“What about the government? They usually get involved.”
"i think we would have to hide the babies in our luggage," steve said, patting a nearby triceratops on the head. "but i think, in the long run, the government might be our best bet to get home quick. unless there's like a mandatory quarantine or something after all this. in which case, fucking score."
sky picked up the little dinosaur from under its front legs, wiggling it around in front of atlas. "this is my new best friend. i stole him from noah. do not tell them i've kidnapped fred."
“ hm, yeah, work ” they answered mockingly, and gave him a fond eye-roll when he mentioned eating half his collected fruits. noah couldn’t judge him even if they wanted to, really, if they hadn’t their mind so tiringly set on helping, they’d be collecting berries and eating them on their way back too. “ half the amount you gather will still be more than what i’d collect on my own, so serve yourself ” they shrugged and started walking, the way to their destiny clear enough to look like a trail already — they’d been traveling through it back and forth so many times they forged some sort of a path among the bushes. “ ah, by the way! please be careful with those ” they pointed to a plant with yellow-ish lobed leaflets while making their way through the woods with the help of a large stick. “ it’s gonna give you a rash if you aren’t. ”
sky wrinkled his nose at the plants, stepping over them gingerly. "whatever weirdo science guys invented this place had no imagination," he muttered as he followed after noah. "like, they had all this shit with dinosaurs or whatever, but not a single one of them decided that their secret dinosaur island shouldn't be eradicated of, like, the multiple poisonous plants?"
modulating his voice, sky gestured at the forest around them. "we can rebuild it! we have the technology!"
census answers from skylar o'hare, assistant manager
do you believe rescue is possible at this point? why or why not?
"god, i fucking hope not. i mean, it's starting to look like there might already be humans on this piece of heaven, so i'm hoping maybe if they contact civilization about us, or whatever, they might let me join them. i'm not sure exactly what atrocities these people are supposed to be up to, but anything is better than old navy."
gut check: do you expect people to act in their own self-interest or in the interest of others?
"i mean, i'm acting in my own self-interest. i don't know why i would expect other people to be different. i don't let it get me down, though, most people's self-interest is pretty broad."
what did you dream about last night?
"my sega. damn, i miss it. last night i fell asleep looking at the tiny monsters again, and i dreamt about primal rage. man, i used to play that game in the arcade, and now it's in my living room. or it was. i didn't pay rent before i left, so my shit was absolutely pawned off. ... fuck."
what is the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to you?
"i'm an assistant manager at an old navy. my entire fucking existence is an embarrassment. one time i accidentally knocked over an entire department of clothing racks and had to clean it up by myself while all the customers watched. that was pretty bad, but not as bad as getting on the bus with my nametag still on."
do you prefer fighting with your fists or using diplomacy?
"okay let's get this straight: i don't fight. too much effort. i will literally just give you whatever you want, unless what you want is me to put in effort."
when did you last lie? was it during the census?
"i told noah that my ankle hurt so i didn't have to help them find firewood like fifteen minutes before you started asking me questions. and i'll do it again tomorrow!"
They're a bit confused, "Isn't that The Sentinel, though?" she hadn't watched much of that if she was completely honest, "I mean Jack and Sam from Stargate SG1," she clarified.
"yeah, well, no offense," skylar said, not really thinking about whether it would actually cause offense or not-- "the zines are better for the sentinel."
athena hummed in agreement, ''you do have a point, the price is definitely worth it... i would kill for a burrito right now. so badly I'm actually a little sad i can't even drive to one...''
"You know... I'm not so sure I believe in this Nessie nonsense." Logan shrugged, and put her hands up in defense. "Sailors used to just draw what they saw! Okay? The Loch Ness Monster is 100% based on a whale penis. Whales stick those things out of the water while mating and just let them flail around. Have you ever seen one? Looks exactly like Nessie on the horizon. I'm serious!"
"i don't think the scientist believed it either, you know?" skylar nodded off into the forest, where the braver of the survivors had reliably informed him that actual fucking nessie lived. "i mean, this is isn't scotland. unless they stole her. i don't know how you heist a monster, though."
noah tried to suppress her amused smile, tightening their lips together at the boy’s attitude, somehow feeling helplessly delighted by it. “ i do have food, or well— i mean i will have it. i need berries first and then throw it in the mix and actually cook it … there should be a meal in about half an hour ” they explained, and then looked at their surroundings, trying to locate the original direction they were aiming for. “ if you want you can come with me, it won’t take me more than a few minutes, and between the both of us could collect a double ration. ”
"oh, work..." skylar visibly deflated. it wasn't that he was lazy (he was), he was just trying to milk this emergency vacation for all it was worth (not a lot). still, picking berries didn't sound half as hard as the other chores in this joint, and it was definitely a lot easier than trying to keep every shirt in an old navy folded while 17 middle aged women rifled through your displays. "yeah, okay. sounds like a good time. i reserve the right to eat, like, half my berries before they get cooked, though. i've literally never met a meal i couldn't eat half the ingredients of ahead of schedule." he literally wasn't allowed in the kitchen on thanksgiving anymore. you try raw turkey one time....
"OK, I know this is a lot but I need you to take a deep breath, OK?" he did it with them, trying out his best reassuring smile, "What happened? Is anyone hurt?"
skylar looked around, brain still ringing from the tumble he'd just taken down the hill. he wasn't sure how he'd done it, but he was pretty sure the small mudslide they'd just stumbled through had been his fault. probably should stop poking things with sticks to see what they'd do.
"i'm--" sky huffed, his lungs not working properly as adrenaline coursed through his veins. stupid body probably thought that giant fuck-off monster was finally going to eat him or something. "we're okay, i think? we were coming over the outcropping, and it all just kinda..." skylar made a swooping motion with hand, whooshing hair between his teeth. "i think it was mostly, like, leaves and mud and it just did not want to have people on it anymore."
noah blinked several times after hearing his words, their eyebrows raised to their hairline. they didn’t know if they were serious or just joking, and being on the other side of that feeling was so refreshing it made a burst of laughter bubble out of them at the apology. “ nah, mate, don’t worry, ” they assured, clicking their tongue in a indiferent gesture. “ i am the one that should be sorry for slapping you before asking you out on a nice dinner and shit. offer that is absolutely on the table if you want— the dinner, i mean, not the slapping. i’m not good at that ... i think. ” they rushed to explain, snorting at their own words. what the hell.
"thank you," skylar said, sniffing primly. "i'm not the kind of girl who just lets himself be pushed around by just anybody." he brightened, dropping the debutante air he'd adopted for the bit. "anyway, if you actually have dinner, i'd be super up for it. i haven't eaten anything that wasn't 75% dirt and salt for, like, a week now."
closed starter to @outoftheskylar
location: abandoned outpost, approx 2pm
IT WAS THE first time he’d seen his reflection in over a month. The view of himself against the ever rippling mirror of running water never provided as clear a picture as staring into the tiny bathroom’s mirror did now, and Reuven stood there, discovering himself.
The tap was pulled up and slightly to the right, to allow for water to run—a waste of precious resource in the face of privacy. But a moment like this, his own rebirth, a cascade back into the soles of his feet on the floor beneath him, the rise of his chest against the fresh, salted air… he needed to experience it alone. Or, as alone as he could get on a paired hunting run. Why he’d agreed to go hunting with Skylar was beyond him. Perhaps it was the ravenous ache in his abdomen, eating away at his rationality, as well as his stomach lining. Because there Reuven stood, staring into his own dusky eyes, glazed over with one too many skipped meals, one too many night terrors. To him, he peered back at his reflection and saw only some stranger. Deeply tanned from constant sunlight, face moated by a beard thick and minimally groomed. His lips dry. His hair wild with waves. He had to bring his fingertips to his own face, feel for his existence, as if to prove to himself that that really was him—that caveman in the mirror.
Something about this send a deep unsettling down into his very being, and self-preservation kicked him into avoidance. Just as he might avoid a painful conversation, or one of those SPCA commercials, Reuven turned away from his own reflection, and returned back into common area, where he expected to find his hunting partner, but was instead forced to look around for him. Until he found him lounged out, laying on the bed, seeming perfectly content to not be doing his part.
“Get up,” Reuven demanded. The lack of nutrients, the direness of his hunger, it was making him harsh. Brutal. And irritable. “We haven’t even caught anything yet and you’re relaxing? We only have five more hours of daylight. Stop being deadweight, Skylar, I can’t—” But then he stopped himself. Paused, and drew in a measured breath. Pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just… get up. Please?”
skylar wasn't sure why he'd been paired up with reuven. it would have made more sense for reuven to be off somewhere with athena, probably, or someone else who could keep up with him-- physically and intellectually. skylar did not seem the girl for the job. he was more of a social engineer, and that was being more than generous about his actual level of skill.
maybe it was because they felt sorry for each other, or maybe it was because everyone else was so annoyed by them that no one else wanted to bother. skylar could understand that. his lackadaisical attitude wasn't exactly popular, but reuven was the other extreme: his behavior was decidedly the most unchill.
a smarter person probably would have been scared of the glare reuven was sending him, but skylar had never pretended to be smart.
"what was i supposed to do, stand at parade rest until you got done?" skylar drawled, but even as they protested, they obediently sat up. he propped his head up on one hand, meeting reuven's frown with one of his own. "i still don't understand why we can't be vegan. i think it would be really, really cool to be vegan."
he paused. "because of my morals. not at all because i think if i see an animal bleed today, i might actually throw up."
"We're never getting out of here, are we?" Her voice was barely audible as she practically spoke to herself. Anne had always been the kind of person who spent her life desperate to get as far away from home as she possibly could. But now, with the universe playing some sort of trick on her, she was desperate to go back. She looked to the person closest to her, hoping to get a response. "We've been here for ages. Are they even looking for us?”
skylar knew he was in the minority there. everyone else was desperate to get home. and he got it, they really did. they probably had better shit to get back to than he did. "i don't know about you, but the idea of going back to work after all this makes me want to vomit. maybe we should just rebuild society here, and ignore capitalism this time."
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