HIS EYES HAD BEGUN TO HURT - actually hurt , in his attempts to find some clarity in the darkness ; a shift in the shadows to indicate movement , or a characteristic that may inform him of who it was he was actually speaking to . ( it could be his great aunt bree for all he knew , although he was certain he would definitely know his great aunt — a bitter woman who favoured criticising and cross stitching as a pastime . ) ❛ i’ve heard — who knew there was so many different shades of white ? god forbid you chose chantilly lace over pearl . ❜ he was only a spectator with that too , in a sense — but from his brief experience , it looked entirely tedious . the wine menu , however ? now that he was happy to offer his expert assistance with . ❛ so , are you a local to sierra or just visiting for the wedding ? ❜
“I came in from Sydney,” she said, casually dodging the question of if she was a local.
Nothing to give themselves away, right? There were only so many people on this godforsaken island. Desperate to change the subject, her eyes darted around the room as though if she tried hard enough she could get out of the situation. “Are you staying in the hotel? I’m splitting a room with someone.”
🌻 ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ─────────── THEY NEVER COULD leave well enough alone. even though she’d been back on sierra for quite some time, the wedding had stirred up an uncertainty they hadn’t felt in awhile. though they only remembered flashes of that night, eren had desperately wanted to keep it that way. even the snapshots that did comeback were enough to haunt her left them looking over her shoulder for days afterwards. they desperately wanted to keep any and all memories from resurfacing, and eren worried that with everyone being back any memory lost would return. like the holes in her memory would fill themselves in one by one with each interaction she had with a face from the past. it should have been enough to make them run for the hills. to never have found her way into the wedding, and to stay hidden.
but eren could never leave well enough alone. and part of pretending nothing was wrong was continuing on as she always had. so when they saw robyn lounging peacefully on the beach of course their instinct was to disrupt her. “ are you like one of those people who tags their location everywhere they go now ? ” they questioned, a mischievous smile painted on her lips as they lowered themselves beside robyn. “ absolutely not hating on the hussle or whatever, just curious. how do you remember to do that, or where you are ? i forget where my own place most nights. ”
Robyn checked her phone again as Eren started talking, scrolling through the videos and images mindlessly. She could never get a read on the other; while Eren seemed, for all intents and purposes, to be the exact type of person that would follow Robyn and her practice, she knew there was something always quite off about them. When Eren didn’t graduate, Robyn had half expected them to just repeat their senior year and end up in her graduating class. But instead they just... left.
“I definitely don’t want to lead people here of all places,” she finally answered.
CRISTIAN WILL ADMIT , he was far too distracted by the concept of avoiding obvious eyes to pay much attention to who they belonged to — a room full of those he had once enjoyed his youth among was a weight that would take several moments to bear entirely , and even the boat ride over did not prepare him for this . he knew that in this darkness hid every person he had thought about for the past eight years ; every dream , every nightmare , every wonder , every curse . he tried not to dwell too much on it , even if he was fairly certain the voice he was talking to now would be among those he had once known . afterall , maybe he wasn’t entirely ready to turn on the lights just yet —— but what were the rules again ? no personal information ? he wondered if his role would be a dead giveaway . he wonders if anyone even remembers cristian ojedas at all . ❛ yeah , you could say it’s a big role . ❜ if you consider an astray best man to be of significant importance — his list of eventful life experiences did not extend to weddings very often either . ❛ and what about you ? entourage to the bride or the groom ? ❜
Robyn nodded, then cursed herself internally for nodding - not like whomever she was talking to could see her. “Just a spectator this time,” she said. “Always a relief to not be involved in the bridal party. It can get hectic with all the planning.”
At least that’s what she heard. The only people in her life that would make her a part of the bridal party were very much not ready for marriage, let alone considering it. Her eyes were making poor attempts to adjust to the darkness, but her body was tensing up each second she couldn’t see what was going on. She'd been living in Sydney since graduating uni and had almost forgotten the absolute chill of the island she grew up on.
Despite hating everything to do with the island where she was raised, Robyn couldn’t deny that the view on the way from the mainland of Australia was beautiful. She didn’t “disclose” to her viewers that she’d been going home, just that she was taking a little vacation and will be back shortly. Posts were already queued and ready to go; sponsored posts, mostly, but a few “candids” she’d been holding on to were peppered in between her paid content.
Her phone was out and she was taking video of the sun-soaked water, glistening with all the hopes and dreams the island took from the boat occupants. Robyn had almost completely zoned out before she heard footsteps near her. Startled, she turned around to see a face she hadn’t encountered irl in years. “Oh,” she said, putting a hand to her heart. “Sorry, I was just... y’know.”
She gestured toward her phone, where the camera roll was now showing endless videos and pictures of the water and the drive to the ferry.
ooc: i’ve been away pretending to be a person irl, but if you’d like a faster response to plotting please message me with your name and character’s intro link on discord! claudia kincaid#4155
THE VOICE IS FAMILIAR , something that twigs a sense of nostalgia along the edges of his memory , before fading just as quickly as it can form something solid , the hushed voices around him merging into one another as he focuses in on one . ❛ thrill in the unknown , maybe ? ❜ personally , he wouldn’t know . cristian always preferred the obvious — what was standing right in front of him , rather than the ‘ what - if’s ’ that lingered in the dark ; but he could understand the appeal though . ❛ or better sense of judgement ? it’s like the voice , but —— without all the singing . ❜ although , if someone did break out into a michael jackson performance , THAT would most certainly be the real icebreaker .
Robyn chuckled; maybe it was the atmosphere but the image of everyone coming together to do Thriller came to mind - a whole 13 Going On 30 scenario.
It didn’t surprise her that she couldn’t place his voice. After all, what kind of talking had she done with the others in the first place? Robyn hadn’t done much people-watching on her way into the venue, so the advantages of even knowing who was here were lost to her. “So, got a big role in the show or are you a spectator? I’ve been to so many weddings at this point,” she lied.
HE FORGOT WHAT IT WAS LIKE , to be back here of all places —— the smell of salt in the air makes his nose crinkle , and the sounds of crashing waves feel like a distant dream he can’t place . AND THIS ? this felt like a game they all played in primary school , when you were all forced to make new friends in the hopes you’ll develop an unbreakable bond for life . ( ironic , really , considering . ) but it’s supposed to be fun , something exciting , and cristian promises to be at least - at the minimum - tolerable to the idea . ❛ SO — ❜ his luggage drops at his feet with a worn sigh , turning to his left to meet more shadowed movement . ❛ guess we’re buddies , huh ? ❜ at the very least he hopes he’s talking to someone , instead of a wall , or a decorative plant , or nothingness . but he suddenly realises this ? is entirely out of his comfort zone . he’s always relied on expressions , on physical responses , to determine his statue in almost every social situation — a smile meant he was liked - a pitch black room , however ? he was entirely lost - should have just stayed on the boat . a laugh , almost nervous , escapes him now . ❛ let’s hope noone’s afraid of the dark . ❜
Robyn’s eyes were somehow incapable of adjusting to the darkness of the hotel; this was some sick joke, right? A prank? But when Sang-Mi made it clear that this was all a part of her plan, Robyn sighed. This was nonsense. She just wanted to sleep.
A voice from the darkness emerges; despite its familiarity, she can’t place it. Well, that was the point, she supposed. “I can’t believe no one’s pulled out their phone and turned on a flashlight yet.”
ooc: i have not yet read everyone’s bios because i was out pretending to be a person but as soon as i like your intro post pls know i’ve read it!! i’m gonna go to bed soon but you can IM me here to plot or on discord: claudia kincaid#4155
(if you message me on discord pls pls pls send me your name, and a link to your chara’s intro bc i am Stupid and really bad at connecting dots sometimes!)
ooc: hi pals! my name is megan, i use she/her pronouns and live in est, and i’m playing robyn. for disclosure purposes i am white.
anyway here are some of the basics for robyn!!
skeleton: the alibi
name: robyn srinivas
age: twenty six
gender: cis woman
occupation: online psychic medium
see below for most of the answers to the app & wanted connections
wanted connections: a cousin in the 15 (geraldine is tamil indian & white, so cousins must be either at least half tamil or half white), a role model from the 15 who does not give a shit about her even though they might pretend to (or might not tbh), a crush or someone who had a crush on her during high school
what was your character like eight years ago?
Robyn has always been bitter.
She’s an only child in a large family; literally she’s the only only child of all of her cousins. Her parents figured she was enough trouble to deal with, why add in more? Despite being surrounded by people she’s always felt lonely. Hell, constantly having people around may have been part of the reason she felt so lonely.
Considered an outsider by pretty much everyone, Robyn was never going to be prom queen, class president, or even valedictorian. She skated by with great (but not good enough to be in the top % of her class) grades, minimal after school activities, and a job at the movie theater she got as soon as she turned 16.
Despite having so many feelings inside her, this loneliness and rage and bitterness toward her peers, there was always an emptiness. At the end of the day she could simply turn off her feelings. It wasn’t (and isn’t) the healthiest way to cope, but it was something that comforted her. The pain of being an outsider was never too heavy to suppress.
How, if at all, have they changed in those eight years?
Robyn is nearly unrecognizable. Her personal style went from “whatever’s clean” to a curated wardrobe. While she was laid-back and carefree when she was younger, she’s now learned what it takes to get (and keep) people’s attention. Instead of riding her bike or taking her skateboard everywhere, she’s invested in a little car of her own.
Her glow up wasn’t a direct response to the tragedy, but it sure was helped by it. Once she finally became a part of the group (which she slowly learned was in name only) she felt important, and she started molding herself to fit the standard the others had set. It seems, however, she’ll never measure up. When everyone went their own ways, she had to learn to find confidence on her own, and putting on these new clothes felt like the first step. Now it’s all a fun little facade she puts on - and it was working.
The first few years of parties and events were fun, but they ring hollow now that it’s been nearly a decade. The awkward introductions, lies about “oh, we were friends in high school-” and photos with fake smiles posted on socials. It’s not suspicious to anyone that none of their throwback pics feature her, but she’s somehow part of their cherished history.
Now that everyone’s back, she’s reminded of just how small she felt around her Marli and their friends. It’s more apparent now than ever that she was only seen as their alibi, a piece of the puzzle to keep them all safe.
Additional Info:
My concept of how she became the alibi: She was working at the movie theater that night; after the murder, the gang all scrambled for cover at the theater where they were panicking over what they’d done. Desperate for their approval, she fished out movie tickets from the trash and handed them to everyone. They were at the movies all night, together, and she saw them. She ripped their tickets. They couldn’t have done anything, right? Because she saw them. No one had to convince her to help out. In fact, she’d offered. Especially when she saw the panic in Mars’s eyes. Family first, right?
