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 Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 3:26 pm
"Anythin' that makes you feel like you got no way out." Whether physical spaces or mentally suffocating situations. The feeling of being trapped was terrifying. Maybe that's why Otto ran so much. Ran from everything. It reminded him of the nightmares he'd been having; of being stuck somewhere he couldn't escape. When he did escape, he was always being chased and couldn't rest, ending up trapped or slowed down one way or another while the danger loomed ever closer. Forced to make a choice, or forced to wait while death came for him. He checked the clock. He wanted to see this damned surprise already.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 3:36 pm
"Exactly," said Chance. "Openness is better, makes it easier to breathe."
His eyes followed Otto's, flickering impatiently towards the clock, and a small smile played on the corners of his lips. They still had a bit of time to go, their shift not quite over yet, but at the very least enough time had passed for it not to be an outrageously long distance away.
"How about this," he said. "After the shift ends, I have to go grab a few things for our little excursion. You can go and get changed or whatever, and I'll meet you at the portal? You don't need to bring anything, really, I've got it all taken care of. Or at least, I will."
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 3:40 pm
Otto turned his attention to Chance. So wherever he was going, it was off island. He wondered for how long. An hour? A night? Somewhere he could breathe air not filled with Fear or whatever other odd vapours lingered in the supernatural environment. It was exciting, nonetheless. "Kay." He replied nonchalantly. He spent the remainder of the shift wondering what a real angler fish looked like.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 3:45 pm
Chance, on the other hand, spend the rest of the shift working through the details in his mind. It hadn't been a lie when he said he'd already come up with the idea before, back when they had talked along the beach, but it was just the little details now that needed to be figured out. It didn't take too much effort, and by the end, Chance thought he had everything the way it was supposed to.
"See you in a bit," he told Otto with a wink and promptly whisked off to get supplies.
Approximately fifteen or so minutes later, Chance was at the portal, a large and bulky duffel over one shoulder, and a smaller, slightly less bulky one in his other hand. He'd changed into a pair of jeans and a loose teeshirt that had - what else - stars emblazoned across the front, a pair of sunglasses perched on the end of his narrow nose.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 3:51 pm
Otto arrived sometime later, having taken his time to have a shower and dress in casual attire. Cargo shorts and a baggy knit hoodie were his choice of attire. Under the hoodie he was smart enough to wear a tank top, should he end up under the hot Spring sun. He stared at the bags with some worry. "Are you sure I didn't need to bring nuthin'?" He asked wearily.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 4:00 pm
"You're good," said Chance cheerfully. "I've got everything taken care of, and that includes you, so don't worry about anything. You can help me with s**t once we get there and you actually see where we're going."
He smiled and gestured for Otto to follow him, stepping into the lighthouse. Leaning close to the tech on duty, he muttered a few choice directions, and then pulled away, flashing a charming look that made the bored tech sigh; but she reached out and pressed a few buttons, and then through the portal they went.
It was nearing evening, but the other side greeted them with a gentle warmth that thankfully wasn't oppressive, merely calming. Stretching out on all sides was a desert - but not an empty one. Enormous boulders were scattered here and there to provide natural protection, but they were peppered with small, waist-high trees filled with thick green leaves. The space they had stepped out into was vast and welcoming, and far, far off in the distance, tiny little dots indicated tents, none of them even close enough to make out as more than just a blurry blob. The two of them were on their own, in their own space.
Chance led them to a rather impressive wall of stones, and set the supplies down beside the picnic table that the campground had built many years before. He turned to Otto.
"Well," he said, sounding a little breathless, eyes finding his. "This is Joshua National Park, California. What do you think?"
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 4:07 pm
Otto stared out into the unfamiliar scenery, slowly meandering after Chance as his gaze fixated on the terrain. With the setting sun illuminating everything in pleasant yellows, pinks and oranges, it was like a dreamy paradise. His eyes finally settled on the spot Chance was now occupying. Last time he'd gone camping with a guy some rather interesting things happened. He opted not to dwell on it. "It's amazing." He murmured, looking back out at the park. "Never been here before."
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 4:13 pm
His expression showed a mixture of relief, excitement, pleasure, and wonder all at once.
"Neither have I," said Chance, crouching down beside the bigger of the two bags and unzipping it. "But I did a lot of research after you said you missed open skies and stuff like that, so I wanted to bring you to a place that wasn't the island, where you could just like, you know, relax and s**t."
A few tent poles were pulled out and dumped unceremoniously onto the ground. Ironically, the last time Chance had gone camping with a guy, interesting things happened then as well, in spite of him not realizing that it was the same for Otto. It was pushed out of his mind in favor of the matter at hand.
"Help me set this up, would you? And once we get a fire going, I have more s**t to show you."
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 4:20 pm
Chance went through all that trouble for him. Why? He felt his heart swell a little. Would he ever do something so thoughtful for anyone himself? "Alright." He murmured, squatting down nearby. "I'm real good at setting up tents. I do it a lot when I'm workin' on off island courses." He rolled up his sleeves, an air of confidence swelling up in his otherwise sullen features. He enjoyed the fresh air. The open skies. The lack of people. Why he'd always insisted on cities and hotels and malls to spend time off was becoming alarmingly stupid. Aside from arcades and shopping, it was a terrible burden on his nerves to go through. But this? This was nice. Maybe from now on he'd stick to small towns with small inns.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 4:26 pm
"I've only set up a tent once in my life," said Chance with a laugh, as he fiddled with the poles. "And it was in the middle of a cold, freezing area with lots of snow. This is at least a lot less frigid, so my hands aren't going to fall off every time I move."
A very faint breeze flickered through the air, distilling some of the leaves on the trees nearby and making them rustle. The evening air was still warm, but it would get colder as it got darker, and Chance was at least prepared for that, with two thick sleeping bags and several pillows and blankets that he'd nicked from the supply closets.
It was nice, working out here in the open air, a vast sky above them streaked with pinks and purples and oranges. Otto was much more experienced, which made the tent-setting up that much faster, and when it was all done, Chance leaned back to survey their work with satisfaction.
"Thanks for that, it would have taken me hours on my own," he said with a laugh, shoving the rest of the things into the newly erected tent. He disappeared for a moment, dipping inside, and then returned with a plastic bag that he held away, grinning at Otto.
"Fire first, then these," he said, nodding at a spot several feet away, where the remnants of an old fire circle still showed.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 4:31 pm
Otto smirked. Looked like he was really good for something. Setting up a tent suddenly made him feel like Superman. The air felt so calming, warm and relaxing. The noises of the outdoors felt rich with life. "What's in the bag?" He asked idly. Making a fire would also be no big deal to Otto. Really, camping had become rater easy to the young man.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 4:37 pm
"Nothinggggg," said Chance innocently, holding it away. Otto was given another pleasant smile.
"Fire first."
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 4:39 pm
He cast a suspicious side eye at Chance. He huffed then, worked on making a fire, and then stared at Chance until the fire seemed decent enough to burn on it's own. "Okay. There."
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 4:43 pm
Chance had settled himself by the fire while Otto worked, lounging comfortably cross-legged, the bag in his lap. It was becoming cooler by the minute, and by the time the fire was done, the temperature was low enough that it wasn't stifling being beside the heat.
"Excellent," said Chance in delight, and then held the bag out.
"Your winnings, sir."
Inside, Otto would find a box of graham crackers, a bag of enormous marshmallows, and several chocolate bars.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2015 4:45 pm
Otto's eyes went wider and brighter than the sun. "Smores!?" He remarked aloud, a little too excited about the whole thing. He looked up at Chance in wonderment. "Dude, for real!?" His little heart pitter pattered in excitement.
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