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 Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 12:02 am
The scent of a small fire on the shore of the beach was the most pleasant of all scents that Mimsy had encountered thus far from reactions involving a combustion triangle. It did not carry the oily remnants of combustion with an accelerant, and lacked the chemical scent of an ignited Bunsen burner; she might have learned about this beachfront campfire smell much sooner in life, had she attended summer camps that included this kind of thing when she was younger. Instead, her summers were filled with math and simulated rocket launches and the first two scents of combustion. It certainly made this patrol assignment much nicer than usual. Of course, there were also the added variables of the starlit night, and the occasional silhouette of a tentacle on the horizon, and the company of Shiloh to account for. The enjoyable scent of the fire was a much easier upside to admit than at least one of those. She nudged a piece of firewood into the center of the embers with the tip of her boot, and found herself with an odd reminder of the resting areas during a journey with alpacas. With a smile that struggled against being a frown, she glanced up at Shiloh. "You seemed content in that reality, with Penny and the apples. Are you content here, too? At Deus, I mean," she asked, breaking her self-imposed silent streak. She might have considered starting with a less difficult question, but she'd thought too much about the wrong things in favor of thinking about creating friendly talking points.
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Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 12:57 am
Shiloh sat across the fire from Mimsy, reclining against a pile of wood in the sand. Aside from whatever lurked far in the ocean, patrols were relatively uneventful but Shiloh found them enjoyable, the heat of the day ebbed away for just a little bit and left them with comfortable night breezes, and the stunning view of the stars. At the particular moment, he had his eyes closed against the spectacular night sky, enjoying, like Mimsy, the scent of bonfire that filled his nose, woody, natural and reminding him at home. He’d done the whole summer camp experience, but more than that, campfires were something he’d often shared with friends and family, and the smoky smell brought back fond memories, and drew away his fears of the dark. And sitting with Mimsy certainly helped. She was a strong woman, if not in muscle, then definitely in character, and he trusted her. He opened his eyes at her question, a smile playing across his tanned features. The firelight flicked across his face, as he leaned forward to talk to her. Her question itself didn’t surprise him; little did, as he volunteered information readily. Whether or not that information mirrored what he truly felt was a different story, but he had no problem talking nonetheless. “Penny,” he chuckled softly, remember the alpaca. She had been a good girl, and a trusty mount. He almost wished he could have brought her with him, the island seemed to be devoid of any sort of animals, and it was strange to be in a place without them. “That was an… Interesting reality. Penny was fun, and that journey was fun but I think I am definitely glad to be back. Or well, at least I think I am.” He nodded his head out towards the ocean, before turning his attention back to her. “Seems like Deus might not be any safer anymore though, huh? But I like it here okay enough. It’s different too, much different than home but I guess it’s just like going away to college or something, right? Dorms, cafeteria and all that. Training instead of classes. I don’t mind it, anyway, it’s just different.” “I haven’t been here long enough to really have given it an honest chance though, plus I imagine everything that’s happened isn’t generally… typical. Ask me again in a month, and I’ll let you know if anything’s changed.” He grinned. “What about you, Mimsy? Have you been here a long time? Do you like it?”
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Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 6:11 pm
As much as Mimsy fought against it, it still felt instinctual to shift backwards when Shiloh leaned forward. She frowned and leaned forward too, just to spite herself, and found that the warmth of the fire felt nice against her cheeks. Much better than the warmth of the sun, which she had already grown tired of. 'An interesting reality', he said. She buried the toe of her boot into the sand and watched it slowly shift around her foot, lips pressed tightly together until the sand settled again. "It was interesting," she murmured, barely louder than the crackling fire. "I am glad that we could be friends in that reality nonetheless." The sentimental language might have been much stronger had it been coming from Simmy, but 'glad' was still somewhat significant from her mouth. She couldn't quite manage the same exuberance that her counterpart exhibited; it was limiting at times like this. Her gaze followed his nod towards the ocean, and lingered on a shadowy patch of movement that didn't quite follow the flow of the waves. "Oh, they're not so bad." Smiling, she returned her attention to Shiloh, head tilted. "Sea-dwelling creatures with tentacles tend to lack ambulatory proficiency. I do not disagree with you regarding the safety of the island, however. The lack of protection is concerning." It wasn't the risk itself that concerned her - they all knew the risks involved in this line of work, or they were suffering for some kind of delusion, if they didn't - but there was never any need to put oneself at a statistical disadvantage. "In spite of the problematic safety issues, I hope that your affinity for Deus will continue to increase. It seems that many things are much simpler when you are happy here." An earnest observation accompanied by a smile, which lingered while she slowly shook her head. "As far as my own experiences go, I've often found myself thinking that there are many other places that I would rather be. I have been here for fifteen months, in which I have accomplished very little. I have learned a great deal of things, but." She shrugged. "I apologize for the negativity. I understand that it makes conversation somewhat awkward, but I would rather not be dishonest with you. I am afraid that I can't offer stability or a guarantee of a positive outcome, but I can share any knowledge that I have, if you need me to. At the very least, it might help you accomplish your goals much faster than I have begun accomplish my own."
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Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:04 am
Interesting was a word the was beginning to fit a lot of realities, not the least of which was the reality of him sitting here, by the fire, with Mimsy. Her tone was different somehow, and Shiloh was quick to pick up on it, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it meant. It wasn’t necessarily disinterest, but a sort of apathetic quality that lingered in her words, and he cocked his head to the side, peering at her curiously. She didn’t seem to mind his company, however, and she’d even called them friends. It didn’t matter that she’d specified it to a singular reality, ever ignorant concerning matters of friendship, Shiloh assumed it also applied to non-alternate time space. “I’m glad we could too,” he echoed her softly, smiling in her direction. But at she explained the reason why the sea creatures were not entirely terrible, his expression dimmed, his brain hard at work trying to remember what exactly ambulatory meant. It dawned on him suddenly, the reason that she sounded so different. Simmy had been warm and happy, but as Shiohlu had only been one part of him, the same could be said for her. He had to admit that aside from their initial meeting, he didn’t know Mimsy very well, but from his limited encounters, and her further conversing with him, he gathered that her intelligence far surpassed his. Her smile was pleasant, but it was her words that caught him off-guard, describing her feelings as though she was listing to him the results of an experiment. It was entirely curious to him, as he watched her speak, wondering how little of a piece Simmy had been. But she’d seemed more at ease around Robert, and he remembered the heartfelt good-bye the two had shared and that he had awkwardly stumbled into. He smiled, thinking of it. There was hope yet. “Where would you go, Mimsy, if you could be anywhere else? I mean, I don’t mind it here, but I’d definitely prefer being on an island with an actual resort, and a beach we could actually swim at. Maybe a place where the monsters under the bed aren’t real, you know?” He laughed a little, warming his hands over the dancing flames between them. “Learning is accomplishing something, isn’t it? Furthering your knowledge ultimately helps any eventual goal you have, right, so I think you’ve probably accomplished a lot more than you think you have. But it isn’t awkward to say how you feel, Mimsy. If you hold it all in, how are friends supposed to help?” Shiloh scooted closer to her, settling down into the sand with a light thump. Her voice was quiet against the roar of the fire, and the crash of waves against the beach, and he wanted to have their conversation properly. He smiled at her brightly, his expression warm and inviting and above all, harmless. “So, you’re saying you’d make a shitty tutor?” he laughed, the sound light, playful. “I never went to college or anything, heck, I never even left home so I guess Deus is kind of like, baby’s first big adventure.” He laughed again. “But I’m excited to learn and any help is definitely appreciated. Deus is like a whole other world, and there’s so much information... Sometimes it’s difficult to sort it all out and like you said, move forward. It’d be nice to accomplish things too someday, even if they are just little accomplishments and even though I have no idea what they are yet.”
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