[ Refuge from the sun is few and far between on the island. The sun manages to spit it's cruel rays through the canopy of leaves, heating even the areas shrouded by the shadows of thick jungle. The only relief comes from submerging oneself in water completely, but the beaches have been full of people with similar ideas. Young men turned into young boys once more, splashing one another, and young ladies who never forget what society told them to be, dipping their toes into the waves. ]
[ Shoes have grown in a large pile on the island, heels mixing up with other heeled shoes, boots, and dress shoes all thrown together in one mess. It's hard to tell what belongs to who anymore, the rush of being on what could be mistaken for a vacation getting to people's heads. Many of them would never see an island like this again in their lives. To the side of the pile, a pair of pink heels sits lined up perfectly at the toe, far from the rest. They hadn't been like that before. ]
[ A young man is sitting next to them, paisley shirt discarded next to him on the ground and a coconut cracked in two beside him on the sand. He doesn't seem to notice when Marian goes to retrieve her shoes. He only looks up when she goes to put them back on with a raised brow. ]
"Your feet are sandy still. You're going to have a bunch of it on your feet and then it'll rub up against your shoes. It'll only irritate your feet. You should go to the water in the forest. I can walk you, if you don't know the way." [ He looks around briefly before lifting himself off the sand and dusting his hands off on his pants. He picks her shoes up before she can bend down to reach them, using one hand to hold the shoes and the other to reach out to her to help Marian over a large rock. ]
"A shame a lady like you is stuck in a situation like this. Why were you on that plane anyway? Some sort of exciting opportunity for yourself?"
-♛
[ Surprise seems to be painted over Marian's features as she looks at him. She hadn't ever spoken to anyone with the sort of look that he had. That fact did not seem to bother her as much as it seemed to intrigue her. Everything around her was far from familiar, someone just as unfamiliar but kind enough to have taken care of her belongings was more than welcome. ]
[ She took his hand, brushing off her plaid skirt afterwards. He did have a point, and he seemed more than ready to be walking over with her, heels in his hand. Marian did not say anything before she crouched down to pick up the paisley-printed shirt he had left on the ground, draping it over her arm. ]
"It's a shame for everyone. You too, I'm sure. Don't you have a career back home? Anything that you're missing already, afraid of not being able to see again? I have more than I could list, it would bore you.
I wouldn't say it was an opportunity. More so a caution for safety. It ended up being the opposite, didn't it? I don't think my parents would have insisted at all for me to get on the flight if they knew this is where I would have ended up. They must be besides themselves with worry. That's one thing, then, that I'd like to get home for. Without any more than a scratch, preferably."
[ She gave him her best smile then, and looked down to the shirt in her arms. ]
"Well, you're right. I would appreciate if you could walk with me. Thank you for being so considerate. Your name? I'm Marian Mills."
"Say. This isn't really my style, but if you aren't going to use it, I would appreciate some spare cloth as well."
[ A hand with a soft grasp braces itself on Irving's shoulder, comforting and warm. The man attached to the grip looks the same himself, with a soft smile that tells Irving the motion was intentional, not just a one off to move past him. The man has a gentle gaze to his eyes, the smile reaching the softness of the way he looks at Irving. Like he had something worth listening to, like the man knew peace and was going to spill the secret of how to achieve it too. ]
"You're Irving Bennett, aren't you? I've heard about you. You know, the priest pipeline is only so large, especially in Southern England." [ As if it had been invisible before, Irving now notices the long black robes that the man adorns. He must be burning up in the heat, but there's hardly a drop of sweat that runs down his face. The man's hand stays where it is, clasped tightly on Irving's shoulder as if he's trying to use the grip to remind himself that this is real. That they really did crash. ]
"Are you hurt anywhere? The plane came down rather fast, and I'm sure that I would never hear the end of it from one of my most beloved friends if you ended up injured beyond repair. Any cuts or bruises at all?" [ He seems to have forgotten to give his name. ]
-✟
[ Initially, Irving seems to be surprised at the feeling of someone's grasp on his shoulder, but the details he observed made any exclamation he might have had fizzle away into confusion leading to questions. ]
[ His family was a rather devout one. He could easily recall the times he had went to their church and how many of those times he had wished he were home working on whatever made-up project he'd assigned himself to, before his brother would give a him a slight hit to his arm to remind him to pay attention to the proceedings. It did not feel like very long ago, but he knew he hadn't stepped foot in any church in a couple of years at most. That sounded poor to be admitting to an apparent member of the clergy, however. ]
"I haven't been to church in a while."
[ He stalled on his next words for a moment. It was odd of him to do, usually his conversations were not bestilled coming from his side. The topic and the toll of the crash were disorienting him, he thought. ]
"You're not mistaken. My father works in clergy. Could that be how you've heard the name? I couldn't really tell you anyone I talk to anymore who's part of your pipeline, so I'm not sure who your friend is. I don't know you, either. I think I'd remember someone with so striking an appearance."
[ He smiles when he makes the last remark, dimples curving into his cheeks. Although the grip of the hand on his shoulder is putting him off slightly, he attempts to maintain a more bright appearance, pulling himself aside. ]
"I had a few scratches here and there! Nothing terrible, I had someone who knew what he was doing look at them. He's got the gray hairs just like you.
How about you? I could take you to him, if you got any of those cuts and bruises. What's your name?"
[ There were a lot of other people on the vastness of the island that Asa had found themselves on. With how many there were, it really made no sense why they always happened to be the one to be approached with one useless question or another. This one was not any different. ]
"Would you happen to have anything for headaches on you?"
[ There should've been an obvious answer to this man's question just upon a glance. They didn't have a satchel or such on them, and surely they wouldn't be carrying medicine like that in the pocket of their clothes. He seemed to know that though, because before Asa could shove the obvious in his face he continued. ]
"Have you seen a man anywhere? Six feet tall, much more of a height than you, brunette and he has scars? I can't find him and I have something to say."
[ He paused once again for a moment, looking at Asa to perhaps find something to comment on, and that he did. ]
"If someone lost you, you'd sure be an easy find. Was your appearance always so unique?"
[ Rich of him to say. His blue eyes stood out like a sore thumb not to mention the quite noticeable French accent that glazed his words. ]
"And your name is? I go by Johnny for the most part."
- 🎻 @a-sunken-reverie
[Asa narrowed their eyes at the other man. If there was one thing he hated more than women, it was men. He hated this new bastard's smug face.]
Anything for a headache? Oh of course you think I've got drugs. Let's ask the crack whore how many pills she can pull out of her arse!
[Asa sucked his teeth before pulling out an orange medicine bottle. He shook out two pills and handed one to Johnny. Their voice took on a much more professional tone.]
I have Mandrax. You only need the one I think. Ah, before you take it, do you mind doing a few tests for me? Follow my finger with your eyes. Hm... now step into the light. Hmm... can you stand on one foot? Good and the other one? Alright, well you're probably not concussed.
[Asa placed the pills back in their pocket and crossed their arms.]
Jesus, you'll have to be more specific. Every arsehole here is a six foot brunette. Ermm... if you're talking about the neat little tan fellow I saw him talking to the bi- [cough] to- to Cordelia. My height, blue dress, freckles- she's a hard girl to miss.
[Asa's lip curled in disgust.]
Oh go fuck yourself. Yes I know my haircut is terrible, I don't need everyone here telling me that.
...Well, if you need anything else, Johnny, I'm Asa. I'm not sure if I'll be much help for long though. My.... Tobias usually has a lot of stuff, but I'm not too sure if it survived the crash. I don't know where that hippy ran off to, matter a fact. Wouldn't be the first time he's done something like this.
[ There's a soft poke to the back of Clement's shoulder, coming from far below his height, as if the tap had to be reached to achieve. A young woman stands behind him, with a scowl across her face and perfectly manicured nails which made the gesture. She looks incredibly out of place on an island full of plane crash survivors, her lips still stained pink from the last layer of lipstick that had been applied. The only sign that anything had happened to her at all is the torn hem of a rather expensive looking dress, about a decade out of style. ]
"I'm sorry to bother you, I just needed a bit of help and well... You're the only one who I thought may be of assistance to me." [ Her voice is soft, hardly spoken above a hushed tone, like her seeking him out is some kind of secret, or as if she had been trained to never speak too loudly to anyone. Her hand points upward at a tree after she speaks, a soft looking bag with a floral print stuck between the branches of a tree. Well out of her reach and well within his. ]
"All of my things are in there and everyone else is so busy right now. I can't lose any of my things, I don't know how I'd ever get them back and I'm not much of a climber... Could you help?" [ Her eyes shift back and forth shamefully, before she looks down and drags the toe of her shoe in the sand. ] "It's alright if you can't. I suppose I don't need it if you're busy as well."
-⚜︎
[ He takes notice of her and what she points towards. The bag looks out of place on the branches and she looks out of place in her surroundings. He had seen a couple of people recently that had sustained notable injuries, and he'd done the best he could to help within those cases. This was nothing compared to that. He felt relieved that this woman hadn't seemed to have suffered anything of the like, and as sorry for her as anyone else. ]
"I don't mind it."
[ She was quiet as he returned the purse, so was he. In this situation however he felt that words shouldn't be left unsaid. To provide assistance to each other would increase the likelihood of most people making it off this place unharmed, which was his ideal. ]
"If you need help with anything else don't worry to ask. We should be friendly with each other here for things to go properly. What's your name, miss?"
[A young woman draws shapes in the sand. She looks lost in her own thoughts, her dominant hand doodling while her other counts. She startles at an unfamiliar shadow, looking over her shoulder at the man behind her.]
Ah, hello there. Do you need something?
[She narrows her eyes, standing up to get a better look at him.]
Do I... know you from somewhere? You seem.. familar.
[She stares some more before her eyes widen.]
Oh! We sat next to eachother in calculus! I remember now! You were.... you were.... Ignatius? Eric? Ivor... Irving! Yes, you're Irving! I'm- I'm Ruth! Ruth Sanchez! Do- do you remember me?
-♠️ ( @the-fools-deck)
[ The listing of false names didn't offend him as it might have to another, and instead he gave his friend a smile. If Ruth could bring herself to recollect any more, she'd remember he always seemed to be smiling through the worst of things, and it wasn't quite obvious if they were genuine or not. Now was not any different, it seemed. It was as odd as perhaps comforting to be receiving a smile from a familiar face amongst their situation. ]
"I do. Nice to see you again. It would have been better if the setting were different but we can make with what we're given."
[ He said that, but he couldn't have been as stable as that made him sound. Surely no one could be having that outlook and believing it wholeheartedly. Maybe he had not accepted the crash into reality just yet, sprouting his seeming light-heartedness. The time they had been on the island was perhaps still short enough to ignore the aching of his couple injuries and hold out hope that he would wake up elsewhere and have a story of a strange dream to tell to his friends. ]
"How have you been? Have you gone through anything interesting beyond calculus?"
