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 Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 6:43 pm
Well, this sucked. ...No, that wasn't true. This ROYALLY sucked. Since Wawanakwa's start, things had rapidly gone downhill for Annabel. She'd found friends, certainly- really good friends, if she had anything to say about it. Unfortunately, Father had called in and sharply put an end to that the second he'd heard she was on TV. Reputation for the family, and that sort of thing. For the first time, though, she hadn't given a "Yes, father" and backed down. Oh no. Losing her cellphone meant losing Ratchet, Serena... Simon... and that just wasn't going to happen. So they'd argued. ...A lot. And of course, Mother had gotten into it, and Jezebel had come in because she was ever so worried, being the conniving little b***h loving little sister she was. Things escalated- as they typically did- but now? Now, she was very much out of a cell. And a house, for that matter. The house thing was definitely going to be a problem. No cellphone meant there really wasn't anyone she could go to for help, either. So, she'd gone to the library... at which point she realized she knew none of the camper's emails. So, out of options, she did what any very sensible girl would do.
She called her arch-nemesis/bizarre-love-triangle-participant/your choice here.
Some hours later, a dart in the neck had told her she'd picked the right course of action. Rubbing the sore spot in her neck, Annabel sighed blearily, wondering if she was in the mood to even face him. Tired, hungry, and considerably unhappy... it really didn't feel like it was going to do her much good to grovel. And besides- it was groveling to CHRIS. Face rubbing-in? Yeah. Definitely in store. Sulking to a nearby log, and sitting as demurely as possible, she quietly crossed her legs and attempted to look anything but pathetic.
Rat b*****d ought to be here to rub it in aaaaaaaany time now.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 6:55 pm
Ah Wawanakwa. A peaceful, tranquil sort of place. Amazingly enough it actually was pretty quiet. Without all the campers running around, or interns busily testing the next challenge of HORRROR the place was almost kind of...normal? Annabel's choice of resting place was near the lake, and even -that- seemed pretty quiet for the day. No sharks ripping anyone to shreds, no interns frantically swimming for their ******** LAND I'M ON A BOAT ********, we lied. It's not so quiet afterall. <******** TREES I CLIMB BUOYS ******** enough, whoever was singing (ie: SHOUTING) the curse-filled lyrics was hanging off a buoy a ways off shore. If the show was still in season, the censors would have had a field day trying to foghorn out all the obscentities flying around.
Though what does one expect, when whoever was out there was forced to have that as a song?
He honestly looked like some horrible experiment of the island. Tan and brown mottled fur, covered in markings that looked vaguely like Wawanakwa itself threw up on him. There was a crazy grin present as he swung out on the buoy...and fell right into the water.
BUT NO MATTER!
Because there was someone interesting on the shore, and soon enough he had swam his way to shore (not seeming to mind the sharks circling around) and was proceeding to shake himself dry. Literally.
"Hey man, who are you? You kiiiiiinda look familiar..."
Here he was squinting his eyes...at least for a moment. Then he was shaking himself dry again.
"Kinda like that girl that he talks about all the time..."
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 7:11 pm
This was.. not what she'd expected. Jumping up when she heard the familiar off-key yell-singing, Annabel turned to the water... not seeing what she'd expected. At all. Maybe it was the exhaustion talking, but the Audio... somewhat looked like Chris. If one squinted, or was intoxicated. Trying to figure it out, she watched in mild awe and horror as she just tried to figure out what exactly he was. Some kind of genetic freak..? That thing in the cage, maybe? Pondering her theories in a sort of contemplative meditation, she paid no mind as he went into the water, distracting herself quite nicely. Maybe he was trying to make a genetic army for a hostile takeover. ...Or revenge against the girl who'd won her lawsuit. (She took a moment to take a silent ha-ha at this, she wasn't going to lie. Suck on that, Host-who-always-won.)
Annabel jolted, however, when the unknown Audio approached her for conversation. Watching and listening wearily, her eyebrows were well beyond the point of her bangs, doing her damned best at conveying shock. She was definitely aware of the Chris influences in the boy, but... there was something in him she couldn't quite put her paw on. Adjusting her stance to sit a bit more openly (because, really- anyone related to Chris in any way, shape, or form had to be dealt with with utter confidence and complete sarcasm), she gave the slightest hint of a smirk- but that was only if you noticed the corner of her mouth twitch upward.
"I'm sorry, do I know you? The talking and the incredible shortness seem familiar, but.." a flick of the tail, here, and she drolled on...
"I wasn't aware that my reputation preceded me. All the time, hm~? And who, pray tell, is he?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 7:20 pm
Unlike a certain host-Audio, this one seemed unaffected by any mention of his height. Short? Eh who cared!
"As far as -I- see it I'm just tall enough to be pretty ******** awesome!"
That and he could grow! Really! He was still young! He just had to eat the right thing...which on this island there wasn't much of a chance of that. Boo.
Though the Chris-like mannerisms were definitely there, they were covered up by something distinctly not Chris. For one....well Chris wore a shirt. Annabel knew why. This one was definitely random fur marked, but -not- scarred up. Hrm. His voice was tinged with the California-surfer accent everyone had come to expect from the host, but at times it also seemed laced with an oddly familiar gruffness and a tiny hint of....well of insanity.
"All the time man, all the time and HE would of course be the ever so awesome ruler of this island, the Grand Poobah, his High..er..shortness. He who is not to be taken lightly, the mister awesome Chris McLean. Who else man, who else?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 7:43 pm
She was taking him seriously- or semi-seriously, as the case might be- up until Poobah. At that point, she snorted in laughter, ears flicking back in terrible amusement. Some kind of slave-clone, then. She'd definitely have to get the full story out of Chris on this one. Giving the 'one second' gesture as she continued to laugh- very obviously at the poor boy's expense- a sort of hysterical, clearly mental exhausted laugh. He wasn't as easy to rile- yet, anyway- but he was definitely just as amusing. If Chris had replaced the interns with these little b*****d-clones, she was perfectly fine with this visit. Hell, she might actually be nice when she saw the Rat b*****d.
...Hm. Was this a Pygmy Rat b*****d, then? She could go with that. Finally stifling her laughter and seeming semi-sane once more, Annabel folded her arms in front of herself, giving the other an incredulous (and entirely unimpressed) look. A tail flick here, and a moment of her judging, and the Audio teen continued in the same droll tone.
"All the time, hmm~? And what sort of things is the Grand Poobah, Shortness of Amazingness and whatever lovely epithets you gave saying exactly?" A bit of a wicked grin emerged, here.
"I don't kiss and tell. ...Usually."
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 7:51 pm
"Lately? Mostly talking about how they always come crawling back."
There he was, the original Rat b*****d himself...seated right next to Annabel on the log. When exactly had he gotten there? Who knew! But it was one of those cases that his moonlighting as an assassin actually helped out. Ha ha, quietly sneaking up on people was -awesome-
"I see you've already met Dude..."
Here the other gave a rather enthusiastic wave. That...was seriously his name?
You bet your a** it was!
"So, Annabel, tell me exactly why it is you called me up to ask for this little meeting hrm?"
The arrival of Chris confirmed one thing...this new Audio was definitely shorter than even the tiny host was. He still didn't seem bothered. Right now, in fact, he was pretty much glancing all over for the next big THING to get into.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:06 pm
In her mentally exhausted state, Annabel couldn't hide the definite squeal of terror at the host's appearance, nearly- NEARLY- falling off of the log. But just as quickly as it'd come, she was back to marauding some semblance of sanity, and instead gave a distasteful scowl to hide her embarrassment (the flush on her cheeks, however, was not doing much for her case.) Ears flicking in annoyance, Annabel glanced between Dude and Chris, watching- calculating. She seemed content not to be sarcastic, at least for the moment- no witty retort, no scathing comment. Swallowing whatever she'd been considering saying in bitterness, she contemplated how exactly to phrase her problem to the host. Swishing her tail- a bit less confidently, here, she gave a sidelong glance to the figure-now-named-Dude.
"Would it be possible to tell you... in private?" There was no innuendo to the question- none of the usual tempting spark that their conversations typically held. In fact, she seemed... weak. Probably going to get it thrown back in her face, but really- she WAS calling out a big favor here. Not like insulting him was going to get her anywhere she particularly wanted to be. Still watching Dude with disinterest, thoughts clearly on the other Audio, she sighed quietly.
"...I have nowhere else to go." It was quiet- most likely an afterthought, to herself, but still out there. Should Chris choose to hear it.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:15 pm
"WHOA WHOA WHOA...Chris, Chris-man, Chris-meister. She's here a total of like...30 minutes and you're already making a score? Whew man, WHEW. That's...."
Here he trailed off, honestly thinking about it.
"Kinda scary to think about, just saying."
But he did move, after giving Chris a wink, and headed off. Not...very far, but it was at least out of earshot. Really? He was more interested in the water anyway.
"I'M ON A BOAT! I'M ON A BOAT! EVERYBODY LOOKIT ME CAUSE I'M SAILING ON THE SEA~"
Then he dove back in and proceeded to swim/flail his way around in the water.
Oh he had caught everything his mini-me had said, and even threw a wink back. Though that wasn't the focus of his attention...
Nope, Annabel was. Specifically that whole nowhere else to go thing.
"Nowhere else to go huh? So you call up your old pal Chris McLean huh? I know I'm irresistible and all but isn't it -you- that's always stating you don't like me? Heh, finally came to your senses and realized I was right about you digging me hrmmm?"
Rubbing it in? You bet.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:34 pm
Rubbing her temples, it was taking Annabel all of her self-control not to snap, or put up a fight. Lie back and take it was definitely a phrase that could be applied to this situation. Still apparently uncomfortable, it took her a good minute after Dude had left to resume speaking- and even then, it was a very low and generally un-Annabel tone. Obviously, whatever the hell was plaguing her was a big deal. On close inspection, her shoulders were sagging, muscles tense, and bags building under her eyes. She glanced up, having slouched over at Dude's comments to her intents, entirely pleading.
"They kicked me out." She started simply, never breaking eye contact with him or even blinking. Grating her nails a bit against the fabric of her shirt, she continued unwaveringly.
"After Father pulled me from the show, we... never really clicked. Not that we ever did, but it was particularly bad. I'm a disgrace to the family now, apparently. Embarrassed him on public television. So he wanted to get rid of my phone, send me to etiquette school- I refused. So. They canceled my phone service and told me to pack my things. I'm probably disowned, at this point." She mused on this, seeming to consider the idea for the first time. But, no, it wasn't the time to think. Swallowing heavily, she continued.
"I lost everyone from camp's numbers, god forbid addresses. The only person I could find on the library's computer was-"
A hint of color took her cheeks, here.
"..You."
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:43 pm
Here it was his turned to be shocked.
This...this wasn't what he expected. No, he had expected some sob story about how Annabel simply couldn't LIVE without him, and if he wouldn't invite her back into camp with open arms she'd throw herself off the 1000 Foot Cliff in despair. Life simply wasn't worth living without Chris McLean!
Yeah, something like that.
This? This was rather sad. This sulking lump of fur was not the Annabel he had come to know/love/LOATHE/be at odds with. This was pathetic, almost a disgrace.
And apparently he was the only one able to do anything about it. Well he -was- awesome...
"So...you're using me to find the others..."
Here he didn't seem at all amused. He was -not- going to be the stepping stone back to the other campers.
"Since they clearly aren't -here-."
He gestured, indicating the rather empty camp. Except that screaming flailing thing in the water named Dude.
"Or...you want to stay here? On Wawanakwa?..."
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 9:01 pm
He was looking down on her. She hated it, and by god, she wanted to fight it, but.. what could she do? By all technical count, she was a hobo at this point. Annabel was looking down pretty hard on herself. Sighing once more, she shook her head weakly, now looking back at him once more.
"I'm not using you, Chris- not now, anyway. I... I need help. I don't care if you send me to Simon or Satan, I just need someone to help get me back on my feet." And god, if Chris couldn't do it, who could? There was a part of her- the insane, twisted little portion that'd gnawed on his hand what seemed like years ago- that was hoping the challenge of dealing with him would bring her out of her shell again- make her whole.
But then, there was a tinier part that still really just wanted to be his friend. No complications, no fights, no awkward romantic tete-a-tete's- just ordinary Audios talking, being normal.
As normal as she could get, anyway.
"I'll work, if you really want me to. Grunt labor, filing, whatever the hell you need done around here. I'll pay you back eventually, I just... need help. I thought camp was bad, but... Wawanakwa seems like Heaven compared to being back there.
"Maybe it'll be good to be in each other's company? I... heard about the law suit. I'm sorry things didn't go your way."
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 9:12 pm
There was a part of him that wanted to kick her to the curb and be done with it. It had been the part gnawing away at him, telling him not to even pay attention to her call for a meeting in the first place. Psh, a meeting with her why did he ever need one?
Nevermind the fact he had moped rather heavily when she left. To the point that Chef had to feed him booze to get him back on his feet.
Though there was also the fact that she had gnawed on his hand. A point that he silently reminded her of by absently rubbing at his paw. One that still bore the scars of said gnawing, and likely always would though they might fade with time.
Ugh...what did he ever do to get mixed up in all this? Chef had told him to cut ties...and we all see where that went. He sighed, barely listening as she listed off things she could do to earn her keep. Barely listening through it all.
Until the end that was.
"Heh, you heard too huh dude?"
Though he had to break his discussion with her for just a moment to inform Dude that no, he wasn't talking to him, and yes to go back to singing horribly offkey and doing whatever else it was he enjoyed doing.
"She's.....well she's -her-"
Not that that was very informative. At all.
"But we'll win in the end. I -always- win."
There we go! Mister bigshot Chris himself, as cocky as always.
"There's no campers here dude, just...me? And Chef...and Dude, and Sweeps."
Here he coughed.
"And the interns, of course."
Funny that Dude and Sweeps were not included in "the interns".
"I mean I know I'm awesome enough, but are you sure you really want to stay here?"
At...least he wasn't rejecting it?
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 9:48 pm
"I did. Father was absolutely up in spirits about it- I personally disagreed with him on the matter, but the two of us never did quite see eye to eye." She paused, here, smiling sadly. "And, if it helps? That whole 'takes one to know one' thing? She's definitely a b***h." It was an attempt- albeit a slightly sad one- at getting the conversation to a more comfortable place. Not that it was possible with the discussion they were having, but god, she could at least try. Her eyes followed his hand for just a moment of weakness when he stroked it absent-mindedly.
...They seemed an odd pair today, these two. Raising her eyebrows slightly at the break in their discussion at the mentioning of the two Pygmy Rat b*****d Clones (As she had named them officially), Annabel remained quiet- and almost gave a smile of amusement at how nice it was (not that she'd EVER admit it, mind you) to hear at least a hint of the tried and true Host in his words. Twirling one of her curls about a finger, she thought a moment, pursing her lips.
"Where else would you suggest I go?" Annabel asked honestly, no malice or frustration in her voice. She really HAD considered anything else- unfortunately, her fairly well-to-do upbringing had instilled a fear of any unknown help. Besides, there were stories and what-not to put a young girl out of wandering the streets. Roxanne she was not, thank-you-very-much. Curling in on herself a bit more at the thought, she gave Chris a very thoughtful look.
"I'd rather you ruin my life than someone I don't know. Or my parents."
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 10:00 pm
"She's a lot more than -that-, but as dictated by her rules I am not at liberty to discuss it or risk being sued again. Not that I want to anyway dude."
Really, discussing -her- was just a waste of time. He'd rather wash his paws of the matter now and move on.
It was odd, that he could be so calm when there were no campers around. The cameras were off, the place mostly deserted, and he could just...be himself. Which was still an arrogant rat b*****d, but at least he wasn't posing every few minutes or pointing to some hidden camera.
Though again....it was rather scary too. This wasn't the Chris she'd come to know while in camp. He was almost run down though one could chalk that up to a lack of campers and a severe cut to his massage budget.
"Dunno really, got no where else to point you to dude. I'm not at liberty to discuss the whereabouts of your former fellow campers."
Chris returned the thoughtful look with a smirk.
"That's me! Choice numero uno in any situation, including the destruction of lives."
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 10:09 pm
"Ah." That sort of thing, then. Knowing very well when not to push a topic- because hey, honestly? You had to know when NOT to push a topic to know when to push it, too. Two sides of the same coin- she shut up, averting her gaze slightly. He didn't seem terribly happy on the topic, and god knew she wasn't taking anything away from it.
Well. Besides civil conversation. But had she been in her right mind, she would be fiercely objecting to the prospect of that. For now, though, he was being civil- almost friendly, she'd dare to say. Not questioning how long that was going to last, she looked up through her eyelashes to him once more- seeming to be a demure, normal young woman in that moment.
He knew better, of course, but the illusion was still there.
"Does that mean... you'll help me?"
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