Of all the things Shawn thought he would miss - Home, family, a warm meal - he never thought he'd find himself missing chairlifts most of all.
((Shawn Bellamy continued from Ursa Major Meltdown))
Shawn had found himself sitting at a fork in the road, somewhere high along a mountain pass around the northern half of the island. He'd been travelling for about four... Five... A while now, the sky starting to dim and his prospects of finding a roof before nightfall growing slimmer by the minute. He briefly regretted his decision to leave the military compound behind him, before remembering how much of an absolute clusterfuck it was back there. At least out here he could actually stop and think, maybe figure out some kind of gameplan.
He was having a bite to eat as he looked over his map, pondering his next move with a furrowed brow. Apparently said military compound was actually some kind of science facility, researching... What exactly? Fuck knows, doesn't matter anymore. What did matter was that there was also a town on the island, and a town meant beds. But, it was probably also full of idiots shooting each other, so.... Eh.
Shawn grumbled as he folded his map back up, chomping down on a chunk of bread as he pondered which of the two paths ahead of him he ought to take. Either of them could potentially take him to town, or somewhere quieter to hunker down for the night, and it was pretty much a toss up as to which route he ought to follow. It was the kind of situation that really called for something like a coin flip, or Eeny Miny Moe, or...
A thought crossed his mind as he leant down to put his map back, picking up the pair of copper tuning rods he'd been assigned. Looking them over, he sighs, before holding them out in front of him with an unamused expression on his face. "There, you fucking animals happy now?" he says to no one in particular, watching as the two bars swayed in the wind before eventually pointing vaguely left-ish.
"Left it is then" he sighs, putting them back into his bag before zipping it up, tossing it over his shoulder and making his way down the path. He felt so ridiculous for even entertaining the idea, as if by doing so he was perpetuating the same stupid myth that had somehow stuck with humanity for a good couple hundred years or so. The fact that there were people out there who genuinely believed this pseudoscience bullshit only further convinced him of humanity's inevitable downfall.
Like... In what world could two copper rods lead him to water? On top of a fucking mountain, no less.
It was at that point that he happened around a set of steps carved into the rock, leading up towards a plateau of some kind...
Al Gore, Al Gorier, Al Goriest
Late Afternoon - Open for business
In front of the Hot Spring there laid a bag with boughs and branches looking out of it. Next to it, more branches.
Alongside that there was a green moncler jacket, black jeans, white sneakers, a brown sweater, a white shirt and white undies lying around.
Alongside that there was a green moncler jacket, black jeans, white sneakers, a brown sweater, a white shirt and white undies lying around.
Shawn slowly made his way along the rocky pathway, watching his every step until he reached the top of that plateau. At which point he stopped, a stunned look on his face as he stared at the sight before him.
A hot spring. Full of warm, welcoming water.
He blinked. Then looked down at the bag dangling by his side, inside of which were the two copper rods that led him here. Then he looked back up, glaring at the steamy pool ahead of him.
"Huh..." he exhales quietly under his breath.
At first he didn't even notice the pile of clothes by the pool's edge, though the moment he did he quickly ducked down behind a nearby tree, peering cautiously to survey the scene before him...
A hot spring. Full of warm, welcoming water.
He blinked. Then looked down at the bag dangling by his side, inside of which were the two copper rods that led him here. Then he looked back up, glaring at the steamy pool ahead of him.
"Huh..." he exhales quietly under his breath.
At first he didn't even notice the pile of clothes by the pool's edge, though the moment he did he quickly ducked down behind a nearby tree, peering cautiously to survey the scene before him...
((Calvin Rawls continued from the Listening Station))
Unsuspectingly unaware of Shawn‘s presence a naked Calvin Rawls enjoyed the warm water of the hot spring behind the steam. After a days worth of work collecting wood he deserved a sweet break.
He already began to stink and the last time he showered was before his parents dropped him at school where he‘d taken the bus for the trip. Who needed a camp fire when you could enjoy a bath? So warm, so relaxing.
Calvin was no stupid man of course, which is why he brought his scythe with him inside the hot spring. Just in case someone would decide to ambush him.
He was already past clean. His skin was already wrinkled, but that didn‘t matter. He wanted to enjoy the moment.
Unsuspectingly unaware of Shawn‘s presence a naked Calvin Rawls enjoyed the warm water of the hot spring behind the steam. After a days worth of work collecting wood he deserved a sweet break.
He already began to stink and the last time he showered was before his parents dropped him at school where he‘d taken the bus for the trip. Who needed a camp fire when you could enjoy a bath? So warm, so relaxing.
Calvin was no stupid man of course, which is why he brought his scythe with him inside the hot spring. Just in case someone would decide to ambush him.
He was already past clean. His skin was already wrinkled, but that didn‘t matter. He wanted to enjoy the moment.
Was that... Calvin?
Shawn wasn't sure what to make of the scene he'd stumbled upon. It wasn't often you happened across one of your classmates butt fucking naked, at least not without some prior arrangement, the kind that Shawn had little to no experience with himself.
He averted his eyes away from Calvin's naked back, briefly glancing down at the beer bottle in his hand as he remained hidden. Not that he had any intentions of using it, not yet anyway. If there was one thing he felt certain about after spending the last few hours thinking through his options, it was that the best way of surviving this horrorshow was to avoid the very thing they've all been encouraged to do.
His own squeamishness aside, the fact that they outed anyone who started killing made things rather inconvenient if you actually played as intended, since the moment your name came up everyone on the island would know to look out for you. Shawn had zero illusions about his chances if he ever ended up in a fair fight, especially without a proper weapon, so getting a big red target painted on his back was a huge no-no. With that in mind, he really didn't want to start killing anyone this early in the game, not at least until he had a better weapon and his more bloodthirsty classmates had worn themselves out.
It was just as well really, the idea of trying to outright murderise Calvin was... Discouraging. The two weren't exactly friends, but they were both regulars back at the school's chess club. As bitter as he was about their win-loss record, he wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to get Calvin's blood on his hands just yet.
That being said, that didn't mean there weren't other ways he could play. More indirect means that wouldn't draw him as much attention, allow him to fly under the radar whilst doing his darndest to sabotage the competition whenever the opportunity presented itself.
For example, Calvin had rather conveniently left his bags and clothes out. Would be a real shame if something happened to them, wouldn't it? He certainly wouldn't want to be stuck on a cold island with no clothes on, trapped on a plateau high in the mountains with no means of escaping without freezing to death.
With a sly smirk on his face, he took another glance to check that Calvin's attention was elsewhere, before slowly creeping forward. Step by step, keeping his head low as he made his way towards his competitor's precious belongings...
Shawn wasn't sure what to make of the scene he'd stumbled upon. It wasn't often you happened across one of your classmates butt fucking naked, at least not without some prior arrangement, the kind that Shawn had little to no experience with himself.
He averted his eyes away from Calvin's naked back, briefly glancing down at the beer bottle in his hand as he remained hidden. Not that he had any intentions of using it, not yet anyway. If there was one thing he felt certain about after spending the last few hours thinking through his options, it was that the best way of surviving this horrorshow was to avoid the very thing they've all been encouraged to do.
His own squeamishness aside, the fact that they outed anyone who started killing made things rather inconvenient if you actually played as intended, since the moment your name came up everyone on the island would know to look out for you. Shawn had zero illusions about his chances if he ever ended up in a fair fight, especially without a proper weapon, so getting a big red target painted on his back was a huge no-no. With that in mind, he really didn't want to start killing anyone this early in the game, not at least until he had a better weapon and his more bloodthirsty classmates had worn themselves out.
It was just as well really, the idea of trying to outright murderise Calvin was... Discouraging. The two weren't exactly friends, but they were both regulars back at the school's chess club. As bitter as he was about their win-loss record, he wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to get Calvin's blood on his hands just yet.
That being said, that didn't mean there weren't other ways he could play. More indirect means that wouldn't draw him as much attention, allow him to fly under the radar whilst doing his darndest to sabotage the competition whenever the opportunity presented itself.
For example, Calvin had rather conveniently left his bags and clothes out. Would be a real shame if something happened to them, wouldn't it? He certainly wouldn't want to be stuck on a cold island with no clothes on, trapped on a plateau high in the mountains with no means of escaping without freezing to death.
With a sly smirk on his face, he took another glance to check that Calvin's attention was elsewhere, before slowly creeping forward. Step by step, keeping his head low as he made his way towards his competitor's precious belongings...
Calvin didn't notice Shawn coming close to his belongings. He just kept vibin'.
Calvin was none the wiser. Shawn could barely hide the shit eating grin on his face.
It did disappear however once he saw the nasty looking scythe by Calvin's side, replaced with a silent gulp and a bead of sweat. He should have figured Calvin wasn't dumb enough to leave his weapon unattended, and he sure as hell wasn't going to push his luck and try to take it too. He was more than happy to deprive him of his belongings, though.
He started with the clothes, slowly picking them up one at a time, gathering them together into a big messy bundle. As a token of respect to his former chess rival, he laid Calvin's socks neatly by the pool's edge. He wasn't a monster, after all.
He then placed those clothes upon Calvin's bag, careful to not jostle the sticks he'd gathered too much. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted one of them rolling slowly towards the edge, just barely reaching down and snatching it up before it fell and clattered on the ground.
Wiping his brow, he gathered up his stolen goodies and cautiously crept away, like the Grinch making off with everyone's Christmas presents. He waited until he was out of sight and a little further down the path before putting them down, breathing a sigh of relief before he got to work sorting through Calvin's stuff.
The underwear was the first to go, casually flung off the mountain's edge without a second thought.
Next was his shoes, Shawn first taking a moment to compare their size to his, letting out a frustrated sigh when he realised they were too small. Damn pipsqueak, off the edge they went as well.
The jacket was also a bit too small for him, but he decided to stuff it into his duffle bag. Never knew when something like that could come in handy. Same went for the shirt and sweater, again too small to wear but there was a lot you could do with some spare fabric.
The pants, he scrunched up and tossed. Not much use he could make out of them. He did however decide to peer over the edge on a whim, to make sure they were conveniently inconvenient for Calvin to find and retrieve.
It was only at that point that he finally spotted Ethan's broken and crumbled form lying at the bottom of that mountain.
"OH FUh..." he gasped, before slapping his hand to his mouth, silencing himself a second too late.
It did disappear however once he saw the nasty looking scythe by Calvin's side, replaced with a silent gulp and a bead of sweat. He should have figured Calvin wasn't dumb enough to leave his weapon unattended, and he sure as hell wasn't going to push his luck and try to take it too. He was more than happy to deprive him of his belongings, though.
He started with the clothes, slowly picking them up one at a time, gathering them together into a big messy bundle. As a token of respect to his former chess rival, he laid Calvin's socks neatly by the pool's edge. He wasn't a monster, after all.
He then placed those clothes upon Calvin's bag, careful to not jostle the sticks he'd gathered too much. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted one of them rolling slowly towards the edge, just barely reaching down and snatching it up before it fell and clattered on the ground.
Wiping his brow, he gathered up his stolen goodies and cautiously crept away, like the Grinch making off with everyone's Christmas presents. He waited until he was out of sight and a little further down the path before putting them down, breathing a sigh of relief before he got to work sorting through Calvin's stuff.
The underwear was the first to go, casually flung off the mountain's edge without a second thought.
Next was his shoes, Shawn first taking a moment to compare their size to his, letting out a frustrated sigh when he realised they were too small. Damn pipsqueak, off the edge they went as well.
The jacket was also a bit too small for him, but he decided to stuff it into his duffle bag. Never knew when something like that could come in handy. Same went for the shirt and sweater, again too small to wear but there was a lot you could do with some spare fabric.
The pants, he scrunched up and tossed. Not much use he could make out of them. He did however decide to peer over the edge on a whim, to make sure they were conveniently inconvenient for Calvin to find and retrieve.
It was only at that point that he finally spotted Ethan's broken and crumbled form lying at the bottom of that mountain.
"OH FUh..." he gasped, before slapping his hand to his mouth, silencing himself a second too late.
Calvin was woken up from his meditative state by a voice he instantly recognized. A voice he heard every week from chess club.
„Shawn?“, Calvin identified the voice. „Good to see you-“
Calvin looked around. „Where are you?“
Probably hiding out of embarrassment of the nakedness of Calvin himself. Understandably, not many men could resist the magnificent naked body of Calvin Rawls.
Wait. Where‘s-
„What the fuck? Where‘s my bag? Shawn? Give me my bag back! This isn‘t funny, man!“
Seriously? The bag? Why the fuck would Shawn want to steal wood? To shove it up his ass or what?
Well, so much for chilling, Calvin felt upset so this bath was for nothing!
„Shawn?“, Calvin identified the voice. „Good to see you-“
Calvin looked around. „Where are you?“
Probably hiding out of embarrassment of the nakedness of Calvin himself. Understandably, not many men could resist the magnificent naked body of Calvin Rawls.
Wait. Where‘s-
„What the fuck? Where‘s my bag? Shawn? Give me my bag back! This isn‘t funny, man!“
Seriously? The bag? Why the fuck would Shawn want to steal wood? To shove it up his ass or what?
Well, so much for chilling, Calvin felt upset so this bath was for nothing!
Shitfuck!
Still flustered from seeing an ACTUAL dead body for the first time in his life, and in something of a state of panic, Shawn would shoot up and punt Calvin's bag over the mountain's edge.
Unfortunately for him, it's strap ended up getting caught on a rock. A loose rock, mind you, and it was left dangling precariously over a steep drop just ever so slightly out of reach.
Eh, close enough.
"NOTHING PERSONAL!" he shouted back, before darting off down the mountain path, tripping slightly over himself as he scrambled away.
((Shawn Bellamy continued in Elbert))
Still flustered from seeing an ACTUAL dead body for the first time in his life, and in something of a state of panic, Shawn would shoot up and punt Calvin's bag over the mountain's edge.
Unfortunately for him, it's strap ended up getting caught on a rock. A loose rock, mind you, and it was left dangling precariously over a steep drop just ever so slightly out of reach.
Eh, close enough.
"NOTHING PERSONAL!" he shouted back, before darting off down the mountain path, tripping slightly over himself as he scrambled away.
((Shawn Bellamy continued in Elbert))
Again, Shawn‘s voice. Yeah that was definitely him. Stole his clothes. What a jerk.
Despite this, Calvin kept being calm. He jumped out of the hot spring and shouted at Shawn.
„I‘LL FUCK YOUR MOTHER YOU DIRTY SCUMBAG!“
Okay maybe that wasn‘t the calmest reaction. But what did Shawn gain from this? C‘mon who‘d steal someone else‘s clothes!
„Come on! Give them back to me! This isn‘t funny anymore. Ha ha ha. Funny. Now give them back. You got me.“
Calvin waited for a response but it looked like Shawn was gone, with his clothes. Fuck. He screamed at the top of his lungs in an attempt to be heard by Shawn if he was still in ear range.
„SHAWN, I SWEAR TO GOD IF I GET OFF THIS ISLAND I WILL FUCK YOUR MOTHER. JUST GIVE ME MY STUFF BACK!“
Despite this, Calvin kept being calm. He jumped out of the hot spring and shouted at Shawn.
„I‘LL FUCK YOUR MOTHER YOU DIRTY SCUMBAG!“
Okay maybe that wasn‘t the calmest reaction. But what did Shawn gain from this? C‘mon who‘d steal someone else‘s clothes!
„Come on! Give them back to me! This isn‘t funny anymore. Ha ha ha. Funny. Now give them back. You got me.“
Calvin waited for a response but it looked like Shawn was gone, with his clothes. Fuck. He screamed at the top of his lungs in an attempt to be heard by Shawn if he was still in ear range.
„SHAWN, I SWEAR TO GOD IF I GET OFF THIS ISLAND I WILL FUCK YOUR MOTHER. JUST GIVE ME MY STUFF BACK!“
[[Enter, Jezzie Stark. Coat still spattered with blood, still giving a thousand-yard stare.]]
She hadn't stopped walking. She still hadn't fully processed what had happened.
Someone was dead. Someone was dead because of her. She'd ended a life, panicked and without a second thought.
But-but he would've tried to kill her first, right? That's how it works here, isn't it? He wouldn't have taken the truth. That the fall and first stab was an accident. He'd say it was her trying to kill him, and try to beat her face in, or strangle her, or shoot her if he had a gun, or stab her if he had a knife.
Was his weapon on him still? She hadn't checked the bag yet. Too busy walking. Thinking.
Point was, it was self-defense. Preemptive self-defense, because he would've tried to kill her, she knew he would've tried to. She just moved first.
Self-defense.
Everyone would understand. They had to understand. No one was dumb enough to misunderstand, right?
She had to make someone understand. Just to make sure.
There was shouting nearby. Someone else. Someone that could understand.
Jezzie walked to it, until she found it.
Jezzie stared at a guy's bare ass as he screamed about fucking the mother of someone named Shawn.
Jezzie promptly turned to the right, continuing to walk.
She hoped the crunch of snow under her heels didn't draw his attention.
She hadn't stopped walking. She still hadn't fully processed what had happened.
Someone was dead. Someone was dead because of her. She'd ended a life, panicked and without a second thought.
But-but he would've tried to kill her first, right? That's how it works here, isn't it? He wouldn't have taken the truth. That the fall and first stab was an accident. He'd say it was her trying to kill him, and try to beat her face in, or strangle her, or shoot her if he had a gun, or stab her if he had a knife.
Was his weapon on him still? She hadn't checked the bag yet. Too busy walking. Thinking.
Point was, it was self-defense. Preemptive self-defense, because he would've tried to kill her, she knew he would've tried to. She just moved first.
Self-defense.
Everyone would understand. They had to understand. No one was dumb enough to misunderstand, right?
She had to make someone understand. Just to make sure.
There was shouting nearby. Someone else. Someone that could understand.
Jezzie walked to it, until she found it.
Jezzie stared at a guy's bare ass as he screamed about fucking the mother of someone named Shawn.
Jezzie promptly turned to the right, continuing to walk.
She hoped the crunch of snow under her heels didn't draw his attention.
Calvin decided to take a few more steps forward until he realized that he was going to get a fucking cold if he continued to run around naked on a mountain. It was shaking and he was freezing so he turned back around walking slowly as to not slip (dangerous place to slip, tis is) back to the hot spring.
There was a girl standing around.
„The fuck are you looking at?“
There was a girl standing around.
„The fuck are you looking at?“
And she was noticed anyway.
Fucking damn it all to Hell.
Jezzie turned towards the naked boy, making sure her eyes stayed squarely on his face-nose, specifically.
"A streaker that wants to fuck Shawn's mom, by the sound of it."
Maybe if she kept the focus on that, he wouldn't notice the blood and the second bag hanging from her shoulder.
Fucking damn it all to Hell.
Jezzie turned towards the naked boy, making sure her eyes stayed squarely on his face-nose, specifically.
"A streaker that wants to fuck Shawn's mom, by the sound of it."
Maybe if she kept the focus on that, he wouldn't notice the blood and the second bag hanging from her shoulder.
You know what? It was too cold up here. Calvin decided to step back towards the hot spring, stepping back into it.
Showing off his scythe, he stated in a determined voice.
„This is my hot spring. You‘re not allowed to bathe in here.“
Trying to defend her comment, he made things more clear.
„And don‘t call me a streaker. I‘m a nudist, that is simply how I live. Respect that. I don‘t have any tolerance for your hateful comments.“
Yeah...that sounded better than ‚I was stupid enough to get my clothes stolen in a death game‘.
Showing off his scythe, he stated in a determined voice.
„This is my hot spring. You‘re not allowed to bathe in here.“
Trying to defend her comment, he made things more clear.
„And don‘t call me a streaker. I‘m a nudist, that is simply how I live. Respect that. I don‘t have any tolerance for your hateful comments.“
Yeah...that sounded better than ‚I was stupid enough to get my clothes stolen in a death game‘.
Thank God, he went back into the water. This was not how Jezzie wanted to see a dick for the first time.
Naked guy had a scythe. Said she wasn't allowed to bathe here.
So she was still seeing a dick, just the kind you would expect on a normal day.
"I'm not...I wasn't planning on bathing here." Though it didn't sound like a bad idea. If she could wash the blood off her hands, that would be nice. Most of it had gotten on her jacket, though. Maybe just hand washing, then. Some other time.
Naked guy also said he was a nudist, not a streaker. And he chose to get naked. In a death game. During winter. Set on a snowy island Hellscape.
Jezzie couldn't hold back the urge deadpan stare. Too busy keeping up the act of staying calm rather than screaming and crying.
"So...do you plan on staying here, naked, the whole time? Or do you want to get your clothes back on at some point?"
Naked guy had a scythe. Said she wasn't allowed to bathe here.
So she was still seeing a dick, just the kind you would expect on a normal day.
"I'm not...I wasn't planning on bathing here." Though it didn't sound like a bad idea. If she could wash the blood off her hands, that would be nice. Most of it had gotten on her jacket, though. Maybe just hand washing, then. Some other time.
Naked guy also said he was a nudist, not a streaker. And he chose to get naked. In a death game. During winter. Set on a snowy island Hellscape.
Jezzie couldn't hold back the urge deadpan stare. Too busy keeping up the act of staying calm rather than screaming and crying.
"So...do you plan on staying here, naked, the whole time? Or do you want to get your clothes back on at some point?"