it was not your fault but mine

simon walsh 21 / canadian / taha intern

[basanovase-blog]

unscrollingavi‌:

“Jesu— What’s wrong?” Avi practically shouted in fright as the door was opened. Perched on the edge of his bed, he cleaned the lens of his glasses with his shirt hem, still groggy from being woken up by the knocking. Even without the glasses, he knew that it was Simon from the eagerness in the intern’s voice, but Avi put them on to better see the findings. 

As Simon rambled on, Avi pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his best to both wake up a little more and follow along with the new information. At the mention of the time gap, he sat upright. “Wait.” He pulled the newspaper copes closer. “’30 and ‘74? No, ‘34 and 74′? Shit.” Since finding out that the stones he’d found in Taha’s fragments matched those that Pitch found on her dig, it seemed like any new thing found on the island could lead to something big. The fountain was no different. “So you were right.” Avi flipped back and forth between the two copies. “You were right!” 

Avi turned to Simon in a bit of disbelief. “You did all of this on your own? Have you told Andros?” 

his excitement was contagious. “ah! no... i just, i dunno, i didn’t think it was that important. i just... i finished at the library and came here but - avi, listen, this isn’t everything like, okay.” he flipped through the pages again, searching for something. “okay - see, uh, this passage here was from a newspaper thing-y from 1843, crazy, right? anyways, it describes the fountain as having, uh, gilded flecks? and i dunno, i’m no linguist but that sounds like it had flecks of gold in it? but last i looked at the fountain it looked like it was just stone? could gold break down in that amount of time? or maybe it was just like... a pigment? or maybe people... i don’t know. maybe they stole it? i mean i guess that would explain chips and cracks...”  he trailed off, considering what avi had said before. “would andros even care about this? we’re here to dig not... research a fountain... i was just kinda doing it for fun.” 

[basanovase-blog]

ronniedavidson‌:

The boarding house had fallen quiet sometime after the late communal dinner, the crew retiring to their respective rooms or embarking on a walk into town in search of something more than the creaking walls of their seemingly-ancient accommodation. Ronnie had chosen to stay behind despite the light prodding to tag along to the bar so that she could shower in peace and get a few hours of sleep in. Hobart needed to be fed, too. So she excused herself once the dishes had been cleared, pockets full of leafy greens carefully smuggled out the kitchen, and returned to the room she shared with Simon, her fellow intern, and the iguana he’d adopted that morning. She hadn’t anticipated becoming a caregiver for a small exotic lizard at the outside of the trip, but Ialis was full of surprises. As was Simon. 

Ronnie was sat on her bed with Hobart, watching the iguana chew the stem of a spinach leaf when he entered the room. There was something amiss about him. He looked like he’d just run a half-marathon across the island, and when he spoke, she knew it wasn’t good news he was about to share. “Please don’t tell me you ‘adopted’ another animal. Hobart is enough work as it is.” Simon’s hands, cupped together, could contain any sort of small creature lovingly collected from the brush surrounding the house, or from the rocks by the dig site. Nodding to indicate whatever he was carrying, she asked: “C’mon… out with it. What is it? Please tell me it’s not a spider. Anything that has more than four legs, maybe six, is a no-go. I can handle a baby mouse, but I swear to God, if it’s some sort of bug, you’re sleeping outside. Maybe Nate has a spare hammock.”

“okay, well-” simon took in a deep breath. “it’s really good news followed by some really bad news.” there was no way around it, was there. “i mean, okay, so i went to the dig site, right? and i actually found something! it--... well, then i...” he didn’t explain much further than that, instead, choosing to open up his hands to show her the broken fragments of the piece of pottery.  his stomach turned nervously, his eyes searching ronnie’s face for any sort of response. “i really don’t know what to do about this.” 

[basanovase-blog]

ofrivkas‌:

pitch shrugged. “i always enjoy the digs well enough. i don’t think there’s been one that hasn’t been odd in some way.” she looks at him. “and that’s a good thing. normal is boring.”

simon nodded his agreement, gaze drifting upwards in his continued attempts to keep himself from actually looking at pitch. this would be so much easier if she was wearing a bathing suit - or at least a bikini top. “i’ve been having a lot of fun, actually! i really love the island.” 

[basanovase-blog]

zolguin‌:

he wipes the tears from his eyes, grin stretched so far wide across his face it was starting to hurt. whew. he hadn’t had such a big laugh ever since they stopped airing that hilarious melodrama on one of the channels. entertainment on ialis was scarce unless you knew where to look, and zack definitely liked to think he did.

“okay, okay, fine – bad lemurs do exist,” he concedes, shrugging. zack turns away from simon to continue with his task, hands moving as he speaks. “but at most, they just attack you and you end up with a lot of scratches. so you don’t have to worry about dying by the little, devious hands of wild lemurs.” cue wicked snickers.

but at the mention of a picnic, his ears perk up and he momentarily pauses to look at simon. studies him, scrutinising, as if he wasn’t sure he was serious. “picnic?” he echoes. he likes the idea of it actually. “i’m game; you bring the picnic basket and i’ll bring the first aid kit… you know, just in case.”

part of simon couldn’t really believe it had worked - a brief look of surprise quickly overtaken by a warm smile came over his face as zack agreed to his offer. “lemurs or not, i most likely will need a first aid kit so... thanks for that.” there was a residual bit of laughter on his lips.  “so... how does tomorrow night sound?” he suggested. “i can meet you back here around... six? will that give us enough time to make it up to the top for sunset? or should i come earlier?” simon would take all the time he could with zack. “and... is there anything special i should pack in our basket?” 

[basanovase-blog]

natedeckard‌:

“Shouldn’t you and the other intern be doing something right about now?” He had his own work cut out for him, so why the hell wasn’t everyone else doing theirs? Whether he liked it or not, Simon was his teammate and teammates had to work together at some point. Except, this wasn’t that point. “Hang on,” he called out, brows tugging together slightly as he turned to face the male.

“What’s Taha got you two working on anyway?” It was fair question, one that Simon didn’t have to answer, but hopefully would.

hang on. two simple words had his heart dropping into his stomach, simon turning carefully on his heel, ready to rush out some sort of apology to try and save his ass from the technical crime he just committed - but, by some miracle, nate hadn’t noticed yet, and simon let out a careful breath.  “oh uh, a bit of everything really. running errands and... uh, you know, supplementary research, excavation, just kinda... dipping our toes into everything. getting a well-rounded work experience.” simon explained with a little shrug. “right now he’s just got me running errands. won’t be surprised if it’s a coffee run next.” he laughed a little. “at least it’s paid.” 

[basanovase-blog]

location: taha base availability: @unscrollingavi

“sorry!” simon started out with an apology. it was a little after eleven pm when he had knocked frantically on avi’s door. “sorry, i... i probably should’ve waited till morning but i just... i really wanted to show you what i found.”  since he had learned of avi’s curiosity towards the fountain, simon had decided he was going to find out everything he could about it - and after a whole day of combing through the local library, he thought he had gathered a good amount of information. “can i come in?” he stepped in anyways, not waiting for permission. “thanks!” a notebook was placed down on his desk, and simon opened it up, flipping through the pages while he rambled. “see, okay, i thought i’d dig around and find some information about the fountain for you. because you got me thinking about it and i figured theres gotta be some cool history to it, right? well... there’s less than i thought. at least, less direct information.” he pointed to a picture, photocopied from a newspaper. “this is the spot you were drawing. i think. anyways, this photo was taken in 34.” featuring a man standing in front of the fountain, holding some plaque. “and you can see the face isn’t there.” it was blurry, and a bit hard to tell, but simon was certain of that. “it must’ve been added after that. and then...” he flipped forward a few odd pages. “this photo is from 74.” another picture from a newspaper, the fountain again only serving as a backdrop. “there it is! the face is there. so it must’ve been added sometime between 34 and 74, but that’s kinda huge window...” he trailed off, glancing up to avi to see if he was as interested as simon had hoped. 

[basanovase-blog]

fmk people in cambra

fuck: remy, makara, jude, elena, emma marry: zack, maxkill: 

[basanovase-blog]

ofrivkas‌:

pitch liked the new interns; they were smart (in some ways) and seemed loyal, at least to taha. there had been people in the spring earlier, but now they’d all gone. she took the sponge from him with a small smile. 

“so, are you enjoying the dig so far?”

“oh! uh, yeah... yeah i’ve been having a lot of fun out here.” simon nodded. “it’s a lot hotter than i’m used to, i feel like i’ve been drinking twice my weight in water every day but... it’s kinda nice, you know? something different.” simon explained, his gaze still pointedly not towards pitch. “what about you?” 

[basanovase-blog]

natedeckard‌:

If there was a less-likable group of people to be stuck on an island with, Nate wasn’t sure where the hell they were. It wasn’t his teams fault he was so pissed off, but they were the ones having to deal with his bitter rage that should’ve been aimed toward Taha. “Right,” he exhaled, noticing that the male hadn’t bothered to piss off, despite knowing he’d practically entered a war zone with an enemy who didn’t need any motivation to fire.

“Something? In here?” Whatever the intern was looking for, it was best he do it in some form of silence. Annoyed, Nate gave up on whatever planning he’d wanted to do and reached for his quite useless phone. Service was spotty, but it wasn’t like he had anyone to talk to anyway. The only person he’d ever bothered to text was now ignoring him and for good reason. “Whatever you need, just get it.”

whatever you need just get it. that was easier said than done, but it almost gave simon the motivation to just grab the journal and go. but he had to be subtler than that, he shuffled around for a few moments before sliding by the stack of books. as carefully as he could, he picked up the book and tucked it under his shirt. then, after flipping around for a few more minutes, he picked up a stack of blank papers - the first object he had found.  “a-ha! found it. uh, sorry to bother you-” simon turned to leave. 

[basanovase-blog]

zolguin‌:

zack would be lying if he said he didn’t notice simon milling around in the store. his shifts at the store have become scattered ever since he started the guide job yet, for some reason, the same face greeted him every time. was it coincidence? maybe. 

he busies himself in the store, restocking shelves that have been left empty by locals and tourists alike. business was slow and for once, the silence was surprisingly welcome. from his peripheral vision, zack notices someone approaching him and he turns, fully prepared to help them with anything they needed. 

so, uh, you’ve lived here your whole life, right?

well, it’s safe to say he wasn’t expecting that. in spite of himself, zack laughs. “yeah– oh man, yeah i have.” his laughter simmers down but he’s still amused by how the question had caught him unawares. his eyes are smiling as they meet simon’s. “there’s a hill near the forest where the trek isn’t too steep and the view at the peak is amazing, especially if you catch the sunrise or sunset. the path to get there is a little… complicated, though, so tourists don’t usually go there. if you want, i could take you and you don’t have to worry about the—” 

he roars into laughter once again, tears forming, somehow managing to choke out “— wild … le - murs.”

simon knew zack was laughing at him as opposed to with him - but that didn’t do anything to stop the grin that spread across his face at the offer to take him up to the peak, potentially at sunset ( the most romantic of hours in simon’s humble opinion. )  “hey, i’ve seen zoboomafoo! lemurs are way smarter than you think! and if there’s good lemurs, there’s gotta be bad lemurs too.” simon played - as if the whole thing had been a joke in the first place. he laughed along with zack, a bright grin on his lips.  “but i think i will have to take you up on that. maybe for a sunset?” simon suggested. “i’d be willing to pay you in a picnic?” which was incredibly forward, but it was hard not to be when zack was looking as cute as he was. plus, simon still wasn’t 100% sure if zack was into guys, so maybe it was better to get rejected sooner rather than later. 

[basanovase-blog]

unscrollingavi‌:

Avi looked to Simon in astonishment, as if he’d just uttered the true meaning of life, then back to the fountain. “I hadn’t even considered that.” What kind of things could be hidden within the layers of plaster and stone? “I don’t think the locals would like it if I started chipping away, but, man… Elements added over time… What a concept…”

Damn it, he was doing it again. 

“Find anything cool? I haven’t made it beyond here yet. One of these days I’ll see what’s past the square.” He shrugged. “I’m just trying to enjoy the free time before we get into the thick of it.”

a flush of pride washed over him at avi’s reaction to his explanation - he had only come up with it on the spot and hardly gave it any thought, but the reaction made him think maybe he was right. ( for once! ) maybe he would look into it later, ask around and return to avi with any information he might’ve found.  “the beaches are gorgeous.” simon could say that with certainty - that was where he had been when he hadn’t been hanging around the town. “i’ve been thinking about taking a trek into the jungle too... maybe tomorrow or something.” he couldn’t forget about his mission to get food for hobart, after all. 

[basanovase-blog]

ofrivkas‌:

LOCATION: THE BATHS WHO: ANYONE

pitch had spent the day setting up camp with taha and the rest of the crew and was dying for some relaxation time. it wasn’t as if she was unused to the work, just that despite her strength, her muscles protested her every move. she made her way to the public baths, where a hot spring from the volcano bubbled out from the earth, and slipped into the water. 

“pass me the sponge, will you?”

when pitch entered the spring with simon - he found his gaze immediately turning upwards and away from her, perhaps making a bit of a spectacle of not looking at her. she was one of his superiors after all, and it felt weird to be sitting only a few feet away from her - at her request for the sponge, simon fumbled to grab one and held it out towards her, his gaze still away from her.  “uh, here you go.” 

[basanovase-blog]

natedeckard‌:

Who: ANY TAHA MEMBER.

This fucking dig with these fucking people was the last place he wanted to be. Had this opportunity came years ago, perhaps he would’ve been more eager to be there. While everyone around him seemed excited for what the island held, Nate found himself leaning more towards the feeling of resentment. Head pounded with annoyance as he settled into a room of a boarding house, his leather-bound journal placed atop the wooden table. Taha preferred strategy over blind-digging, which was why he found himself sketching out the parameters of a dig site according to a map he’d gotten ahold of.

They were located on the southern tip of the island, close enough to the water if someone wanted to cool off with a swim. He doubted he’d have time for such childish actions, but there had to be someway to make the dig more tolerable. The quiet creak of the wooden door from behind was enough to draw Nate’s attention from his work. Perhaps whoever it was had no idea he was there, but it didn’t change his dry toned response. “There are plenty of other rooms to work in,” he hummed, not even bothering to look over his shoulder to see who’d walked in, or at least started to.

simon had known nate was in the room - and the fact that he was barely paying him any mind was exactly what simon was banking on. was it incredibly invasive and stupid of him to want to get a peek in that journal? absolutely. but was that acknowledgment going to stop him from going after it? to simon - that journal contained important information that could seriously help him impress andros and maybe even nate himself - the act of taking it was very high risk, but could hold a very high reward if he managed to pull it off.  “oh, uh, sorry-” simon stepped into the room in any case, peering around curiously. “i was just... looking for something, that’s all.” and it wasn’t a lie so as long as nate didn’t ask him what, simon would be in the clear. his gaze swept over the room, and he spotted the journal, but he didn’t go straight for it, instead choosing to shuffle around the other side of the room. 

[basanovase-blog]

unscrollingavi‌:

Truly it was the hair that Avi recognized in his peripheral to belong to the intern. There weren’t many others he knew–certainly not those on team Taha–that looked like a mix between Sonic the Hedgehog and a Schiele portrait in the best of ways. “Thanks, kid,” he said, matching Simon’s grin.

“I’m not certain, but I think this thing could help us at some point with artifacts⁠— If we find any, that is.” Avi turned his head as he admired the fountain once more. “It’s so odd. Greco-inspired, clearly, but then there are influences you’d find in the Madeira Region, like that fish there. I don’t get it.” 

Avi’s attention was lost along the way and it took a moment for him to remember he was mid-conversation. “Sorry.” He turned to Simon, “Did Andros send you out, or are you just exploring?” 

his nose wrinkled at being referred to as kid - as though he wasn’t a fully grown twenty-one year old. but, he didn’t comment on it directly, choosing to let it go. avi didn’t look down on him, which was about all simon could ask for.  he listened as he explained the style of the fountain, although most of the terms went over his head as nothing more than just things he had heard in class, but had somehow managed to avoid sticking to his brain. he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “think it was all designed at once? maybe like, different elements were added at different times?” simon suggested in response.  “oh! i was just... wandering around, really.” simon shrugged. wandering around was decidedly code for getting food for hobart. but that wasn’t a huge rush - he had time to stop and talk. “guess you’re not very busy right now either?”

[basanovase-blog]

least to most likely to sleep with on the dig list: taha and cambra!

ok so… least to most 14. makara13. elena12. emma11. irina10. yael9. ronnie8. remy7. sang6. max5. jude4. yakov3. nate2. avi1. zack

[basanovase-blog]

location: zack’s (uncles) store availablity: @zolguin

simon was absolutely not subtle about spending as much time around the shop as he could. whatever extra money he had being spent purchasing useless things just for the chance to hang around zack more.  eventually, (after wandering the store in hopes of gaining zack’s attention) he realized that he was going to have to be the one to step up and say something first.                  “so, uh, you’ve lived here your whole life, right?”  the question seems innocuous enough, and while simon didn’t really know where he was going with it when he asked - he was an expert in making things up on the spot. “i was just like, thinking about going hiking on my next day off. the environment here is gorgeous. and i was wondering where would be the best place to go? and the best place to not get myself killed by like... wild lemurs.”

[basanovase-blog]

location: taha boarding house availability: @ronniedavidson

his first mistake was definitely the adoption of hobart earlier that day. but ronnie had been supportive of that, and there was really no harm to be done in having an iguana in their room, right? right!  the second - and much worse mistake - was poking around the dig site at night. even showing up there alone was a bad idea, but simon had a bad habit of never thinking these things through. they hadn’t come up with anything so far, so he had taken it upon himself to try and do something good for the team. to put in the extra hours and maybe, just maybe find something on his own - something to proudly present to taha.  he knew what he had stepped on before he even looked.  a piece of pottery, which he had successfully pulled from hardened clay in the earth, had been resting at his side when the batteries in his flashlight went out. but he had spare ones, a few yards to his left. it was on his return to where he had been digging that simon broke the piece beneath his foot. his heart jumped up to his throat.  ronnie was the first person his mind - surely, she wouldn’t blame him. it was a mistake! it could’ve happened to anyone! it wasn’t his fault. the five pieces were gathered up carefully in his hands, clasped together to keep them safe as he rushed his way back to the boarding house - foolishly leaving his bag behind.  he headed into their room, shutting the door tightly behind him and leaning against it. “ronnie. sos. we have a problem.”