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

[reconnaissance]

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.

Comments

[reconnaissance]

Sorry. ( Shivering, she tries to organise her thoughts. ) I, uh. Um. I--

( Can't actually move, or think. Breathing is feeling like a distinct impossibility. Her head feels full of wool and river water, as she digs her fingers into her forearm. )

[chittybang]

[Asami steps forward as soon as she can tell something isn't right.]

Are you alright, Ellie? Hey... [She puts her hands on her shoulders, leveling so that she can try and catch her gaze.]

[reconnaissance]

Just-- ( She wades, or tries to, but stumbles. ) Cobbler's Bay.

( And everything that came after. ) I need some help.

( Her voice is very quiet, very weak, and laced with the self loathing that comes when she needs to compromise her pride. )

[chittybang]

Of course, here.

[She pulls one of Ellie's arms around her shoulders and puts a hand on her waist. While wading, she glances around for anyone else nearby to help her out. Most preferably Fi. She guesses she probably knows what's best for Ellie in this situation.]

[controlledvariable]

[Steph is watching all of them, despite the fact she's not going in the water, and Ellie's stillness had drawn her attention to the pair.

By the time Asami has Ellie's arm over her shoulder, Steph is already wading towards them, entirely unconcerned by the water.]

I've got her. [And she does; it's just a simple matter of scooping Ellie up into a bridal carry, smiling down at her as if nothing is wrong.] What happened?

[The question is for either of them, both of them, whoever can answer.]

[reconnaissance]

Sorry.

( This is embarrassing, and she tosses an apologetic look at Asami before picking at her own fingertips, chewing her thumb. )

I don't know.

( Her heart is hammering, skin burning despite her pallor. ) Just-- my head.

[chittybang]

[The look she gets is almost heart-breaking. She follows Steph, hugging her arms.]

We were horsing around in the water and things got a little rough. I'll go grab her a bottle of water.

[controlledvariable]

Alright, sweetheart, let's get you back to dry land and warmed up.

[Her tone is light and she makes her way back to the river bank, and to the campsite from there, as if nothing is amiss. Despite the fact she's carrying Ellie, Steph isn't going to make a huge fuss about it, knowing how frustrating that is.]

Thanks, Asami. Are you okay, too?

[Just checking.]

[reconnaissance]

I started it. It was my fault.

( Quick, as if there's some need to make sure Steph isn't pissed at Asami, or maybe just because her brain is whirring into overload as much as it's frozen in place. The thud of the helicopter, shadows through the water, not knowing what way to swim and pain ringing through her side when the wave slams her down into the shore. She bites her thumb harder, almost draws blood.

Her breath is shaky. After that comes isolation, and starving, and running for your life. )

Did I tell you about Cobbler's?

[chittybang]

[Asami returns quickly with a water bottle and holds it to Ellie, nodding for Steph.]

Mm-hm, I'm fine.

[As much as she wants to dispute "whose fault" anything is, she keeps quiet and allows Ellie to say whatever she needs to say. Even though Steph can act like nothing's wrong, Asami doesn't know what exactly to do in this situation. Worry is ever present on her face, only to dissipate when she knows Ellie is in the clear.]

[controlledvariable]

[Once they're back in the barn, their makeshift camp, Steph sets Ellie down near the fire, but not too close, in case it ends up a trigger, too.]

It's not anyone's fault.

[Without preamble, she starts stripping off Ellie's wet clothes, pausing when Asami comes back with the water bottle, so Ellie can take it.]

Can you grab one of my sweaters, please? [Directed at Asami, then she turns back to Ellie.] A little, but you don't need to talk about it now, if you don't want to.

[Steph won't make her relive it more than she already is.]

[reconnaissance]

There was this soldier, and he saw Homer, but I tackled him over the side of the ship. ( That jarring pain that reverberated from her shoulder and her neck right down through her body, crashing into someone so solid it made your bones rattle. She tries to gesture, grasping her shoulder. ) And then, uh, we fell. Homer and I, we got separated.

( Still biting her thumb, tearing at the skin around the nail, as her gaze steadies on the fire. The warmth in Steph's touch and the fire sinking into her flesh. )

The water was fine. ( So frustrated with herself, with her body for acting beyond her control, for bringing someone dark and unbidden to this whole thing that was meant to be fun for them all. )

[chittybang]

[Asami follows Steph's instruction, digging through what she believes is Steph's inventory, and returns with a sweater. After handing her the garment, she kneels down beside them and listens to Ellie with open ears.]

Hey, everything's okay now. We're all safe.

[Her gaze continues to follow Ellie but she doesn't let it wander as long as she's unclothed.]

[controlledvariable]

[Steph completes the gesture that Ellie makes, fingers light on Ellie's shoulder, a touch that isn't the solid connection of crashing into someone, to keep her grounded.]

Thanks. [For Asami, when the sweater is in reach, and Steph quickly pulls it over Ellie's head, making sure not to leave her tangled for too long. Wet pants come off next, which is a rather tricky maneouver, but Steph manages. Rather than try to wrestle Ellie into new pants, Steph just grabs one of the blankets and covers her up for now, rubbing along Ellie's legs through the fabric to warm her up.]

You can tell me about it later, El, right now I just want you to focus on me and Asami.

[reconnaissance]

Yeah.

( She feels a little like a ragdoll, moving when Steph needs her too, gaze wavering with each motion. It's not until there's the sweater and the blanket wrapped around her that it starts to get easier to focus, drawn away from the clinging cold of the water.

Rubbing her forehead, as if that might force the feeling out of her head, the adrenaline surging up through her system. ) Yeah, okay.

( A few blinks, but at least she can hold her gaze on them both, biting her lip as she finds her focus. ) Uh. Thank you. ( This feels very awkward. ) This wasn't quite what I had in mind when I tackled you.

( Which is to say she is rather embarrassed. )

[chittybang]

[Asami breaks into a small smile, brows curled with relief. She doesn't realize how dark the globs of water-run makeup are underneath her eyes, and her lips are mismatched shades of pink and red.]

You have nothing to apologize for, Ellie. I'm just glad you're okay.

[She swallows her residual fear and looks at Steph.] Thank you so much for helping out.

[controlledvariable]

[Relief is written across the way her expression softens, the way her shoulders relax when she sees Ellie get her focus back. She stops rubbing ELlie's legs, but leavees her hands resting on her thighs, just above her knees, a steady pressure.]

Don't worry about it, now we're even. [To Ellie's "thanks", because more than once Ellie has had to drag Steph out of a nightmare.

Asami gets a smile.] No problem, I think she just wanted a reason for me to carry her around. [She winks at Asami, before looking back at Ellie with a bit of a cheeky grin. Humour has always been one of her preferred coping mechanisms, and she hopes Ellie will appreciate the semblance of normalcy.]

[reconnaissance]

'Cause you're all sentimental, and that. ( Thankful, even if she tries to brush it off, scratching her arm in her awkwardness.

As for Steph, they don't need to be even, but Asami's here, so she won't dispute it, just squeezes Steph's hand very gently. For a moment, before: )

Oh, in your dreams, you dag. ( She grins, punching Steph in the arm. Or at least swinging, because God knows Steph can move fast enough to dodge it, even if the punch isn't particularly hard. ) Don't listen to her, Sami, she's delusional.

( Although, her expression turns thoughtful. ) Could be useful to have a packmule, though.