exsiliumlogs | [closed] So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road

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[closed] So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road

Date & Time: forward dated: Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th March
Location: a fair way into the Outlands
Characters:
Asami Sato

chittybang, Cedric Diggory

theboywhodied, Collette

whatsupcroc, Ellie Linton

reconnaissance, Fi Maxwell

burnsinvisibly, Katniss Everdeen

accidentalrebellion, Mitsuki Ishikawa

drowns, Peter Parker

arachnoid, Steph Brown

controlledvariable
Summary: Nine teenagers with varying degrees of trauma decide to go camping.
(Actually, eight teenagers get bullied into going camping by Ellie.)
Warnings: Not sure yet; I'll add them as they come up. At the very least some language, and fallout from PTSD.

Ellie had found the place once before on her wandering into the Outlands; a dilapidated old barn, with stone walls and a roof that was, by some miracle, completely intact despite all the evidence of nature clambering up its walls and trying to reclaim it for the land. There's a hill leading down to it, and if you follow that hill down, you meet the woods, a big lake. It's beautiful, she thinks. Nowhere near so wild as Hell, but that was better.

Finding that place had been how it started, before thinking about getting some of the others together had kicked in. A way to unwind, after the body swap. At the very least a chance to get some decent people all together in the same place (and maybe a way to apologise to Asami for pointing a gun at her that one time).

OOC: Party style, adventures everyone.Just go wild, if you want it to be set at a particular time, maybe specify in the subject line? I'm doing some starters just... in case that helps but do whatever you like tbh. YEAH. There's also the ooc plotting post so chuck folks in there and scheme and let the madness and CR unfold.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Me? No way. I know I'm your favourite.

( So so cocky. )

Hah. Well, you're always egging me on.

( Really don't encourage her )

Next time we organise something like this you should invite down friends, too.

[Steph just shoots Ellie a look at the favourite comment, but she can't actually say anything about it because it's, well, true.]

I just didn't wanna stop you while you're on a roll.

[She's embarrassed by herself. And looking at a bit awkward at the idea of inviting friends.]

All of them are here. [Or, Ellie, Fi and Collette are here.] Except Vanadi, but I don't think that would've been a good idea.

[Partly because camping out in the rain wouldn't be fun for someone who isn't waterproof. And partly because he's just Vanadi.]

( Laughing quietly at Steph's apparent shame over all this punning, Ellie just shakes her head and elbow her gently.)

That's just sad, Steph. When someone as moody as me has more friends than you, it's time to worry.

( Because there were more people Ellie might have thought of inviting, but Christ, she's aware how difficult she can be.)

Anyone whose name is that close to vanity shouldn't go camping. ( she says, after inviting three Useless Rich Girls.)

[Steph casts a sideways glance at Ellie that could probably be described as "sulky"]

I've never been good at making friends. [She never really let anyone get too close until Tim and Cass came along.

The vanity comment has her frowning, briefly. Vanadi can be vain, but she knows what that vanity is covering up, and she can see how uncomfortable he is with the cybernetics. It makes her heart ache a little.] He's not that bad.

I used to be better at it, ( she admits, albeit a bit stiffly. Another one of the things she was having to work on, like making a truce with Dagger purely so she'd have someone to talk to about Shakespeare with.

And she glances at Steph.) You're the one who said maybe camping wasn't a good idea with him. He seemed decent enough when I met him, even if he was flaming annoying.

I guess you're out of practice. [She bumps her shoulder against Ellie's, then turns it into a gentle lean.

Which is a good excuse not to look at Ellie, as she tries to work out what to say.]

I didn't mean it like that, I just-- [She sighs, idly rubs at her cheek.] Doesn't matter.

[Feelings are dumb.]

( Steph might not be looking at her, but Ellie is holding her in her gaze, quietly considering her expression, posture, just the-- the Stephness. She's no trained like a bat, and yet. Something's up.)

Just say it. Honesty, right?

( Which is as close as she'll get to I care about what you have to say as she'll go right now. Her tone gives her away, and she doesn't mind too much.)

[It takes a moment, but she does turn to Ellie, giving her a bit of a sheepish grin. Despite the promise of honest, there's no way she's mentioning the robotics, so she'll go with the other recent development.]

I might've slept with him, just a bit.

[Even if sleeping with someone "a bit" was possible, that's definitely not what happened.]

( Shocked, she laughs. Until it occurs to her it's not a joke, and she presses her lips together. )

A bit? I didn't know there were fractions for that.

( There's still a smile, somewhat... disbelieving. Like she's waiting for the punch line. ) And?

[The laugh gets a grin out of Steph, though it's still sheepish.]

Okay, so, a lot. [she shrugs.] And I don't think you'd want an incorrigible flirt along on a camping trip with a bunch of teenagers.

[She likes Vanadi. But. Yes.]

( So. Not a joke.

She glances down, picking at her nails. ) I guess not.

( A look back at Steph. ) He must be better a better sort than I thought.

( Jesus Christ. )

Well. [She's still smiling, but it softens a little; she doesn't miss the shift in Ellie's mood.] I can see why his boyfriend likes him, at least.

[It feels like an important detail to mention, just in case Ellie gets the wrong idea.

Belatedly, it occurs to her that she could also get the wrong idea from that. This is complicated.]

( It doesn't really make it any easier to comprehend; her expression falters into a frown. ) Ex-boyfriend. If you're with him, now.

( She's not even going to touch the boyfriend and boyfriend deal, she's made enough of an idiot out of herself on that issue so far today. )

[She nearly laughs, but remembers Ellie's reaction to her laughter about the Collette thing, and thinks better of it, shaking her head instead.]

No, boyfriend. I'm not with anyone, we just had sex.

But--

( Her mouth sets unhappily. Just sex was Adam, and it made her feel like an idiot. It made her feel a lot of things that she didn't want Steph to feel. )

Are you okay?

( Right now she is considering several ways to beat Vanadi senseless. )

What? [She shoots Ellie a look, an eyebrow raiesd, before she remembers the way Ellie talked about sex when it came up in discussion last time.] Ellie, I'm fine.

[She smiles, a bit wry, but decides to try an explain it a little more.] Casual sex, anything with strangers, that's not really my thing, but - Vanadi is a friend, I like him, and I'm comfortable sleeping with him. That's all it is, you don't have to go beat him up to defend my honour.

[She knows that look, Ellie.]

( Ellie's too honest to be good at hiding her emotions, oftentimes. ) Okay.

( She is still, very pointedly, not looking at Steph, and she couldn't explain why if you asked her, which in itself is bothering her. She just feels-- like her gut is twisting, some painful heat stretching it out and compressing everything tighter and smaller than it's meant to be. Pressure pushing her lungs up and her stomach down.

Not being able to pinpoint the whys and the wheres have never sat well with her. ) All right. Good. That's good for both of you, then.

( But not so much for Vanadi's boyfriend. She's not intending to sound harsh, and she does a decent enough job at covering it, but there's some strain in it. )

Hey. [It's obvious that something is wrong beyond the initial confusion and concern for Steph's feeling, especially with Ellie's tone taken into consideration.

So Steph frowns, shifts a bit so she can look at Ellie, and will take her hand if the other girl allows it.] What's up?

[Which is her way of saying "Ellie you're being kind of weird".]

I don't know. ( Usually, she'd grip Steph's hand back, but she doesn't really make any move to acknowledge the gesture, just rubbing her forehead. ) Sorry. I, um. Sitting too close to the fire, or something.

( Her skin feels hot and prickly. ) Forget it. It's all good. I just hope he doesn't poke your eye out with that mask.

( It's a genuine effort at good natured teasing, but, well. )

Edited 2013-03-22 12:51 (UTC)

[The lack of any return gesture is enough of a hint for Steph to let go, but she does appreciate the attempt at a joke.]

Surprisingly, that thing isn't permanently attached to his face.

[It's still obvious that something is wrong, but she doesn't know what, and she trusts Ellie enough not to push. Ellie will talk to her when she's ready to.]

Just as well for you, then. ( She tries to give Steph a grin, nudging her gently, even if the smile is a bit shambolic. Sharp and raw, the way it used to be before it started softening off.

Moving quick, she heads for the food store, grabbing a bag of marshmallows and tossing them at Steph's head. The few moments that she's not next to Steph, she tries to shake it off, grabbing a couple of skewers and dragging them back over.

She doesn't feel like sugar, but buggering off into the rain doesn't appeal, either. )

Yeah, masks are really only my kink if they're dominoes.

[Today in Oversharing With Stephanie Brown.

She's watching Ellie a little closely, trying to figure out her mood, but still catches the marshmallows despite the distraction.]

Huh?

( I'll take Not Getting It for 500.) what are you on about?

( ha ha ha no she is actually asking. This isn't deliberate obtuseness, alas.

Ellie couldn't pin her own mood down, and ever since the war began, disappearing into herself to try to wrestle with the opposition of her logic and emotions has become progressively more common. That becomes harder when you aren't living in the wilderness and there are more people to worry when you just up and disappear (even just emotionally) for a little while. Her expression is hard to read, but there's bewilderment and guilt and frustration all slammed under that lid of needing to figure it out. Dissect and pick apart, like a scientist. She wishes her mind could be more like architecture, created just so and complying to her plans and designs. )

Domino masks, you know the ones. [She traces a finger around her eyes in the outline of a domino mask.] My ex used to wear one, I kind of have a thing.

[Also Nightwing. And man she has got to stop thinking about how attractive Dick is when she has to spend time with the teenage version of him.]

Unless you meant the kink part in general, in which case we're going to need a while for me to explain.

[A grin, gently teasing, as if she trying to test out whether this will make Ellie stop being weird.]

Oh. Like in The Princess Bride?

( Look at her, up with her pop culture references. Yeah. ) Ah. Okay.

( Why doesn't that make her feel any better? She's fairly sure she should find something in that to make fun of.

She does try to shrug, leaning back, and grin. It's tricky. ) I am just an innocent country girl.

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