zoyaxkhan​:
open starter @wildshub​ when: day 18 where: wherever the new camp is being set up
her head was pounding and she had regretted the previous night immensely. but in spite of the pain and the soreness and the overwhelming laziness, she was up on her feet and grabbing anything and everything that seemed even remotely useful. this island was full of surprises, and zoya seemed to have grown used to it. she wasn’t feeling overwhelmed, or out of place, she was just…onto the next thing.Â
following the others into the woods, she wondered if this was their way of accepting their faith. accepting that they needed to make something more permanent for themselves. she didn’t want to follow those thoughts too far in, but she did act as if they were real - as if that’s exactly what was happening right now.Â
“hey…” she’ll say softly with a warm smile on as she approached the other, settling beside them. “gets dark quicker out here…the trees an’ all, i’m guessing.” zoya had a tendency to start conversations with an observation. “i want to cuddle, may i?” she scoots closer and asks permission before resting her head on the other. “i’m tired.”Â
when nyla spotted everyone leaving camp with their belongings she was tempted to run in the other direction, deeper into the jungle. she wanted to show them that she could survive without the help of condescending liars. but nyla's common sense was stronger than her pride. she knew she couldn't survive on her own. she didn't have oona's hunting knowledge or izzy's medical knowledge. she also knew she would be a hypocrite for abandoning the camp. so reluctantly, she ran over to join them. she hovered at the back of the group, near the eves she thought could tolerate her. she then extended an olive branch by asking one of the tired looking eves if they wanted her to carry something (technically she said let me carry that but in her books that counted as being nice).
after the new camp was finally set up she still sat on the edges. she didn't want to face joss or erin yet. she wasn't ready to act like she wasn't bothered about what happened the night before. "hey." she greeted in return, moving a strand of her out of her eyes and pretending that she didn't jump in surprise at the sound of zoya's voice. "you're right there's a ton of shade here." nyla commented with a nod. usually, she hated small talk and thought it was just a means to an end but she didn't mind zoya's small talk. whenever zoya initiate small talk it felt sincere, either her sincerely wanting to share an observation or a last resort because of boredom. "maybe jude won't constantly look like a lobster.", nyla joked. internally she wondered if jude looked like a lobster back in new york as well and it was simply part of her scruffy charm. she froze at zoya's question. hugs made her feel claustrophobic and the last time she had one was at dinah's funeral. a lump formed in her throat when she thought about how all of those people would regret their choice to hug her if they knew the full truth. "sure, if you really want to." she answered, fighting her way back to the present. "but i gotta warn you i've got a boney shoulder and it won't make you popular with the others. you might get evicted from the island."


















