Dawne talking about some sort of repenting.

"W-What are you.."

BANG!

Rekka raised his hand to feel a bit of liquid drip down his cheek and looked at it. There, coating the tips of his fingers, was blood. HIS BLOOD! It was all just registering now--Dawne had fired at him. She meant what she said and probably fluked the hit. The look that stood in those eyes literally screamed, "Don't make me do it again..."

He didn't need to think now. He couldn't think now. All he could do was grab all his belongings and run away. He hated it. The feeling of letting his girlfriend meet her demise. The feeling of letting fear get the better of him. Tears finally fell as he smashed through the gates and disappeared into the forest. Running away towards nowhere.

Anywhere but here.

((Rekka Saionji continued in Just Close Your Eyes))

Rekka didn't heed her initial warning, instead advancing towards her with a couple hesitant steps. Her finger pulled on the trigger, the gun jerking in her grasp as the muzzle flashed, sending the bullet towards her boyfriend. He jerked back slightly, blood glistening on his cheek. Leveling the gun again at the boy, she didn't say anything verbally, but her eyes told everything. There was a moment of silence between the two, with only the steadily increasing tempo of the beeping collars sounding in their ears. Rekka had finally gotten the message, and as he ran off, Dawne dropped the weapon.

As soon as Rekka was out of site, Dawne finally broke down. The tears flowed uninterrupted from her eyes, and she let out a mournful wail. The collar continued it's steady beeping, each second passing reminding her that she was close to death. Despite everything, despite the crying, the guilt, she was ready. Her life was going to end right there.

At least Rekka would survive. She had no doubt about this. Especially now that she would be out of his way, he would be able to do whatever it took to live. She didn't need his death on her conscience, not when she wasn't even worth it. Taking a could deep breaths, Dawne wiped away her tears, standing up on shaky legs. The collar's tempo had reached a fever pitch, almost to the point where the time between the beeps was indiscernible.

In those final moments, Dawne Jiang was truly happy. She would never hurt anyone again, never be a burden to those who loved her. Her life had been nothing but heartbreak and broken promises, but at least it would end on her terms. She closed her eyes, and smiled as the collar finished it's count down.

G025 Dawne Jiang-deceased